One of the things many friends and relatives wonder about us expats is, "What do you do all day?" We reside in a faraway foreign country, and it's hard for people back home to put themselves in the picture of what our daily life is like.
One might envision exotic experiences and amazing adventures. Hate to burst your bubble, but our lives aren't all that remarkable. Let me share with you what the world of Edd and Cynthia looks like.
Cynthia goes to yoga practice on Monday and Wednesday mornings: I go to the gym Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings. That's it regarding our weekly "schedule." It seems like we talked about having more structure in our lives a couple of years ago but couldn't really see the point.
Most mornings for me when I'm not at the gym involve writing of some kind. That's when I'm most alert and energetic. The rest of the day and evening are put for grabs.
Afternoons are when we often meet friends for lunch or take care of errands. More and more, evenings are spent at home with meals we prepare (always from scratch--there are very few processed foods here). We go to bed and get up when we feel like it, but generally we're asleep before midnight and up by eight.
Even though we've scaled back our social calendar from the early days we still seem to "go out" three or four times a week. That's still a dramatic increase from the 3-4 times a year in the States. This week Cynthia met a friend for lunch yesterday. I met a friend for lunch today. We're going to dinner with a couple tomorrow night, to the symphony Friday night, and attending a birthday party Saturday night. Oops, that's five things and three evenings--maybe a bad example.
My day today was as "typical" as any, so I'll quickly describe it. I wrote for International Living early, then, noticing what a gorgeous day it was, laid in the sun for awhile. It's summer here and today we enjoyed exceptional weather.
After showering I walked into town and met my friend for lunch. Two hours later (we take our time here) I walked to a leather store for measurements. You see, I fell in love with an awesome jacket in a store at the Miami airport last month but the price of $1095 was WAY outside this retiree's budget. I'm getting it custom made here for $120. Holla!
I then walked to the grocery store, picked up a few items and carried them home. After recovering from all that walking I'm now back upstairs at the computer.
We'll be eating our New Year's day meal of blackeyed peas and cabbage shortly (Hey, it's Ecuador--so what if we're two weeks late----!). Then after cleaning up the kitchen we'll probably read for awhile and hit the sack.
Exotic? Amazing? I don't think so.
But you know what? It's our life, and we love it!
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
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3 comments:
Hi Edd
Followed your journey from first post on. I'm at that "what's next" phase, and have discovered Ecuador. Cuenca is attractive to me. My concerns regard safety and money. Some make it seem that expats are such targets that a "gringo" female must never walk alone. Money issues are confusing. If no one will make change, ATM's are unsafe, Credit cards are not accepted or subject to price markups,large purchases must be in cash, and personal checks not mentioned; how does one accomplish transactions? In terms of safety; all cities have areas it is unwise to venture and it is best to be aware of them, but some bloggers suggest that lone female expats are unsafe and vulnerable to robbery everywhere. If this is true, the loss of personal freedom would be a huge negative. Please comment on these issues.
Hi Edd, always great reading your blog, so how do you know Juan at TerraDiversa?
Do you offer van service to Guayaquil?
How could one start to write for IL, is there a place to apply? thanks Dom at Murali Hostal in Guayaquil
Don't know what you've been reading, but go elsewhere for your info! Money is so simple--get it from an ATM (they're all over town, and many have guards during business hours)& spend it.
Regarding safety, I'll say to you what I say to everyone--do you think I would bring my wife to a place that's unsafe? No way in hell. Cynthia has been walking or riding buses and taxis all over town by herself for three years.
That being said, personal safety is just that--personal. Your definition could well be different from ours.
The only way you're going to answer this for yourself is not through reading my blog or anything else out there on the Internet. Come & see if Cuenca speaks to you.
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