Move to Ecuador - My story

by Larry
(US)

"I want to share a story for those who are considering a move to Ecuador.
We always hear about bad things, crooked Lawyers etc. So I want to show you the
Ecuador I have seen. I hope others will post similar things for those
considering the move.
I am a "country boy" who came from a poor family here in the US. When in High School I met my first "foreigner" when my wife became the first exchange student to our small rural Ga. school. We have been married now for 27 years and that is a story in its own.
Before going to Ecuador in 1982 to ask her father for her hand, I had never left Georgia, much less the States. I had never flown or even been to a major airport. But that’s another story.
We came back here and have lived our lives but I have made near annual trips to Quito since then. I have laughed and cried with my family there. Some weddings and some funerals.
But the story that says it all is this. As I said, I'm a country boy, so Quito
really never "sat well with me" (as us Red necks say). I bought some land far
away from the city in a small village north of Quito many years ago. I was, and
still am, the only "Gringo" in town.
We built a house there about 8 years ago and I let my neighbors farm the land. Been given a lot of crops when I go down for dinner and some that I had no idea what to do with!
My grasp of the language isn't that great so some of the "squash" is still don't know what is was!! After the construction was complete I went down one year and saw that the builder had neatly stacked all the wood used for framing over to the side. What we call here "construction debris".
At first I was a little mad that he had not cleaned up but he said “No! that’s worth a lot of money and you can sell it" Remember, especially in Ecuador, a lot of money is a very relative term! My plans were just to burn it and finish the clean up.
I needed a little work done at the house. A small window in my storage area needed a grate so I went in the village and found a guy who could do it for me. He was, as many of my neighbors are, "dirt poor" by many standards but he knew steel and had a small weld shop in his back yard.
When I went to pick him up later (he had no car) I noticed his wife and
small children in the back yard cooking over a fire the lunch for the day.
Chickens and laughing children running everywhere! Very common thing and really
makes one appreciate something as minor as an old Coleman camp stove. While he
was putting the final touches on the window I noticed he kept looking at the
wood pile so I asked him he wanted it. His eyes lit up and he said yes! I
offered to carry it down to his house but he said no, later he and his wife
would be by to get it.
Later they showed up with an old worn out wheel borrow and I told him that the truck would work much better so I finally convinced him to let me help and we drove it to his house.
The next day I get a knock at the gate and it’s his wife. She tells me thank you (again) for the wood. She says we do not have much but I want to repay you for the wood and help. I said you don't need to do that but she insisted. She held out her hand and wrapped neatly in old newspaper were two small fresh hen eggs. I nearly cried and even as I write this it still brings tears to my eyes!
In a country here (US) where sometimes a simple "Thank you" seems like hard work, this gesture was just too much for me. This is Ecuador. These are my people!
As you consider your move to this country remember we are guest. We are the "foreigners" and can learn a lot from these wonderful, kind, beautiful people. They have nothing but they have everything.
Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your lives. As my kids are grown and
we plan to move next year I look forward to the lessons about life and living
you continue to teach me. God bless you all! VIVA ECUADOR!"
It says what I feel about Ecuador. The "Thank You" at the end was for the people of Ecuador.
Larry