|
Essential Questions Potential Expats Need to Seriously Consider: Part IIby Jim Mola |
I
would suggest, if you have not already done so, that you read Part I in
my previous post, so that you will have a proper context for today’s
Part II blog post:
It
is my opinion based upon my academic studies and more importantly in my
own life, work, and travel experiences that everyone is to one degree
or another racist, classist, and cultural chauvinists. No one can
escape at least a subtle form of a mixture of all three at one time or
another in our psychological make-ups and thought patterns that
eventually are vocalized or worse acted upon. Anybody who says
otherwise is either untruthful or very naïve about themselves. In one
way or another we will think or express ourselves about another group
with some kind of stereo-typical mind-set. I have worked with and
interacted with so many different kinds of people over my life-time,
that no matter who they may be, they eventually will express some kind
of negative expression about another group either out of a belief about
another group, or in anger, or frustration with another group, or even
if it is in jest or disguised as jest.
The
question to my way of thinking isn’t whether or not we are racists,
classists, or cultural chauvinists; but whether or not we recognize such
behavior or thought patterns in ourselves, particularly when those
thoughts and patterns are negative, and we are not willing to allow
ourselves to think and behave with such patterns as a permanent mindset.
Can we recognize the stereo-types we have toward whatever group, and
prevent it from causing us to behave in a way that ultimately causes us
to discriminate against an individual with whom we hold such
stereo-types? Are we so psychologically insecure that we can only feel a
sense of self-worth, when we feel superior to someone else or to
another group? Or do we hold negative emotional baggage toward a group
that becomes exhibited in racist, classist, or chauvinistic language and
behavior, or in avoidance behavior of those who are different from our
self-perceived identity group? Active discrimination and resentment
toward “the other” results in stress and anger. Avoidance of members
identified as “the other” is easier, more convenient, and less
stress-inducing. Either strategy played out consciously or
subconsciously can often be found in the expat community as it is found
in any community.
Such
conscious and subconscious strategies are, therefore, nothing unique
when ascribe to the Gringo community in Cuenca. The Gringo community in
Cuenca is the largest expat community in Ecuador of approximately 4,000
people. Ninety percent of the expats are from the U.S. and about ten
percent are from Canada. Its numbers have not grown appreciably over
the last two years. Approximately, the expat community experiences a
forty percent turnover about every three to four years. There has been
over the past year an uptick of expats who arrived around 2010 to 2011,
who have chosen to move-on from Cuenca to other parts of Ecuador, to
other international sites, or to return back to Canada or the U.S.A.
There
are times when readers and people I know in the U.S. are surprised to
hear or read references to the expat community as “gringos”. “Gringo”
has often but not always been used as a pejorative term particularly by
Mexicans to describe the Anglos in the United States. I don’t recall if
I have ever heard any Ecuadorians use the term, but it is widely used
by expats to describe themselves here in Ecuador. In fact, when two
on-line news sites were formed by expats in 2011 and 2012 and focused on
the expat community, they named themselves Gringo Tree and Gringo Post.
The
Gringo community for the most part is a microcosm of varied people much
like one finds in the U.S. and Canada. As expats have settled in
Cuenca, they gradually have splintered in various groups based upon
common interests. The openness that incredibly existed in 2009 to 2012
had many people focused more on getting to know one another and sharing a
common and delightfully novel experience of being in
a new culture. Gradually the openness gave way to people who began to
group into their similar cultural beliefs and interests. While none of
these expat groups are cemented in concrete in isolation from any other
group, and few people would choose to stagnate in any given group; I
believe these groups have a certain validity in identifying various
categories of expats in Cuenca and their preferred social settings.
Such groups include social conservatives, who of the religious stripe
created a number of churches which cater to their brand of Evangelical
Christianity, generally divided between Pentecostal and Non-Pentecostal;
also included within this group are Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses, and a
sprinkling of devout Catholics who have an English mass at one church
they can attend on Sundays. There are many and various types of New Age
Movement experiences which are flourishing. The very natural setting
of Ecuador, and the shamanic practices of some indigenous are inviting
to such New Age groups. Cuenca also has it share of agnostics and
atheists. There are also theists as well, who might identify themselves
as spiritual but not religious, which means they do not identify with
an organized religion, but have a belief in a higher power. There are
political groupings such as libertarians, political conservatives,
liberals, and Marxists. We have our meat-eaters, vegetarians, vegans,
and hippies--old and new. We are expats who have money, expats who are
financially comfortable by American standards-of-living in an Ecuadorian
society, and expats who live marginally financial existences. We have
expats who are world travelers, and expats who have moved to Cuenca and
for the first time find themselves living outside the United States. We
are expats who may isolate ourselves in our expat bubbles, or we are
expats who attempt to maneuver between both the expat and Ecuadorian
world, or we are expats who want to have little if anything to do with
other expats. Needless to say, each of the above groupings experience
some kind and degree of overlapping. Some of the expats remain isolated
in their own little groups, while others stray into a cosmopolitan mix
with basic loyalty to their identified group. Well, other expats pretty
much defy identity with any group, and will mix with people from any
group which will accept or at least tolerate them despite differences in
values. If one wonders how well various expats interact and mingle
with their host culture, imagine when expats have their own differences
which may be friendly, tolerable, or at times conflict-laden within
their own expat community.
Ultimately,
once again, we are an expat community which is a microcosm of our
countries of origin—mainly Canada and the U.S. Whatever are our values,
interests, and group associations; they are not left at the door of the
U.S. or Canada at the time of exit. When I first arrived in Cuenca, I
recall expats who at Gringo nights would mention how they did not want
to bring the conflict and divisiveness of American politics with them to
their new life in Cuenca. That seemed to work, until the Presidential
campaign election of 2012, then all the old divisiveness emerged. One
word of advice to new expats to Cuenca, stay away from politics unless
you are talking with other "true-believers" like yourself, where you can
bask in the reinforcement of one another's already shared beliefs and
prejudices, and then can congratulate each other on how intelligent and
correct all of you are. Such advice if followed, will greatly reduce
tension and divisiveness within the expat community. The one
major difference, however, which separates expats from our microcosm of
American society is the fact that for the overwhelming majority of us
who are Anglo-Whites, we are the minority, who must navigate our way
through a culture that is not the one that has nurtured and socialized
us into whom we have become as people and as senior citizens.
Unfortunately,
I have known my share of people in the Gringo community who are overt
racists to the extent that they not only make racist comments to other
Gringos, but make them loudly and deliberately within earshot of any
Ecuadorian who may understand English. I won’t repeat some of the vile
comments that some of these people make about the indigenous.
Fortunately, some of these people have moved on, usually back to North
America. Some of these people were/are very negative souls to begin
with, and their racism was/is often a symptom of other problems in their
lives that is simply being manifested through racist comments as one
outlet. Gringos who would fit in this category are a miniscule
percentage of Gringos in Cuenca.
Other
Gringos are less overt. Sometimes their attitudes of superiority
manifest in constant complaining and the desire to remain in their
cultural bubbles where they can feed off of each others negativity. I
remember a couple of years ago a new individual to the scene who invited
me several times to have breakfast/lunch with a particular group of
expats he had met and dined with on an almost daily basis. However,
when he continued to tell me how negative the people in the group were
about everything Ecuadorian, it was like why would I want to surround
myself with such negativity?
All
of us expats one time or another complain about something. The
government and financial bureaucracies alone are enough to drive anyone
crazy. There are days when our moods are not what we would like them to
be. There are days when improper sleep, health concerns, and personal
or family problems back in the states can play into our moods and
frustrations that get acted out in frustrations with life in Ecuador.
We are after-all human. The problem, however, becomes when those doing
the complaining are chronic, and in the process debilitating to the
psychological well-being of the social community of expats at large, or
who begin to reflect badly on the expat community as a whole with
Ecuadorians who have the misfortune of experiencing the wrath or
negativity of expats.
One
of the strongest qualities, in my opinion, of the Gringo community in
Cuenca is that it is not living in a physical Gringo ghetto. It is a
community scattered all over the city: from the West Side, particularly
along the Rio Tomebama, to the South Side, particularly along Avenida
Solano and branching out from there to wingspread along the Rio Yanuncay
and then further south to the Mal del Rio area; from throughout El
Centro, especially on the east and west sides of the core business area;
and increasingly to the northeastern sections taking the autopisto out
to those neighborhoods, which are truly like moving into the suburbs
while still being within the city boundaries of Cuenca. A number of
those northeastern neighborhoods and gated-communities are defined by
class lines that increasingly separate the professionals from other
Cuencanos as originally played out historically in the U.S. since the
beginning of the 1950’s. Interestingly, not one of these communities
are Gringos by majority or even approach a majority in any neighborhood
in the city.
I
live on the West Side of town, which is known as "Gingolandia". I am
not at all certain as to why the West Side was dubbed with what was
intended to be a pejorative term, when the density of Gringos is no
higher on the West Side than many other neighborhoods in the city. The
West Side is an affluent part of town. However, so are the South Side
communities where Gringos tend to congregate. Not to mention the very
exclusive gated-communities in the northeast part of town, although the
vast majority of Gringos in that area live outside the
gated-communities, which are almost the exclusive domain of the
Ecuadorian professional classes.
The
story is, and I have no way of ascertaining if it is true, that an
expat living here for years who has not exactly been thrilled with the
influx of Gringos, and more so with Gringos living outside of El Centro
gave the West Side the disparaging name. Even though it is a misnomer,
the name has stuck. The name is even used by Ecuadorians, although not
coined by them.
I
live in Edificio Palermo, which is the largest and tallest high-rise in
the city, with a total of 154 units. The large number of units in the
Palermo allows us to have amenities no other condo building has in
Cuenca; including a decent size swimming pool, workout facilities and
saunas, tennis/volley ball court and barbeque area, and a theatre.
While such amenities are not found in other high rises, there are large
numbers of luxury apartments and condos--some more luxurious than the
Palermo--that are built throughout the city in the last ten years, so
luxury apartments are hardly a phenomena restricted to the West Side of
town. Mention the Palermo, and Ecuadorian taxi drivers are quick to say
with a sly smile, "Oh you live in Gringolandia." Many Ecuadorians and
expats think most people living in the Palermo are Gringos, even though
only thirty per cent of the owners and tenants in the Palermo are
Gringos. "Gringolandia" is an example of how an idea can take on a life
of its own without little substance or evidence to support it.
Living
on the West side in an upper middle class residential area of large
homes and high rises, which is two to three miles west of the core of El
Centro at Parque Calderon, does have the feeling of living a
semi-suburban life experience. One truly has to go into El Centro to
get the traditional Ecuadorian experience, and escape the ho-hum
experience of suburban quietude on the West Side. Unless one is
visiting indigenous neighborhoods outside of El Centro where the
all-expansive, or should I say awe-expansive mercado, Feria Libre, is
located; or the comparable communities on the north side of El Centro
which reach into the foothills of the mountains surrounding Cuenca, one
does need to spend time in El Centro to experience the historical sites,
greater mix of classes and people, and much of the traditional feel of
what may still exist in cities like Cuenca.
I
certainly know Gringos who live in El Centro, who are irritated with
expats moving out of El Centro into other parts of the city. Many
expats may begin their first residency in El Centro and eventually move
to other parts of the city. Others are very happy there, and would not
think of moving outside the confines of El Centro. There are expats
who initially move to El Centro who are excited about the parades, the
countless religious processions, the flower market and other open
markets scattered in El Centro, the festivals, the galleries, the
restaurants, the center of shopping, the Calle Larga bar scene, the easy
access to Parque Calderon and Parque de Madre, and the beautiful stroll
along the Rio Tomebama. Only Avenida Remegio Crespo on the south side
can rival El Centro for bars and restaurants.
Yet
some expats grow weary of the noise, the hyper-activities, the auto
traffic congestion on narrow streets, and the bus fume pollution. These
expats eventually choose to move outside of El Centro. Many expats
will move three or four times the first year or two from when they
arrive in Cuenca, before they find the neighborhood and housing
accommodations that are just right for them.
El
Centro is also undergoing gentrification. Real-estate prices are
sky-high by Ecuadorian standards. The old noblis homes with their large
enclosed court yards are being converted into hotels, hostels, and
restaurants. In recent decades, the population has dropped dramatically
in El Centro. While the population numbers will never return to El
Centro's halcyon days, they steadily are increasing, as renovation and
conversion of many buildings into expensive condos and apartments takes
place. I recently saw a photo advertisement with luxury studio
apartments renting for $1,000 in El Centro, which is an absolutely
ridiculous rental price. There are so many two and three bedroom luxury
apartments for rent in Cuenca, often fully furnished for less money
than $1,000 per month. However, if naive Gringos foolishly pay such
amounts, then what can one expect? So even El Centro for better or
worse is undergoing change. Will it maintain its mixture of people and
classes, and its old traditional customs; or will it become a nice
upper-middle class haven of gentrified homes and shoppes and restaurants
and galleries like so many communities in the U.S.? Only time will
provide the answer. It is understandable why Gringos who have been here
for decades are not entirely happy with all the changes they see taking
place in Cuenca and blame the new arrivals for them.
While
there is plenty of physical housing integration of expats throughout
Cuenca, that type of integration does not necessarily translate into
cultural integration. People can live together in the same condo
building, and only have superficial contact with one another. Most
Gringos have contacts mainly with Ecuadorians who lived in the U.S., and
who from that experience, also speak English. The unwillingness of
most Gringos to learn Spanish is in my mind the single biggest factor
that contributes to cultural isolation beyond commercial transactions. I
am guilty of a failure to learn Spanish as much as the next guy. I,
like many Gringos, and particularly with my academic background, came to
Ecuador thinking that learning Spanish would find me competent if not
fluent by this time after four years of living in Ecuador. It hasn’t
happen for many reasons. Most of these reasons have some legitimacy,
but when all the excuse-making is expressed, it simply amounts to my not
wanting to devote the daily grind of practice to the language. I
haven’t given up, but neither will I speculate in the years ahead how
much more advanced I will become in mastering the language from my
current one year ability in the language.
On
the other hand, I will never understand the Ecuadorian culture in any
in-depth semblance, if I don’t understand the language. So ultimately,
all of my education, travel, and culturally diverse experiences where I
have commonly been the minority will never ripen into the fruition of
appreciating an immersion in another culture if I fail to master
Spanish. Expansion of this theme of language and cultural understanding
is one with which I will need to deal further in a later post.
The
chronic complainers are a minority of expats. There are so many expats
involved in the community through missionary work, volunteer work, and
working with and knowing Ecuadorians in areas of business and art that
offer opportunities of meaningful vistas of interaction, where they and
their Ecuadorian friends can practice their Spanish and their English
with one another and come to a better understanding of shared
intercultural meaningfulness. These actions are more emblematic of
Gringos in Cuenca than the chronic complainers and malcontents. Most
Gringos, however, fall somewhere in-between these two groups.
In
reality, most Gringos here in Cuenca, are happy to be here. Some of us
are even ecstatic. Cuenca is for me as close as I can hope to get to
Paradise, but that doesn't mean it is Nirvana 24/7. For the Gringos who
are so unhappy with the way things are done in Ecuador, I only can hope
that you will return to the states or to Canada, or find a Gringo
community in another country where the only locals you will commiserate
with will be wait-staff and bus boys, so you can live out your final
days in as close a thing as you can experience to being in the U.S., and
where you will only need to deal with people of color when they are
serving you. I would not want to deprive you of your inbred experience,
and I certainly have no illusion that anything I write will change your
minds are get you to consider self-reflection.
For
those expats who have enjoyed your time in Cuenca, and look forward to
moving on to your next experience, thank you for being a part of my
life, or being a part of whatever positive experience you shared of
yourselves both with the Gringo community-at-large and the Ecuadorian
community while you were here. I would never encourage anyone to stay
in Cuenca or Ecuador when you believe it is time for you to go, even if
some of you will be missed. The best of luck to you in your future
adventures and endeavors. While Cuenca is the right place for me today,
even I can't say what the future will hold for me tomorrow.
As
editor, Bob Martin, of ExpatIsland and the other writers on-site have
shared, every expat community has its complainers, its folks who don't
want to adjust to a different culture, and its people who think things
are always greener somewhere else. So whatever complaints some expats
in Cuenca may have that they can't work around and adjust without being
in a constant state of misery, such experience is not unique by any
means to Cuenca or Ecuador.
Part III of the next installment will deal with culture shock and the Ecuadorian side of the equation.
