People and Time, Oh How Sublime!

One of the many great things about Cuenca is that I never know how my day is going to go. Of course in the states when I was a teacher and an administrator, I never knew how my day was going to go either. However, this is retirement, a more insouciance time, when I am more in control of my time. Yet, getting together with friends, having someone call, meeting someone new, running into people I know while walking or eating in a restaurant, there is always an abundance of people in my life that can send each day on a trajectory I did not anticipate. It’s nice not to have a daily routine of the same old grind. It’s also nice to see my daily plans altered on a frequent basis by circumstances and by the people I meet throughout the day, by friends and new acquaintances who generally promise an interesting or exciting or adventurous time of conversation or activity.

Friday was one of those days that brought me into El Centro to have a late lunch/early dinner with a friend in a restaurant that was new to me “Indigo”, which has good food, nice atmosphere, and very reasonable prices. The evening was upon us and it was time to head to Gringo Night at Zoe’s. The crowd was relatively sparse. I hadn’t been in attendance in over a month. Some of the usual mainstays were there, as were newer couples I have met before who only recently moved to Cuenca.

As I made my rounds talking with people, I had the opportunity to reacquaint myself with one gentleman I had met in Parke Cauderon one afternoon where we spent hours talking. Meeting him again at Zoe’s led me to some new acquaintances, a young Argentinean from Buenos Aires who hopes to remain in Cuenca, a Californian from San Francisco who will be returning in September for good. We had great time of conversing, joking, and bantering. Eventually we invited a Patti from Washington with us, who is often a mainstay at Carolina Bookstore, as we made our way to La Vina’s for an evening dinner and wine over some very fine traditional Italian fare.

The evening of conversation went from political to philosophical interspersed with occasional jokes and more friendly banter. In typical American fashion, our intellectual discussions jumped from one topic to another, without remaining on any one topic long enough for any depth. The evening was fun, the company enjoyable, the work experiences, the life experiences, and the sense of humor of such a diverse group only added to the enjoyment of the evening. Next time we only need to add some song to the wine and food.

The fun of Friday evening was followed with a day in the country with Ecuadorian friends who invited me to a pig grill. Mercifully, I was spared the slaughter of the pig, an eighteen month old, who met his demise about three hours before I arrived. Much of the day was watching Patricio, our host, butcher his first pig solo, as he hacked away at the various parts with a large knife that would cut right through the bone. Patricio seems like one of the nicest guys in the world you could ever meet, and yet when I saw him go to work with that blade in his hand, I wouldn’t want to meet his alter-ego. The legs and hooves sat in a nearby bucket. The pig’s head sat on the table, with his snout aimed upward, and his lips all puckered like he desired a kiss. (Sorry, folks, that I don’t have any photos for you. I still haven’t taken my camera out of its box, so you’ll just have to use your imaginations.)

Different parts of the pig were cooked at different times. The skin was among the first served with corn and potatoes. Ecuadorians have a habit of heavily salting everything. The skin was also prepared in minute junks similar to pork rinds back home. Other parts were grilled. Some parts were boiled. Whenever a pig is slaughtered and prepared, all the women of the family gather together to do the preparations and cooking. I watched as the intestines were washed with water and lemon juice, and then stuffed with rice. One set was packed with a more salted variety of rice, while another set of intestines was packed with raisins and sugar for a sweeter variety, and then both sets were boiled. Then there was whatever part of the pig that was cut up into chunks and fried in a very large pan, which required that the chunks of meat be frequently stirred to balance the cooking of all the pieces and to be sure that the meat would not stick to the bottom of the pan. This dish was served, of course, with rice and potatoes. Meanwhile, other women were charcoal grilling long thin slices of pork on a grill. The family offered me a plate to take home with me, which I enjoyed the next day as well.

Short of the bones, just about every part of the pig would eventually be utilized. The pig’s head eventually met the chopping block as well. I didn’t watch to see what part or parts of the various dish preparations that part of the pig was mixed in with. I figured what I didn’t know, wouldn’t hurt me, or at least not adversely affect my appetite.

Throughout the whole experience, we were sitting in a half unfinished home which was being built as money allowed for further construction. Some of the relatives were in the states, and as money came home another step of construction could take place. There were children everywhere running around, playing, and enjoying themselves. I was mesmerized by a two year old, a nephew of Patricio’s. He had such a sense of curiosity, was into everything, and wanted to do whatever he saw the adults doing. He attempted to move a full-size wheel barrow that was loaded, and what energy, he never stayed in one place longer than a minute. It was enjoyable watching how the little fella was constantly exploring, and figuring out how things worked. Toward the end of the afternoon, his mother changed his diaper, and bundled him up and placed him on her back. I couldn’t even see his head. Either she suffocated him, or that bundle of energy was finally out cold, against the warmth of the garments and his mother’s body.

The beauty of it all is when on occasion any of the parents corrected the children, the children immediately fell into line. No shouting on the part of the parents, no unheeded warnings, no spankings, no time-outs. The children just immediately corrected their behavior and went about their play. The parental corrections usually came more of a nature to be careful and less risky. The children all played well together. The Ecuadorian children are truly a blessing to behold. Ecuadorian parents are doing something right that sure is missing in most homes in the states.

It was a wonderful day despite the cold and rain, and I have already been invited to Patricio’s fourteen year old nephew, Gabriel's confirmation next month. I’ve got to get that camera ready. Patricio’s mother-in-law was the only woman wearing the traditional indigenous dress. She was a warm and inviting lady. My only regret is that I speak so little Spanish.

The last three days have been rainy, cold, cloudy, and damp. I miss the Equatorial sun; but even on a cloudy, rainy day, I look from the expanse of my condo windows and enjoy the beauty of Cuenca and the mountains. Tomorrow will be a people day, come rain or come shine.

Looking To The Future

Last Friday was my last day of teaching as the semester and my current career have come to a close. It was a good week. I appreciated the cake, cards, and congratulations from both students and colleagues. It was nice to end my career with a fine group of students. I wish my seniors well in their future endeavors. The fact that I taught many of them as freshman made the goodbyes more poignant. A number of them have matured over the four years, and its not often a teacher has the chance to witness his students' social and academic growth so directly. I hope in the process of my interaction with them, I instilled within my students a sense of curiosity beyond their own experiences, and a desire to travel and see the world. One thing is for sure, they all know where Ecuador and Cuenca is on a map. In fact, my retirement to Ecuador became quite a topic of conversation among staff and students, a number of teachers told me they had their students look up Ecuador and Cuenca in their map atlases. Not bad, considering I don't recall myself ever hearing of Cuenca until a year ago last Christmas season.

Meanwhile, I am now focused on the future. I have taken action to get all my paper work in order for my legal residency in Ecuador. I am working with Gabriela Espinosa, the attorney in Quito, who has come highly recommended by many expats. Although personnel in the Ecuadorian consulate in Washington tell me that visas are not yet being processed, I am told that the delay should not affect my time-table for returning to Ecuador. I tentatively intend to arrive in Quito on Monday, March 14th. I will spend a few days in Quito to finalize my residency requirements, and then arrive in Cuenca later in the week.

Well, on one hand, I am overwhelmingly excited about returning to Cuenca; on the other hand, I hope I have sufficient time to get everything accomplished. I am finding that the little things which don't show up in concrete form, like unloading my personal belongings, are very time consuming. Seeking out health insurance, dealing with the governmental offices, determining what will and will not be downloaded from my P.C. to my laptop, how to handle my finances and investments, notifying all the proper sources of address changes and cancellation of services, or scanning thousands of slides; these are only scratching the surface of things that need to be done, but don't process like an accomplishment the way an eventual empty apartment does.

For those of you who comment on problems and delays with Ecuadorian government and business bureaucracy, the Ecuadorians may have learned it from the United States. I was delayed for two weeks getting my social security information to the Ecuadorian Consulate, because of misinformation that was given to me twice from social security representatives, as I needed to procure my monthly income statement for authorization by the Ecuadorian consulate personnel. I have a friend who is 65, but is still working and has never applied for Medicare. Yet Medicare has been trying to collect hundreds of dollars in back payments for insurance for which my friend has never applied or used. It has been months of back and forth phone calls and letters between my friend and Medicare. The problem still has not been fully resolved. Medicare personnel tell him one thing and then do another. One would think with our government's advanced computer operations that such delays would be less likely than in a country like Ecuador where the computer operations are less sophisticated. At any rate, bureaucratic snafus and delays just seem to be a part of everyday modern life no matter where one lives.

I look forward to reconnecting with old friends and acquaintances, and making new friends and acquaintances as well. I read that you are having beautiful weather in Cuenca, I hope it will still be as nice in March. If anybody has any advice for me in my move, I am open to any suggestions.

Retirement:: Part II

I now have my blog links in place, so readers of this site can read other perspectives and experiences of expats in Cuenca. Concerning retirement, I would like to link you to "Edd Says--Come to Quenca", Edd has a take on retirement in Cuenca that is more expansive than what I presented in my July 23rd post . Why recreate the wheel, when Edd already did such a fine job of expressing shared thoughts on retirement in Cuenca. Seek out Edd's post, Friday, July 16, 2010, entitled "Social Security".

http://eddsaid.blogspot.com/

NEW BEGINNINGS

I have been an educator most of my life. Now as I anticipate retirement in the not so distant future, I am looking forward to traveling and to finding a new home. Cuenca first came to my attention over the 2009 Christmas season. I discovered her by accident through a link on Yahoo, in which "International Living" listed Cuenca "Numeral Uno" among the ten best places for retirees to live. Of the ten cities listed, Cuenca most definitely caught my eye. Was it love at first site or just infatuation? As I researched this beautiful city, I fell more in love with her with each passing day. So now I begin a journey to find out if Cuenca is just a long-distance romance, or if for me, is she the real thing?

I will be traveling to the heartland of the Andes and arriving in Cuenca on Tuesday, July 13th and depart from the city on Monday, August 9th. In the days and weeks ahead, I will share my thoughts, reactions, and decisions with you as my journey and adventure begins.