Frustration

September 18, 2011

This last week has been has been more frustrating than not, though Todd and I have completed (or nearing completion) on a couple of projects we’ve been working on for some time, which has been satisfying.

This is not the United States, folks…..and for those moving to Ecuador, be prepared to make a number of adjustments. I’ve said it before, and I will say it again and again:

EVERYTHING takes longer here, and much of what we take for granted in the Estados Unidos is either hard to find, not available, or inordinately expensive (i.e. – a scrawny, thin roll of paper towels costs over $2.50 in our area, though I can find them a little cheaper in Libertad).
 

Iguana who lives in
our yard

I’m aggravated tonight as I write this, and I’m not sure which has me more exasperated: some of the gringos living here, or Ecuadorian inefficiency.

Actually, I think it is the gringos who moved here expecting to live in a “cheaper United States” that are annoying me the most right now. Don’t get me wrong. For the most part, the expats living here are a diverse, interesting and an adventuresome bunch. But there are a few who refuse to adapt or assimilate that are getting on my last nerve.

As a few examples:

• One gringo who has lived here for over a year (with several month long breaks back in the States) treats the Ecuadorians in a very condescending manner. He’s a “know-it-all", and brags that he “speaks Spanish fluently” (he doesn’t). This probably would not bug me so much, except that he belittles my Spanish (which isn’t great, but considerably better than his) every chance he gets. This is the same gringo who greets his 8:00 AM work crew with a hearty “¡buenas noches!”
• A few weeks ago, Todd and I were at a “café” next to our park. A gringo expat was sitting nearby. A group of Guayaquil Ecuadorian tourists passed by; they mentioned (in English) that some of them had at one time or another lived in the States, but proceeded to speak the rest of the conversation in Espanol (which Todd and I understood). This gringo admonished them to “SPEAK ENGLISH!”, and when they didn’t, he literally clapped both his hands over his ears to confirm his obstinacy. We were embarrassed for him, and we made sure those folks knew we were not with him.
• A gringo who lives nearby flaunts his money and possessions in a most flagrant and ostentatious manner (this, in a country where many consider a tin roof that doesn’t leak, a hefty bag of rice, and a working television the height of luxury).  He has never made any attempt to learn the language or get to know any of the locals on any type of intimate level. THAT gringo actually said to us a while back (more or less a direct quote) that: “we ought to get rid of that local god-damn school…they don’t teach those kids shit anyway…and we can put in some stores that we gringos want…like a souvenir tee-shirt shop”.

These are the type of gringos we don’t like seeing down here, and who add the adjective “ugly” into “American”.

On the other hand, Ecuadorian “efficiency” has been troublesome for me this week too.  Of course by now we know when they say “it will be done mañana” that conveys a flexible concept, to say the least. We’ve become more or less accustomed to this (even from educated Ecuadorian professionals) but this week has been discouraging.

There are a lot of terms I would use to describe Ecuadorians:  for the most they are warm, accepting, and kind (at least to our face, but since most Ecuadorians DON’T DO confrontation, will say whatever you want to hear in order to avoid it, so sometimes it’s hard to discern)….

I’ve heard them called “naïve”…I don’t really agree with that…”child-like” may be a more appropriate term, but not naïve…especially when it comes to money transactions…these guys are wily every chance they can get when it comes to money…..But yes, tender, caring, helpful, spiritually generous…..I would say that about most all of them. One word I would NOT describe them as is “efficient”.

Ecuador is progressing by leaps and bounds regarding internet connectivity. Cable lines have been laid underground as far as Manglaralto (a few miles south of us), which will eventually be extended further north to Olon. Todd and I have decided to maintain a “wait & see” attitude before hard-wiring our house. Several of our friends and neighbors have installed expensive technology, but even then, reliable connectivity has been an issue (though we have recently discovered some pretty good, less pricey options). In the meantime, we use a slow thumb drive device at home or use the many internet cafés for faster speed or wi-fi capacity. *

Our home thumb drive worked okay (though slow) until the company recently changed ownership. Until then, we had no problem renewing our $30/fifteen day plan, going through an easy Spanish step-by-step process to activate it on our computer, but since the change, it’s been a HUGE hassle.   Three times since then, I’ve had to return to our local Cyber café “experts” for assistance (usually losing at least one day of our plan to activate it). It became such an ordeal, I took a friend who speaks excellent technical Espanol this last time with me to do it.

 Our Cyber expert, translator, and I spent the next spent 2 and half hours trying to fix it, and it is still not active….it did not help that a slow-minded guy hovered behind us offering prolific Spanish advice (which Cyber expert,  translator and I all ignored)….now I probably need to go to Libertad to reactivate thumb drive.

Not for lack of everyone trying, but I would sooner skate board into a vat of snot than go through that experience again.

A recent conversation between Todd and me went something like this:

Todd:    “Why are you drinking a beer at 9AM?”

Me, (trying to think quickly): “Hmmm….because we are out of vodka?”

Thus is the level of my frustration right now.  On the bright side, we have been enjoying wonderful weather for this time of year, with many more sunny days than we had last September.

I have tried to at least keep the pictures included with this post neutral and upbeat to counteract my rather sour mood tonight.

* See “Alt 64” to see more about technical frustrations here.