Embrace it or Die

I can't begin to guess how many blogs I've done about the whacky world of Ecuadorian bureaucracy and just general quirkiness, but I can't resist another one.

Yup, I guess the blush of being home has worn off slightly. Of course, this is the "life we've chosen" as a friend often says, but some things are just so...well...foreign. 

Sunset in Cuenca

In an attempt to comply with the health insurance requirement here, we decided to apply for the government medical coverage, known as IESS (not I E S S, but eeeyes!). So the spousal unit applies with little effort, and then we try to add me as a dependent...nope. So we trundle ourselves down to the IESS office, line up, get a number and then wait for our turn. The nice lady helps us, getting all my information and entering me into the system. Was that it? Was I registered? Nope. She tells us we have to go back home, log in to the system and add me properly now that she's registered me as a possible dependent. Off we go and low an behold, there I am on the list of dependents. We check the box, press continue and finalize. I am now supposedly registered. We shall see. (I did get a certificate of insurance, so that's a good sign, right?) 

Little man so proud to be astride

A bit round about, but such is the way things work here. Our chocolate contact suddenly wasn't offering her services anymore, so we had to go directly to the source; a manufacturer on the coast. Of course they'd help us, and it would be less expensive than going through and intermediary. We received the product list, got together a big order for ourselves and friends and placed it. They'll deliver the next day...(yup, wait for it)...if we can deposit the funds to their bank right away. Wait, what? We can't pay on delivery? Nope. But the banks are closed.  "Go early tomorrow." But we have another appointment tomorrow morning. "Deposit when you can and send a photo of the receipt and we'll arrange the deliver."

Cotton candy vendor

Much back and forth ensued. We weren't crazy about depositing almost $100 in a bank account where we'd never see it again. Needless to say, we wound up rolling the dice and doing the deposit and low and behold, the chocolate showed up the following day - 10 minutes after we set the delivery deadline, of course.

Sweeping vista of the coastal BC mountains

So, this is the craziness that we've signed on to, at least for now. So we must embrace it or risk losing our minds. We just have to realize that this isn't really a problem...it's not like we don't have the time and we've chosen to be here, so we have to play by their rules, no matter how unusual they seem to us.