Ron and I were minding our own business, enjoying a very nice Southeast Asian lunch, when we realized how far Cuenca has come since we first put our feet down on the pavement. The lunch we were enjoying wouldn't have been possible several years ago.
The city is growing up and we've been able to witness some of the growing pains, as well as the victories. Culinarily, Cuenca has grown leaps and bounds. There's a good range of (close to) authentic international cuisines (and some pretenders), there are more outdoor eating spaces and an expanding appreciation for good food, no just cheap food, even though there's still a lot of that, as well.
Tranvia (much maligned or cheered, depending on your perspective) is running through the streets, giving the city an urbane feel that adds to the quaintness that already existed. Buses are slowly getting switched out for more environmentally friendly options. Cheap diesel that burns black is being eradicated. (My lungs are cheering.)
All of this lovely modernity and comfort has its drawbacks. It makes Cuenca that much more appealing. The crisis in Venezuela has created an influx of Venezuelans flooding the city trying to find work, housing and security. Streets that had seen very little begging in the past, are lined with young families trying to scrounge together enough money for an apartment, or more often than not, a meal for the day. People can debate how bad
Venezuela is, all they want. I only see the affect that it has on a city
that I'm familiar with and it is big. As much as Europeans and North Americans have put a thumb print on this city over the past decade or so, Venezuelans are doing the same, but overnight, almost. They bring with them skill sets that are badly needed here, but, of course, there is a clash of cultures, processes and classes.
The government and communities are doing what they can, but the lower income workers are feeling the pain of having an influx of displaced people ready and willing to work for so much less. Ecuadorians are compassionate people, but this is a hard pill to swallow when the economy has slowed (after a blistering pace over the past decade or so) and they aren't achieving the things that they had hoped. Making it harder still, is the old attitude that came from the well-to-do Venezuelans that used to look down upon the "backwards" countries of South America. This included beautiful Ecuador. Some Ecuadorians aren't wiling to forget the slanders of the past. It's a sticky wicket, to say the least.
I can't say how this mass immigration is going to affect Cuenca in the long term. I hope that the city will do as it always has, expand, embrace and improve. In a time of worldwide Nationalism and a hard turn towards pure fascism, I can't even begin to guess the outcomes. I can only hope for the best.
