Being Abroad: What Are the Drawbacks?

I find that in virtual life, it can be very easy to put lipstick on the pig and pretend that everything is perfect. We see it on Facebook in all the perfect pictures with smiling faces and well edited travel photos. We see in in the tweets about achievements and through snap-chat. Perfect happiness seems to be all around us, and really, we're all pretty guilty of it. Who really wants to show a rain soddened photo of what might possibly be the Eiffel Tower? Or a quick snap of the huge pile of poop that you stepped in, barefoot, because you weren't paying attention? No one. No one wants to show pictures of their kids' meltdowns in restaurants or on the train back from Machu Picchu, either. You probably get my drift.

Complex issues with hidden surprises

So it's hard. Hard to put down the realities and sacrifices of packing up our lives and heading out into the wide world. It's hard to explain how sometimes you just really want to go home, because you know it's likely easier. But it happens.

Unexpected moment of surprise and pleasure

So what's hard about living abroad? I've said it before: it's a whole different world out there. What seems normal and logical to one person (because of what they're used to) maybe be ridiculous to another. Cultural practices can vary wildly, personal space and what qualifies as rude or not are not set in stone. Not everyone adheres to our sense of 'rightness'.

Rough and unyielding circumstances

Not being fluent in the language is really hard, because I really want to understand and be understood. I'm no slouch when it comes to Spanish, but I'm no where near fluent. We both do passingly well, we can hold down a conversation for the most part and can usually get what we need from stores etc, but I miss a lot of nuance and occasionally miss out an entire section because my vocabulary is lacking. When things go wrong it can be doubly hard, because I'm already stressed, so trying to get help in a foreign language throws me over the top sometimes. Especially when the culture isn't customer service oriented or dislikes confrontation. (Case in point - Ecuadorians will almost always tell you "yes" because that's what they think you want to hear and it avoids any nasty situations at that particular moment. Whether it's actually possible or not is an entirely different matter.

Strange things that you don't know what to do with?
Check!

Not having the things we're used to having can be hard, too. Especially when I'm not feeling well and all I really want is some hard core cold medicine to knock me out. They don't really have that here. Decongestants are a controlled substances and hard to come by, but you can get sleeping pills no problem. (They scare me.) My list really could be endless...I miss a toilet that is actually bolted to the floor, reliable plumbing (p-traps seem to be optional in many places here), Christmas lights that will last more than one season and limitless English TV channels. I also miss Dr. Pepper and gourmet specialty items that have yet to be discovered by Ecuadorian palates.

Inexplicable combinations

It's also hard being so far away from family and friends, especially if someone is ailing. The sticker shock of airplane tickets can get the heart pumping or even make a trip back home impossible. It's hard to miss birthdays and other special occasions as well. We really have to pick and choose which we go to, which can get us in trouble.

Unexpected occurences

When the Canadian dollar tumbles (as it just has) we feel it. It sucks. It cuts our income dramatically and we have to be even more selective about what we buy and when we buy it. So, it's not exactly the highfalutin' life style that many people assume we have. It's more cost effective to live here, to be sure, but we aren't drinking champagne and eating caviar everyday. (Or even every second day.) The flip side of the whole money thing is sticker shock when you go other places. We had lunch in the airport in Montreal, on our way to the East coast of Canada. We each had a sandwich, shared a small bottle of water and a very stale lemon tart and the dubious pleasure cost us over $30. Aigh! We can eat a filling lunch here for $7.50 CDN and that includes beer. When you live in a country that is more affordable, it's a shocker to go to 1st world countries and (literally) pay the price.

Sunshine basking with friends (it happens)

We've sacrificed a lot of things to live here, but we do it for the lifestyle, the experiences and the immersion in a different culture. If I'm having a bad day, I may not agree that it's worth it, but most of the time the sacrifice pays for itself in spades. I don't want to sugar coat the experience, but I don't want it to seem daunting, either. Like everything, it has its pros and cons. You just have to be willing to take your lumps (sometimes while crying or swearing under your breath) and remember that everything in life teaches you something.

Parades Parades Parades!

I confess it. We skipped the annual Paseo del Niño Viajero parade this year. We did go downtown, but except for checking out the little kids in their traditional dress and eyeballing the occasional decorated sheep, we just cut through the crowd and went to buy some wine.

Yup, sheep wearing food...go figure!

I know, I know...how could we? We've raved about the parade and all that it entails, but seriously...twice was enough, at least for the time being.

That doesn't mean we missed out on the fun, per se. We had three parades march past our building and came across another parade on Boxing Day (that would be December 26th for those of you that aren't part of the Commonwealth). 

Peek-a-boo Parade #1

Note bus waiting patiently for parade #2 to pass

Cristo Rey Parade (#3) Preparation

The street in front of our apartment

These are pictures from the Boxing day parade that we accidentally came across coming from the new cathedral. It's obviously a celebration of plenty and gratitude.
 

Chancho!

And accompaniments

Cuy on a bed of roasted potatoes

Bean garlands

Dessert

Giant bottle of booze on a horse

Last minute present? Vendors around the cathedral

He seems quite pleased with his wings.

Roasted chicken eating a $10 bill

We had our usual stroll, late New Year's Eve to check out the big community installations. This year's theme was "FIFA Corruption" apparently. Some of the displays weren't as impressive as they've been in past years, possibly due to the affect of oil prices and the economic slow down, or just because rich fat cats scamming the system is a fairly usual thing in South America and didn't engender any boiling outrage.

Año Viejo Effigies

Could you burn Mario?

This guy was huge, maybe 6'5"

What? They're a roller coaster, can't you tell?

Burning of the Año Viejos

 What we didn't do is stick around for the fires. Instead we headed back to the castle (the apartment - as one of our friends calls it) to watch the fireworks. Many of the families that stay in the city buy fireworks and not just the little cracklers or screamers, but the big, bright colourful ones that you see on Canada Day or during the Symphony of Fire...whatever it's called now. In El Centro, you can hear them going off, but because so many of the streets are narrow, you only get to see a select few. We were curious as to how big the display really was.

One firework

It...was...BIG. Bigger than we could have imagined. As soon as it gets dark (sometimes earlier) they start. Until about 11:45 they're random, scattered around the city and fairly sporadic. And then you get close to midnight and the real show starts. We have a 180 degree view of the city and as the fireworks became more regular I tried to tape a bit of video. And then the horrible thing happened. I ran out of memory card. Yup, just as it was really warming up and I could record the best part. We stood at our window, in awe of the completely dazzling display. The fireworks kept going fast and furious until about 12:25, so we had a good 40 minute show. They wound down a little after 1:am, but continued to go off through the night and over the next couple of days. (I've mentioned that Ecuadorians love their fireworks, right?)

I find myself at a loss for words to describe what we saw, but it was magnificent. I'll be ready for next year, with my large memory card and a perch on the roof of our building. As we've told many friends, if you really want to experience Cuenca at its best, the holidays are the time to visit. There isn't a ton of commercialism during Christmas, but there are decorations and the city gets busier leading up to parade day, so you do get that "feeling". It's just too bad that you can't be in a lofty perch and in the heart of the New Year's festivities at the same time, so plan to come back to experience one or the other the next time. 

More pictures from the parade:

Little Angel

Big Angel (narrowly avoiding a wardrobe malfunction)

Getting ready to mount up

They grow facial hair young here.

The three "wise" guys..er...men

Colonial Influence

Traditional Dress

This little guy could barely stay awake

His parade mate isn't impressed.

So stoic

A dress big enough for a horse.

And the band plays on...

Christ Child a la "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"

More Traditional Dress

Riding in style

Angel in a toque...a must for every parade

This Christ Child makes almost every parade.

Well, that's it for the crazy holiday season. In a little while Carnival will roll around with all its fun and then we'll be off to the other side of the world for a while. Until the next post, be well and savour life, because it's short.

Clean Slate - 2016

It goes (almost) without saying that time flies. (I wish I had the patience to count how many times I've said that on this blog!) 

So a new year is starting and many of us are heading back to the gym, cutting back on the cheer and trying to improve ourselves as part of the learning curve that is life. Years ago I resolved not to make any more New Year's resolutions and as far as I can remember it's the only one I've actually stuck to.

As Anne of Green Gables says "Tomorrow is a whole new day with no mistakes in it!" The thought used to make me smile with hope, but I'm a bit more jaded now and always mentally add the word "yet" onto the sentence. Be that as it may, like her, I hope not to make the same mistakes twice and learn from the mistakes I do make. (Oh so lofty!)

Not to get existential or philosophical, but I understand that a year passing is just an arbitrary marker of time (does it really pass? are we really here?), but it seems right to do a little postmortem on the old year and set out some plans and goals for the upcoming one. I think it's human nature. (Except for Ron, who pretty well takes each day as it comes with little or no expectations...I know...he's a hero.) It was a pretty good year...new digs, a once in a lifetime travel experience and getting to spend time with family and friends in beautiful Vancouver. Were there problems? Of course, but that is the way of the world. (Don't believe all those people on Facebook, their lives aren't perfect!) So all in all I'll give this year an 8.5 out of ten. (My brother-in-law would probably rate it a solid 5.5...but he's a pessimist.) 

I finally managed to write one blog for every week of the year (+ 1!), which has ever been my goal, but taken me 5 years to achieve. We've reached 72 countries and have doubled viewership (bloggership?) monthly, so that feels pretty satisfying. We even had to delete our first comment this year. I don't like doing it, but it contributed nothing and kind of hurt my feelings.

What the year ahead holds is a mystery and I hesitate to even make a guess. (What's that saying? "Man plans and God laughs"...that's mostly been my experience.) There will be the release of the sequel to 'Last Farmer'...I promise. The first draft is done and all it needs is a heap of editing. There'll definitely be travel...that's the whole point of this crazy adventure we're on, and probably some stress and sadness, but it does me good to remind myself that life is good. That we are healthy and blessed and not matter what life throws our way, we have each other. 

On a more personal note, I just want to acknowledge the people I love. All the wacky ups and downs have made me...well...me and for that I thank you. I have to give a nod to the man who's made this wild adventure possible. You took a risk on a young woman, only half formed, maybe seeing the potential that was there (and ignoring the crazy) almost 25 years ago and I cannot imagine where I'd be without you. We've had a pretty banner year, Love, and it's all because of you. I love you, Ron Robertson! I know people thought we were nuts, getting together, but maybe that was what we both needed. (Cue Billy Joel.)



To everyone who stops by this little blog: I wish you success with your resolutions, a year of prosperity, fulfillment and joy, tinged only lightly with strife or sadness, for that makes us appreciate the happiness all the more.

To you and yours from us and ours. Happy New Year!