My Cuenca Anniversary

On May 5, it will be one year that I have lived in the lovely city of Cuenca. I’ve learned a lot in that time. 1. There are no quiet places in Cuenca. It’s just a matter of finding a neighborhood that has the types of noises that don’t bother you. Hate loud explosions? Maybe […]

New home, new job

I have found a job! And just in time, too. I’ll be editing and refreshing content for a US real estate website, probably about 30 hours a week. Thank the fucking baby Jesus. I found a cheap room for rent too–with a tub!–in a large house closer to El Centro. But here’s the thing: My […]

Whelp.

Sorry. I really need to write more. Here’s the latest: My company folded and I have been trying to find decent work ever since. We knew it was coming, but we didn’t think it was coming this fast so none of us were completely prepared. I’m desperately trying to create some passive income streams. I […]

It’s a miracle

Way back in 1999, I incurred about $26,000 in student loans. I have gone through years of paying when things are flush, to years of deferment when things are not, and by the time I got to 2023, the deferred interest had compounded making my new total $48,000. Yup, fo’ real, $48,000. I’m like, “I […]

I’m a resident!

I got my temporary resident Visa! Now I must stay in Ecuador for the next 2 years and at the end I can apply for my permanent resident visa. I believe I’m allowed to leave the country for 90 days in total during those two years, but I have no intention of going anywhere. I […]

Let’s talk about noise

Right now, as I’m currently writing this, there is a backhoe about 75 feet away digging up someone’s driveway. Forward, backward. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. Forward, backward. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. Times that by 100. This new apartment–which is absolutely gorgeous, btw–is the loudest place I have ever lived in my entire 60 years […]

CERTIFIED AND APPROVED!!!

If you don’t know, I have been waiting for almost four months for Senescyt–Secretariat of Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation here in Ecuador–to certify my degree so that I can take that with me to my Visa appointment to get my temporary residency visa this morning. By law, Senescyt has 60 days to complete […]

New Year’s resolutions are stupid

Whelp, we made it to 2024. Shouldn’t that be enough with everything we’ve been through the past few years without piling on “things we need to do better”? We’ve dealt with Covid, out-of-control inflation, the tanking of the job market, and now a rapidly approaching World War III. I think just keeping my shit together […]

Stay safe, peeps

Whelp, it’s been a crazy month or two. I think I mentioned I got Covid about three months ago, but then late last month I got that nasty flu/corona virus/sickness from hell that everyone is taking turns with at the moment. It was brutal! I had a fever for six days in a row. Can’t […]

The elixir of life

Water. Everything I read before arriving in Cuenca said that the water here is safe to drink. It’s treated with chlorine and everyone drinks it, and it won’t make you sick. And, well, that’s sort of true. Apparently, Cuencanos have built up an “immunity” against the tiny microbes that live in the water here in […]