From the Softer Side

May You Live in Interesting Times.....

I've sometimes wondered if that Chinese proverb was a blessing or a curse.

OK...long overdue post from the softer side. Reason? I have been using all my energy adapting to culture shock. Believe me folks, it feels much different when you actually move here than when you visit. For me, there was no culture shock involved in the visit - only the romantic fantasy of "selling all our stuff and living like Bohemians". The problem with the fantasy is that this 'Bohemian' has reached middle age and grown accustomed to a life of luxury. I consider hot water on demand and flushing your paperwork down the toilet a luxury, but that's just me. Like I said, I'm adjusting.

A word about culture shock...Remember the TV series "The Twilight Zone?" There is an episode where aliens transplanted a human couple into a fake universe in order to study their habits and reactions to strange stimuli? That, in a nutshell, is what culture shock feels like to me. It affects people differently but I have felt slightly surreal, like I'm in a dream. Clarke just calls it bitchy but he was never one for understanding the female psyche. There are some things I have learned since arrival.

1) Do not, I repeat DO NOT live in your apartment while it is being painted - in spite of what the painters tell you. ("No problemo. We'll do one room at a time and paint around you. We'll have it done in a week.") What we know now that we did not know then is that one American week equals four Ecuadorian ones.

2) Do not trust your loved ones to Ecuadorian women who operate electric razors. Clarke came home looking like a Nazi concentration camp survivor and the dogs couldn't go wee-wee for three days (gender specific razor burns). Dogs, not Clarke.

3) Learn the Spanish words for colors before allowing painters who speak no English into your apartment. They take their yellows and oranges seriously down here south of the equator.

4) Never make a to-do list with more than three things on it. The more experienced Gringos tell us if we get one thing done a week, we're doing good.

5) Do not expect to find soft, comfy overstuffed furniture here. Ecuadorians make furniture to last. I've sat on rocks softer than some of their dining room chairs.

6) Do not take a 'bailor therapy' class if you have hip problems. Think salsa dancing on steroids. Bailor means dance. The therapy happens later in the physical therapists' office.

7) Get rid of all prior concepts of "hurry". It's just not part of the culture here.

8) We get by with a little of help from our friends. The friendships down here are the best part of Ecuador. The expat community is a wonderful source of support. It's a lot like crossing a river with stepping stones. Those in front lend a hand to those behind. You, in turn extend a hand to those coming along. It's a great system.

To end the post on a positive note, we got our washer and dryer installed last week on the rooftop. As I was doing laundry yesterday, I thought to myself "how many people can claim these views from their laundry room???"

I'm a lucky gal. Life IS good here...in spite of the fog of the culture shock. That, too, shall pass.

Brennie