Friday, Jul 7, 2017

Reasons

Guess what? It’s Friday…already. ;-p

Before I get into a recap of things I did this week, I want to share with you what I have been feeling. It began a few weeks ago and has been gnawing at me. I keep coming back to this question, “What is my reason for being in Ecuador?”

What I am admitting is that for me the honeymoon living here is over. Reality has set in and, although not a crash landing by any stretch, it is jarring. My life feels more like work now than a vacation. The beach, my little town, the people who live around here have all become part of the background.

My foreground seems to be only the realities of spending many hours each day building a viable on-line coaching business, managing daily the less than tranquilo public transportation to get, or to even find, basic goods and services, and seeing, maybe for the first time, that should me or Heidi need it, accessing quality health care services around here will be an intense endeavor, and finally, dealing with the shit weather that has continued for over a month now.

Lol, I had to get that out. Looking at it in print makes me smile because I am struck with the profound truth that no matter where I am,

• daily life can tend to become a less than exciting routine
• every place will have challenging aspects of living
• a lack of sunshine will be a source of agitation

Choosing My Life

So then, what is my reason for being in Ecuador? The truth is, Ecuador isn’t “the thing”. Ecuador is more about a place I picked to express something much deeper that had been brewing in me for a very long time.

It’s about trying, with painful difficulty, to immerse myself in another culture, connect, and become fluent in a second language. It is about getting outside of my US life experience, dropping my Red,White,and Blue filter, and seeing what this world, our world, looks like from other points of view. Most importantly, the experience here is about choosing to live outside of a prescribed box where people and society have a list, a routine, and a program that says this is how life should be done.

Reaching a point where I believed “the box” was all bullshit, I just needed to choose for myself how my life “should be” done. I have no regrets for that decision. I have no regrets being here in Ecuador now.

Today it’s just me wanting to be authentic with you that at times I struggle, and for whatever reason that struggle seems more intense this week. July 11th will be 18 months living in Ecuador. Maybe there is something psychological around the 18 month mark of living in change. I don’t know, and I really don’t mind.

I am very much alive, and I am feeling it…in all its messy beauty.

There Is Fun To Be Had

Ok, so let me share some of the fun I had this week! It includes the last few days of Roy and Melody’s visit with us.

Montanita seemed to be the place we ended up hanging out most this week. Unless of course, you count the time we spent in our house because of all the rain. The great thing about a rainy day is there is no pressure to feel like you need to be out doing something. Every day was heavy with clouds and most days it rained at some point. We made it fun playing cards, dice games, watching some movies, and drinking adult beverages. 🙂

Heidi and Melody

When we did get out and over to Montanita we ended up at some fun places. One of these was the Cana Grill. They specialize in fish and chips, and burgers. Everything is around the $5-$6 mark. I have only had the fish and chips the three times I’ve been there, and here’s a little tip. They tend to cook it too long for my liking. I just ask them to cut the cooking time a bit and it’s much better. They have great sauces to dip everything in too!

The night we were there they had live music going on. The singer is also the cook, at least all the previous times I’ve been there this is what he has been doing. It appears tonight he gets to play and sing instead!

What I love about Montanita and Olon are the many different people who come through these towns using their talents to survive. Since I’ve lived here, I’ve seen many Columbians, Argentinians, and Americans strumming their guitars and singing, literally, for their dinner.

Saying Goodbye

We all enjoyed burritos made with fresh tortillas for lunch in Montanita on the last full day Roy and Melody were visiting us. The place is called Tex Mex. I wanted to share about this hole in the wall restaurant for a couple of reasons. First the food is great! For 5 bucks they offer a good size burrito with various twists…Mexican, Israeli, or American style. The meat can be chicken, beef, or fish with any of them.

Second, and more importantly, the young guy that operates this place is an amazing worker. I’ve been lulled into the expectation of slow and very tranquilo service from Ecuadorians. Nothing seems to fluster them. At least from my experience, workers here seem to operate at one speed. This guy was different. He took our order, totaling four burritos, and went to work. He starts with flour and water and makes a dough, then rolls it out, spins it out, and cooks it up on an open flamed iron surface. It was pure entertainment watching him do his thing.

Our friends, Roy and Melody

I want to give a shout out to Roy and Melody, and wish these two great people the very best as they travel back to the States and begin the next chapter in their lives. We had a great time enjoying so much of what this part of the coast of Ecuador has to offer. Heidi and I are glad we could experience it with you!

Safe trip.

Chau.