I was going to title this post, "Living Like a Local in Ecuador" but my experience has been more about hanging with the other expats in the area. First and foremost, I have been living with some of extended family while here, and they have been expats in the area for nearly 4 years. My family has introduced me to their friends, who are mostly retirees from the US. Also, I just haven't taken the time to hang out with the more native local crowd, mostly because of my lack of Spanish skills.
Schedules are Important Here
I've adopted the same schedule as my family which has been amazing as it's a true way for me to understand their day-to-day life in Cotacachi. My older cousin and her daughter both work online which has been great for me because it gives me discipline to sit down and work too. Or I take the time to read some of my new financial books and listen to podcasts. I've also entertained three potential new client discovery calls, accepted one, and am waiting to hear back from the other two which sound very promising. The first quarter of the past few years have been consistently busy with my business, so it's great that I have plenty of designated time to get my work done and my work schedule is not impeding on my families work or life schedule.
My older cousin LOVES to cook dinner for the family so I am eating like a queen and it's all healthy so I'm not gaining a million pounds. Bonus to both! She also teaches English on Monday and Wednesday evenings so those days we eat dinner early. Then on Tuesdays and Thursday's her husband has band practice, so we eat dinner later on those days. My younger cousin is crazy talented with crochet and crafts in general. She attends "Stitch & Bitch" every Tuesday & Friday which I've had the pleasure of attending once so far. It's a group of local expats that get together in a coffee shop and they crochet and chit-chat about the local happenings. A truly lovely group of women!
Now I've been attending the local Single's Events, also hosted by more expats. We had a fun gathering Christmas day, New Years Day, and Valentine's Day. Each function had at least 30-some attendees and it's always great to see familiar faces at each event, and around town in general.
A Typical Week
Sunday: Walk into town for the Sunday Local Market & have breakfast with friends at Coo Coo's Nest
Monday: Work
Tuesday: Work
Wednesday: Work
Thursday: Walk into town for the Thursday Gringo Market
Friday: Work
Saturday: Shopping trip to Ibarra or to Otovalo during the day, attend local events, dinner out in town and listen to bands or attend a jam session.
I actually think the above schedule is quite bare. As I have described above, there's plenty of things going on in and around town so I've been staying quite busy during the week and on the weekends. Having a flexible work schedule has been great because I can get done what I needed around anything social I'd like to do. Huge win in my book.
House & Pet Sitting
During my time in Cotacachi, I've had the wonderful pleasure to complete two house and pet sitting gigs. The first opportunity, a two-week stay where I got to hang out with Baby, a sweet indoor/outdoor cat. The house was located a little over a mile outside of town, partially up a mountainside with the most amazing views. And the second gig included watching 6 dogs and 1 cat, all of which loved to cuddle and receive affection. There house had the best outdoor living space which I loved to set up shop and get work done. So far, it's been one of my favorite places to work on my computer.
My time in Ecuador is about up as I will be moving on in just 10 days. I have a mix of feelings for wrapping up my time here. I am grateful for this opportunity and friendships I have made. I love waking to town and admiring the mountains around me. I have learned how to make really healthy meals and I've enjoyed all the beautiful flowers. Most of all, I have enjoyed spending time with my extended family. They have taught me so much and I look forward to a return visit next year. I'm hoping to come back for a month or two in the summer months of 2021!
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