Wow. Six months living with our family of seven in Ecuador has definitely had some highs and lows. There were many things we were prepared for and excited about, others have caught us by surprise. Our previous visits to Ecuador helped us to be somewhat prepared for both the highs and the lows and I definitely encourage you to take an exploratory trip to your location before moving there completely. Do your research online as well as join social media groups that are local to your destination or designed for expats in that country. They can be a great resource and have many recommendations or tips.
Remember Your Purpose
Whether it’s a good day or a rough day, mid-challenge or thrill, remembering that we are actually living the life we always dreamed about keeps me going. It’s knowing that even when I couldn’t see how it could ever work out that we could possibly leave everything and move to another country. Even when I felt unprepared or without many details of a plan. God still brought us here. And He keeps showing up in the best of ways. I am constantly reminded that He has a plan for our family.
Jumping right in, these are our top “highs” of living in Ecuador for the past six months, followed by the “lows” that we’ve experienced. Perhaps they’ll lend you some insight or tips for living in Ecuador.
Highs. The Advantages and Best Parts About Living in Ecuador
- Swimming in the river. One of our favorite things to do. The kids will go down to the small river near the house almost every afternoon. They jump, splash, swim, dig in the mud and come back laughing. I love that they can spend time in the water and are learning to be confident swimmers. It gives them a great space to push themselves to get better, to appreciate and experience nature and to take care of each other and get along. And sometimes we will walk down to the Napo River (a headwaters river to the Amazon!) and each time, it’s an amazing view and the kids have a ball.
- Visiting waterfalls. Is there anything as magical or picturesque as a waterfall? I just love it. I love the sound and the feel. Every time we see a waterfall I feel grateful to live in such a beautiful place.
- Participating in summer camp. This was pretty early on in our being here. There was a summer camp the older boys were invited to participate in for a week in town. Every morning they caught the bus to town. They went to camp- listened and played and interacted with others, all in Spanish. It pushed them past their comfort zone in so many ways. And they still talk about it often.
- Sharing “American” things, like pie at Thanksgiving, with neighbors. As foreigners, people are often interested in what we like to do or the food we eat or the traditions we keep. And I love to share. I hope to continue to learn about Ecuadorian traditions and celebrations but I also love to share with them what our “American” lives are like. I love to make food from scratch and I love to share that with others. Favorites so far have been banana bread, pies at Thanksgiving, and donuts at Christmas.
- Morning sunrises and evening sunsets. That magical time at sunrise and sunset is amazing in the jungle. It’s as the sun just peaks through, lighting up the world just right, making the green of the jungle glow that I most feel the awe of the fact that I live in the Amazon jungle. I mean, it’s crazy! This is what we dreamed of and worked for! And here we are. It might’ve been a hot humid day. Maybe the kids were difficult or I was exhausted or the future looked bleak. But the beginning or ending of each day gives me hope and a moment to catch my breath in gratitude.
- New foods. We’ve enjoyed trying new fruits like guaba, guanabana, guayaba (why do they all have similar names!?), granadilla, maracuya, araza, and so many more. We’ve eaten banana and plantain in dozens of different ways. We even had chonta cura which is like eating large, fatty grubs. Hakuna Matata.
- Harvesting bananas and cacao. I love that right around the house we have an almost endless supply of bananas and cacao. Eating food that you pick yourself just feels good. My kids love to go out with their machetes and find the heads of bananas that are ready. Even though it’s hard work and heads of bananas are heavy, they get them back to the house and hung up to ripen. It always makes me smile. And eating the fruit that comes in the cacao pods, collecting the seeds and making chocolate? It’s a family favorite, for sure.
Lows. The Hard Parts, the “Cons” of Living in Ecuador
- Bug bites. Itchy, irritating, annoying bug bites are my nemesis. I try not to dwell on it, but it’s honestly the first thing that makes me possibly consider NOT recommending that everyone come visit the Amazon jungle. Visitors seem to attract the most bugs and those first few weeks here we got a number of bites that really itched and got crusty and all the nasties before they resolved. After a few months we mostly only get small bites- I think they are “aranillas” or “no-see-ums”, but it’s hard to say. They just itch. Pretty constantly. Mostly exposed skin- arms and ankles especially and they don’t seem too deterred by repellents. I wish there was an answer. Maybe you have a tip here for us? But the bug bites are definitely at the top of the “lows” list.
- Power outages and blackouts. The power goes out on occasion. Knowing that and expecting it, it’s not too bad. Recently the low water levels have required that they also have “rolling blackouts” of two to three hours of no power each day. A propane stove for cooking, staying on top of laundry, rechargeable flashlights and keeping items charged rather than letting them run until empty help to make the power outages simply an inconvenience.
- Climate adjustments. The heat and the humidity are two things that really get me sometimes. Coming from the desert of Utah has not prepared me well for such a drastic change. Sometimes I just sit in front of the fan, hating that I can just sit and still be sweating. We live in a house with only screen in the windows, so no AC. The heat and humidity affect a few things like baking with sourdough or storing salt or dry goods in the kitchen too. I imagine I’ll continue to adjust, but for now I thank God for each breeze, each rainstorm and the cool that comes with evening.
- Food and water cleanliness. Here on the Yachana property, we have our own water filtration system based on ozone. I love that any water here is potable. But we have to plan ahead to bring our own water bottles or plan to purchase bottled water if we go anywhere, just to be sure. Even when the kids go to school, as the school’s water is just pumped up from the river (it’s actually a project we’d like to undertake to get them a drinking water countertop system, so stay tuned!). Also means thinking twice before accepting homemade popsicles or drinks with ice or even the cleanliness of fruits and vegetables.
- Bathrooms. Unless you are expressly told that it’s okay to flush the toilet paper, you don’t flush the toilet paper in Ecuador. Otherwise it goes in the trash can beside the toilet. That can get smelly. And sometimes the “flush” is a bucket of water that you have to dump in the toilet. It’s at least a system, but it takes some adjusting to as well.
- Language Barriers. William is obviously fluent and I feel like I can generally carry a conversation with confidence. The kids are learning. In fact, I could probably also include this one on the “highs” list as it’s so fun to see the progress they are making. But it’s rough sometimes and makes for more of those “stretching past your comfort zone” moments.
Overall, the past six months have been good. Ecuador is beginning to feel like home. We have our rhythms and expectations in place. And our goals are moving forward. We have planted SO many seeds as well as found new foods to taste and add to our menu. We’ve hosted volunteers with the Yachana and William has become a guide for many groups of guests. Here’s to the next six months!
Read More about many of the new Exotic and Tropical fruits found in Ecuador!
Take a glimpse at our traditional Thanksgiving dinner held at the Yachana- and join us next year!
