The unofficial web page of the greater Cuenca expat community

28204km wrote:

Not much else you can expect from a Third World country.  A plane skids off a
runway and the Airport isclosed down for more than a week.

Cuenca sucks.

Mugtech’s “day in the life” comment is more reasonable than yours, 28204.

You’re condemning one of the world’s most popular retirement locations over a single, temporary airport closure -- from a computer in North Carolina, no less.

cccmedia in Quito

cccmedia wrote:

28204km wrote:

Not much else you can expect from a Third World country.  A plane skids off a
runway and the Airport isclosed down for more than a week.

Cuenca sucks.

Mugtech’s “day in the life” comment is more reasonable than yours, 28204.

You’re condemning one of the world’s most popular retirement locations over a single, temporary airport closure -- from a computer in North Carolina, no less.

cccmedia in Quito

Assuming he is indeed in North Carolina then he must have returned there because I remember a user with his photo sending me a private message asking about health insurance in Cuenca over a year ago after he had moved here.  Looks like another expat I have outlasted.

P.S. 
Speaking of moving back to the states, I just learned of a couple living in a penthouse apartment in the Rosenthal bulding  who are moving back because the wife wasn´t able to acclimate to the elevation. 

For any wet-behind-the-ears newbie expats interested in renting that apartment, the rent is $700 plus building fee of around $120.  I forget whether it is furnished or unfurnished.  Just take into account that I will outlast you.

aterosin wrote:

What's that saying? Never say Never. All the best! Now get those commas and prepositions right.

Yes proper punctuation can save lives:

When do we eat grandma?
Or
When do we eat, grandma?

MikeGB wrote:

I hope I am not perceived as hijacking your thread Nards, but I thought you and others might be interested in a few books I have read recently, especially because the US Presidential election is soon to come.

The books are:

1)    Dark Money (2016)  by Jane Mayer

2)    The Crash of 2016 (2013) by Thom Hartman

3)    The Deadly Spin (2010) by Wendell Potter

Wendell Potter was a top executive working in the Health Care Insurance industry in the US. He reveals his perspective of the health care deception.

Some of this stuff comes across as quite negative but if you read them completely (especially #2 & #3) they offer some good suggestions of how these problems can be overcome.

Given some of the opinions I have read on the Internet as of late, many of the people stating their opinions should have a read of these books. They might open their eyes a bit more.

I am always interested in what books people are reading.

While I have lots of unread books on my Kindle, the only one I am trying to get through now is the following.  It is quite boring.........

Nards Barley wrote:

I am always interested in what books people are reading.

While I have lots of unread books on my Kindle, the only one I am trying to get through now is the following.  It is quite boring.........

[img align=c]http://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/photo.goodreads.com/books/1302362619i/10443414._UY200_.jpg[/url]

Gag!!!  I will pass on that one. Hope your English classes turn out to be a good experience for you.

Said said "seco de churo, a goat dish"

The goat based secos I sometimes eat are called "seco do chivo"
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Edd Staton  nards barley • 3 months ago
Dude, I obviously need to wear my reading glasses when proofreading. Of course you are correct.

In his most recent article where we get to hear him speak as well, I made the following comment, which was removed from the comment section.

Empanadas are a Mexican standard? That is news to me.
Aah, The former location for Roux.

While he didn't acknowledge the correction in this article, he did edit the article as follows:

If you’re looking for Mexican standards — burritos, tacos, and tostadas, etc. —

P.S.
Said, if you would like to formalize our partnership, and have me edit your articles before they are actually posted, feel free to contact me.  All I ask is that you buy me a cappuccino once in a while.

Nards Barley wrote:

Albeit not an explicit arrangement, Said and I are working together well as a writing team: him as the writer and me as the editor.

In his first food review for Cuenca highlife I proposed the following correction:

Said said "seco de churo, a goat dish"

The goat based secos I sometimes eat are called "seco do chivo"
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Edd Staton  nards barley • 3 months ago
Dude, I obviously need to wear my reading glasses when proofreading. Of course you are correct.

In his most recent article where we get to hear him speak as well, I made the following comment, which was removed from the comment section.

Empanadas are a Mexican standard? That is news to me.
Aah, The former location for Roux.

While he didn't acknowledge the correction in this article, he did edit the article as follows:

If you’re looking for Mexican standards — burritos, tacos, and tostadas, etc. —

P.S.
Said, if you would like to formalize our partnership, and have me edit your articles before they are actually posted, feel free to contact me.  All I ask is that you buy me a cappuccino once in a while.

You would not want the job of editing his articles about cruising to Argentina or his trip to the Ecuador islands.

“Seventy percent of success in life is showing up.” Woody Allen
M

My English class ended a couple weeks ago.   I managed to make it through without getting fired.   I attribute this to my perfect attendance record.   I may have been able to teach a kids class this summer/winter (whatever you want to call it), but after having worked as a substitute teacher a couple times for the school in a kids class, I decided to pass.  I may resume teaching again in September.

Since it was a structured course with books and audio, I was more a facilitator of an English class than I was an English Teacher.  I basically had to push the play button on the CD player and keep order, and correct pronunciation.  I did embellish on the material on occasion.

On the final day of the class, after their exam, I went out for beers with some of the students.   One of them had a photo of me on their phone he had taken of me during an earlier class.   He said I looked like Indiana Jones.  I chuckled at this characterization because I didn't think my clothing qualified.   Nonetheless, the thought of being the Indiana Jones of Cuenca is growing on me.   I probably need to do more than dink around Cuenca to qualify.

I had posed to the questions to my students what their favorite whiskey made in Ecuador.  One of the students says he only drinks imported whiskey.  I said who can afford that? He says he buys it from a Facebook page where he calls a phone number and they deliver.  He thinks they smuggle it in from Peru.   I took a snapshot of the price page. It is about half the price of what you are going to find it in the store I think.

Nards Barley wrote:

On a side note, it had been about a year since I had eaten at Anubis. But one thing is for sure, the prices have gone up.  The filet mignon dinner was $12,  but is now $15.

I saw your comment posted to the linked article in May 2015 on CHL (you felt "squeezed").  HA!

Survey of Expat Integration Into Cuenca
Published on August 29, 2016 by: admin
How to contribute to a better integration of the expat community

If you are a US citizen of over 65 who lives in Cuenca you’re invited to take part in an investigation about the integration of retired US citizens. We want to interview you for about 1 hour, preferably at your place.

By granting your assistance you’ll help an Ecuadorian student of the Master on Migration Politics of the Universidad de Cuenca. The results of the investigation will be handed over to the local government of Cuenca with the purpose of improving their policy on migration and integration.

If interested, please contact, Jasper Somers at jasper_somers@hotmail.com or call 096 756 2088.

AMDG wrote:

Nards, any updates on citizenship process for you?

I hope to be presenting my application again soon.  I suspect they may shoot it down because my FBI report is old.   Back in February I presented my application in Cuenca and they asked where was document de custodia from Banco Central indicating my renewed CD for my visa was in their posession. I said "eeh, ahh, um, ooh, I forgot".

As penitence  for my laziness, I have spent an inordinate amount of time in Azogues in recent months putting my visa in good standing which I finally did.

aterosin wrote:

It's always great to catch up with you Nards!!

And you aterosin.  When is your next trip to Ecuador?

mugtech wrote:

Please inform us of the significance of the pecking order.  Does anyone really care?

While I was mostly being satirical, I have found that certain expats in Cuenca believe they are guardians of good expat behavior, and I sometimes ask myself, "who put you in charge?".

Case in point, I heard of an expat  who accepted a ride to go to Supermaxi from another expat who has a car .  The expat who acccepted the ride bought around $200 in groceries and gave a small tip to the employee who helped them take their groceries out to their car.  The expat with the car went off on the expat in a unhinged manner for giving that employee a tip, because she believes Ecuadorians pay them (an over-generalization and talking point spread on gringo blogs).

Now I personally don't think it is any of my business whether another expat gives a tip.  And the argument that we are changing the culture in some significant manner is crap.  Television movies and Internet and the fact many Ecuadorians have lived in the United States has affected the culture here much more than gringos who threw around their spare change or overpay for things at times.

Nards Barley wrote:

mugtech wrote:

Please inform us of the significance of the pecking order.  Does anyone really care?

While I was mostly being satirical, I have found that certain expats in Cuenca believe they are guardians of good expat behavior, and I sometimes ask myself, "who put you in charge?".

Case in point, I heard of an expat  who accepted a ride to go to Supermaxi from another expat who has a car .  The expat who acccepted the ride bought around $200 in groceries and gave a small tip to the employee who helped them take their groceries out to their car.  The expat with the car went off on the expat in a unhinged manner for giving that employee a tip, because she believes Ecuadorians pay them (an over-generalization and talking point spread on gringo blogs).

Now I personally don't think it is any of my business whether another expat gives a tip.  And the argument that we are changing the culture in some significant manner is crap.  Television movies and Internet and the fact many Ecuadorians have lived in the United States has affected the culture here much more than gringos who threw around their spare change or overpay for things at times.

Sounds like the nonsense I read on IL about the gringo who overpaid his maid and caused social unrest over being paid an extra $2 for 3hours of work.  I knew you were being sarcastic, While I also know some take the idea seriously.

OsageArcher wrote:

members of the Ecuadorian upper class always had servants... and often did not treat them well....

we got only one channel in Quito, and subject to numerous power outages at any time night or day.

"We had to walk butt naked through 40 miles of snow....
Had to sell my internal organs just to pay the rent.”

  -- From "When I Was Your Age,” Weird Al Yankovich