Vilcabamba -- Can the Locals and the Expats Co-Exist Successfully?

The Anybody living in Vilcabamba or Loja? thread has been noticebably dormant for some time.  Not even a peep from Susan.  What do you make of that?

Yes, I have noticed it has been dormant.  However, I haven't drawn a conclusion, except for this.... Folks come into and out of the forum over time as their needs and interests change.

cccmedia in Quito

Folks,

i have been living just outside Vilcabamba for 7 months now.  I have to admit that I have been avoiding the "gringo block" for quite some time, as I have no burning desire to know all the folks at the Juice Factory restaurant, local hub of extranjero life.  I have friends in both the Ecuadorian and the extranjero populations.  Yes, there are difficulties at times in terms of cultural differences.  As my friend says, Ecuadorians are opportunists.  He can say that because he is Ecuadorian.  They are also litigious.  That said, there are lovely people around here.  There are also crazy extranjeros, and hippies of many colours .and nations lugging their barefoot babies.  There are westerners so crazy that they literally die rather than take antibiotics.  There is a lot of healthy food.  Find your own little slice of paradise and settle in, is my philosophy.

I was in Cuenca recently and it is a lovely city, but not for a person with asthma, due to the diesel air pollution.  Great place to visit the museums, etc.

There are going to be difficulties everywhere you live, no matter in which country you live.  Keeping a positive attitude, and having a deep interest or two, are good ideas.  Enough said.

HelenPivoine

HelenPivoine wrote:

Yes, there are difficulties at times in terms of cultural differences.  As my friend says, Ecuadorians are opportunists.  He can say that because he is Ecuadorian.  They are also litigious....

Helen Pivoine

"If a person is litigious, that means they tend to sue people.”
    -- vocabulary.com

I have neither seen nor heard evidence that Ecuadorians are litigious .. and, in fact, I believe they are not .. that they find other ways to settle disputes or get what they want besides instigating lawsuits.

Opportunistic, yes.  But what evidence do you have to support your contention that Ecuadorians are litigious?  Or is this just something you heard from a friend?

cccmedia in Quito

I would disagree, my Ecuadorian husband and I own a fairly large successful business in Guayaquil and have had to deal with 15 law suits at a time brought on by former employees, of those employees, the majority were let go because of theft.  Just saying

Fascinating, Janet.

Is this a retail business?

What were the ex-employees alleging?

In court, did you present proof of theft?

In cases decided already, what was the outcome?

  -- cccmedia

This is me, 5 years later.  Dear CCC Media, and thanks for remaining with us, a font of information which we all appreciate.  The litigious aspect of Ecuadorians is the willingness to bring on a Denuncia at the drop of a hat.  My  novio has experienced this, his friends have experienced this.  ON the other side of the coin, an Ecuadorian can always put out a Denuncia against an extranjero who does illegal things.  Ocan put one out against an extranjero.   I  know a mentally challenged extranjero who, everything he does in terms of construction, is illegal, and he scorns the  denuncias that people of various races have made against him and continues, pays the multas or fines.  Cultural situations can be quite complex in Ecuador, or any country.  One person in particular has alienated hisEcu     adorian     workers and fought with them, and alienated any number of extranjeros also.

Yes, there are problems in Vilcabamba.  I am Canadian, and, from living here, have developed an  uncharitable attitude toward the Ugly Americans who are ruining this community , especially with their selfishness, unwillingness to acknowledge that Covid actually exists , refusal to wear masks (which puts Ecuadorians in danger), etc.  Of course there are some charming individuals amongst this group who are actual human beings with whom you would like to associate.  People who support the Food Bank, people who rescue animals, people who raise funds for animals and people, people who can see us all together, muddling through our lives, any race or colour, and make an effort to reach out.  (Living in Ecuador, as an extranjero, comes with community responsibilities, which we learn as we go along. we reach out to those less fortunate if we can.) But, as a faceless group, unfortunately, I have come to despise this citizenry.  Since my first argument about race with an American, at a young age, I have questioned why human beings act this way. 

I will never leave Ecuador, it is my home now, with al the things that home implies,  the love, friendships and pets that make life worthwhile.  But I have questioned why people cannot just be human beings, and bring a charitable spirit to their interactions with others.

"I have neither seen nor heard evidence that Ecuadorians are litigious .. and, in fact, I believe they are not .. that they find other ways to settle disputes or get what they want besides instigating lawsuits."

Reply to CC Media.

I have seen litigiousness in both cultures. I'm simply glad that I don't live in a country where litigiousness is common.

"have developed an  uncharitable attitude toward the Ugly Americans who are ruining this community , especially with their selfishness, unwillingness to acknowledge that Covid actually exists , refusal to wear masks (which puts Ecuadorians in danger), etc. "

Replying to Helen Pivioine

As another resident of the Vilcabamba area, I have to disagree in regards to your reference that "Ugly Americans" are ruining this community.

First, I think it's important to remember that everyone who lives from the North Pole and all the way to Antarctica, are ALL Americans. In fact, I know several Ecuadorians who point that out quite often, and I believe they are right to do so.

As for who anyone unwilling to wear masks, denies the existence of the virus, and puts Ecuadorians in danger, aren't we all put in danger when that occurs? When one walks through the streets of town, how can one identify who is a from which country? I walk into a bakery where no one has a mask on, and I know these people - and none have masks. I see fellow South Americans from countries other than Ecuador and, again, no masks. I see people I know and whom I don't know both with masks and without.

I do know one person who makes his feelings on this subject widely known in our community, but once again, he is in a marriage with a non-US citizen. What I'm trying to say is that people from all over our globe are doing and not doing what is best to stave off this horrible disease. I do not believe there is one country or ethnicity that is causing this virus to continue.

I think what is most important now is that we act together as a community to do our best to not discriminate as to a person's country of birth, but, rather, gather together to help the families whose lives have been devastated by this insidious disease, and to support those who are supporting the protocols in the hopes to stop it in its tracks.

In peace and solidarity.