Overwhelmed!

Today I had a mini-meltdown. With a book deadline, son getting married, and freelancing I'm exhausted.

In my "spare" time I research articles on Mark's visit to Cuenca. Since I'm writing a series of articles on living overseas, I added "retirement in Cuenca" to my list.


I cannot believe the wealth of information hidden in various blogs, so for the sake of my sanity and availability to access them when I need a stroke of genius, I will post them on the sidebar so you won't be as overwhelmed as I have been lately. It's almost like the time I wrote a chapter in my book, Moms of Sons, and couldn't find it when I sent it to the publisher! That's because it was still in my head and not on paper. I've got a system now, which will help. But if this is anything like Sicily, the paperwork trail will be different for everyone (us included) because everything and I do mean everything is subject to who you know and when!


We have a saying in Italian, "Ci penso io." I'll take care of it. Well, be sure you know who takes care of it or you will be in for a big surprise.


Compared to most couples retiring in Ecuador, we don't have a huge amount of money, so we'll be lucky if we meet the requirements for property ownership (which I hear is $30,000 for application for residency visas). Oh well, we'll live in a box with 30 square feet! Not bad for a starter home.


My theory: You can only live in one room at a time. And we did all the entertaining in Sicily that we ever want to do. People would come and stay months at a time and then complain that there was no variety in the food. Did I mention they never offered to pay! We lived in a villa on the Mediterranean, so I doubt anything will ever compare to that (not in this lifetime anyway!). It was pure heaven!


So my mantra is don't be overwhelmed..."adagio, adagio!" I don't won't to forget my Italian, so before I totally immerse myself in Spanish, I'm going to enjoy Italian as much as I can!


Chao for Now,

Healthcare in the USA

Today is a reminder why we are moving to Cuenca!

We had a travel consult (as in pay me 500 plus dollars to tell me what I found off the CDC website!). Only the doctor had to read it out loud very fast (so I couldn't understand what I already knew), and then he told me what I needed without telling me what it would cost!

When we went to pay our bill (after Mark passed out and I grabbed his wallet before he hit the floor), I asked politely, "Can we pay half now and the other half later?"

That was a stupid question; I knew I wasn't getting out of that office unless I turned over the money.

The next question actually shocked me. "Well, did you get the shots?"

I turned to my hubby and said, "It's time to surrender your wallet! This isn't a restaurant and you can't do dishes to pay for your bill!"

It seems that insurance companies do not pay for travel consults and therefore all payment must be rendered at the time of service. That message is always posted on the back of the exam room doors (just like hotel rates!).

If I knew that yellow fever, Hep-A, typhoid, and whatever else they stuck me with would not only give me two arms full of "hurties" and an empty wallet, I would have taken my chances on getting the diseases that they said would surely cause me to die!

Oh, but I got this cool little card (it's yellow) and says that I've been vaccinated against...you guessed it "yellow fever."

This comes on the day we also got the bill from Mark's back surgery ($20,000 and that was just for the bed!). I worked in the healthcare field for 20 years and I've seen what we have compared to other countries (we also lived in Sicily), and I have to say we pay mostly for people to push papers, enter ICD9-CM codes into the computer, so the insurance company can reject our claim and send it to another department where more people shuffle papers. How do I know this? I was a paper shuffler (yes, a career in healthcare management).

Now, when people ask me, "What...you're leaving the country?" I smile politely and say, "And you aren't? What's wrong with you?"

Healthcare...I miss it!

Sicily was wonderful and I'm sure Cuenca is much like what I remember 20 years ago (caring physicians who know your name, who don't shuffle papers, and who say, "Gracias!").

De nada!

And that's all I'm going to say about healthcare in the USA.

Until next time...hasta luego!

Travel Consult

Tomorrow Mark and I have our travel consults and go over the CDC list of vaccinations that are required (suggested!) for life in Ecuador. Having worked in the medical field for 20 years, particularly with these doctors, I already know what they might suggest. Mark leaves for his exploratory trip the end of February and we already feel like we have friends in Cuenca by reading their blogs. Chuck and Nancy have graciously offered to meet Mark during his time there, so I don't feel !like I'm sending him on a "Christopher Columbus" journey on his own. Mark's official day of retirement is April 1st (no joke!), and I think he's ready now. I've done so much traveling this past year (mostly to Europe with friends), I think it's time that Mark does some scouting on his own.

I have a feeling (from what I heard) that he may just end up staying there and making me sell the house and do the moving (you won't do that will you Mark?!). Don't answer that!

Every day I see new pictures posted on Cuenca (more parades, great food, beautiful scenery, more food, great friends, more food -- did I mention more food?!). It seems like there's no end to the choices, variety, and abundance of places to eat and things to see.

I know that living in Sicily we were land locked (it was an island afterall) and just getting on the traghetto to the mainland was a HUGE undertaking), but this will be different.

Spanish is coming along (the 12 years I took growing up are coming back), and I listen to tapes in the car. I've given Mark a cheat sheet to get him through his week in Ecuador (he has a distcint Italian accent, but I'm sure he'll do just fine!).

My goal is to finish the book I'm writing and get it off to the publisher before he returns, so that means I will be hibernating! The few people that we have told that we are "thinking" of retiring in Ecuadaor fall into two distcint categories: "you're crazy" or "that is so cool." I guess it's the pessimists and the optimists duking it out.

We only have one life to live and we surely don't want to spend it in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania (although the Amish have been a nice diversion through the years). Now we're ready for some adventure and "yes" I'm sure well get it!

I hope there are some rental apartments left (it seems like every day more Americans are finding this lovely piece of paradise tucked in the Andes), but as Mark's sister said when she moved from Ecuador aftering having lived there for eight years, "It was the worst mistake of my life...I should have stayed!"

Regrets...we don't want to have them. Life is just to short, so I guess that's why we're having a travel consult because we want to enjoy our time there and not worry about getting sick. I had cholera just once in my life and I'm not sure that I want that "bug" again! Nastsy stuff.

It's funny, our boys (now 23 and 28) have given us their blessing which was important to us, but also my parents and Mark's dad. We assured them that we aren't that far away (we were a lot further living in Sicily!).

This blog is being kept a secret; I'm having the unveiling when Mark returns in March; hopefully, with all the videos he's going to take we'll have a plan in place.

Exciting days are ahead and to think we thought retirement was going to be boring. HA!



Until next time...hasta luego!

Moving Thoughts

Last night I got out my conversational Spanish book and had fun talking back and forth with Mark. Of course, he answered me all in Italian.

When we arrived back from Italy after six years, I took a conversational Spanish course (we lived in California -- a must!), and I drove the professor nuts by combining Italian and Spanish (all the time!). I think he gave me an "A" just to get rid of me (he didn't want a repeat student).

Today, I'm reading the proofs of my book, Moms of Sons, and cleaning out my office (no small task). I have three piles: to throw away, to save, and to file. Since we will not be doing the "container" thing like we did when we left for Italy (half of it was stolen anyway), we're just bringing clothes, a few pictures, and some books. That's it! I haven't figured out what pictures to take with me, so now comes the weeding out process. Ouch!

It doesn't help that I have a problem with making up my mind. That will soon change!

Until next time...hasta luego!

Too Much to Do!

My to-do list grows stronger and longer each day: pack, sell the house, write a book, plan a wedding, and fill out reams of paperwork. This week we get our shots for everything from dengue fever to malaria. Mark makes his first exploratory trip at the end of the month. I feel like he's Christopher Columbus on his way to discover "Latin America."

I'm giving him the quick version of learning Spanish in three weeks (he can count to 100 already). Progress! Today I bought some grade school primers that will help him to start thinking in Spanish.

Although we lived in Sicily for six years, I had to forget my Spanish to learn Italian and now I'm doing the opposite: forgetting Italian to learn Spanish.

There are so many tiny details to attend to: what to keep, what to throw away, and what to store. We won't be bringing anything with us except what we can fit in our suitcases. Today I was slightly overwhelmed with all the pictures we have accumulated over the years.

Lots of decisions -- both big and small -- that need to be made. But one step and a time and we'll get there...our new adopted homeland.

Until next time...hasta luego!

The Journey Begins Here

This is day one of our journey of living in Ecuador as retirees. We have done extensive research and found that Ecuador will provide us with a high quality of life and allow us the pleasure of enjoying our retirement years without having to worry about how we're going to pay the electric bill.

My husband, Mark, has worked for United Parcel Service for 20 years and is taking an early retirement which equates to about $1,400 a month; poverty level in the States. But in Ecuador, we can live well. My hubby's last day of work is April 1, 2010 (no joke!); our son is getting married May 30, 2010, and then our new live begins.

We will need to sell our home, take an exploratory trip to secure housing in Ecuador and then we're off!

We have looked at several places thus far: Cuenta, Quito, Cotacachi, and surrounding towns.

The springlike weather all year long in Ecuador appeals to us after having endured 20years of snow shoveling in Pennsylvania with subzero temperatures.

We have made appointments this week for our travel consult to include vaccinations for malaria, dengue fever, and typhoid. However, I'm not that concerned as we have lived in Sicily for six years and during that time I got cholera and survived!

The next appointment is with the Ecuadorian Embassy in Washington, D.C. to check out our pensioner's visa requirements. We are not in a rush to declare residency, although it does come with benefits as I will explain later.

We have been in touch with a wonderful lawyer in Quito who will expedite our resident visas if we wish (for a price!).

With so many Americans fleeing the U.S. in hopes of a better retirement in Ecuador, I have been amazed--shocked really at the blogs and websites cropping up daily. It was difficult to find a name for this blog because so many names have already been taken. Since we are not quite sure which town we will call "home," I decided to make this a general blog on retiring and living well Ecuador in general.

We have enjoyed the contact we have had with several American couples who now call Ecuador home and we can't wait to meet them soon.

This is where our journey begins. Hopefully, one day soon, we will look back as many have who have made this journey before us and say, "This was the best decision we have ever made!"

As a writer, I feel fortunate to begin this journey with a blog post. Many have asked if I will continue my writing. The answer is absolutely "yes."

I promise you I will tell it like it is: truthful, transparent, and no holds bar journey to retirement and living in Ecuador. Stayed tuned as I post every detail so you can follow in our footsteps if you wish.

Oh, did I mention we need do learn Spanish!). Most of the Ecuadorians say "Ciao" and write it "Chao" so I will end each post with at least one familiar word!

Ciao for now!

About Us

Mark said, "Come to Cuenca!"


And I said, "Are you crazy?"


That's how it all started in February of 2010. In a few short months we sold our home and all our earthly possessions (except the kids!), married a son, and arrived in Ecuador on June 3, 2010 with just four suitcases.


We rented a furnished apartment for a couple of months before moving to an unfurnished apartment for about one-quarter of the cost. We're standing right in front of our second-story condo complete with a balcony that overlooks the Tomebamba River. How great to lie in bed at night and listen to the sounds of nature!


Mark and I first met at Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington and have been married for 35 years. We have two wonderful sons, Jeremy and Jonathan (ages 24 and 29). 


Jeremy is a World Cultures teacher in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and Jonathan is a SEO specialist for Rosetta Corporation in Cleveland, Ohio.


Mark and I have moved 34 times in 35 years, so we have become "experts" in the field. Our last overseas experience was in Sicily, Italy for six years where our oldest son was born. After returning to the States, I worked in the medical field for 20 years before settling into a writing career. Mark retired from United Parcel Service after serving 20 years and took early retirement at 55.  He now works part-time as an English teacher at CEDEI language school in Cuenca.


We both admit that Ecuador has been our best move yet! 






Connie and Mark (Expats to Cuenca)