Colleen’s Adventures

Well, I made it! Arrived the evening of September 20th after a 40 minute flight from Tampa to Miami, 3 hour layover in Miami (LATAM has a great VIP lounge!), 4 1/2 hours Miami to Quito, customs and change planes, then a quick 40 minutes Quito to Cuenca. I was greeted at the airport by my host’s brother who drove me to the apartments and made sure I got settled. It was a long and tiring day, and that night I slept like a rock!

Apartamentos Otorongo is a family owned short/long stay apartment hotel. The owners and staff are lovely, kind people who want your stay to be comfortable and happy. Here are a few pics of my apartment:

Grounds:

The apartment, while not fancy, is clean and comfortable. Utilities, internet and satellite TV (ESPN shows NFL games here!) are included in my rent, so less for me to worry about. There is also a functional kitchen with all the dishes and the cooking supplies I need (well, almost…. I did have to purchase a corkscrew!😱).

I’m about a 15 minute walk to the main square in centro histórico – a very convenient location.

Getting settled

My first few days have been about getting a local cell phone plan (luckily my phone takes 2 SIMs), making sure I have access to my US bank (2 factor authentication is great – unless you’re out of the country!!), going to the grocery store (I’ll tackle the mercado next week), getting a metro card for the bus/tram system (note – the counter at ETAPA location downtown is only open M-F), and generally getting my bearings and walking around town. I even managed to install the AZUtaxi app (all in Spanish!) and order rides to/from the grocery store! ($2 each way, including tip). It has been challenging and tiring, but also very rewarding. My Spanish proficiency is not great, but with the help of many very patient Ecuadorians and Google translate, I’m making it work. You’d be surprised how far you can get with “Disculpe, mi español no es bien” (“I’m sorry, my Spanish is not good”).

Huffin and Puffin…

I’ve met a few people already – several of the residents at Apartamentos Otorongo are expats, primarily from U.S. and Canada. I go out every day and walk to explore and get familiar with the city. At 8,400 ft above sea level, walking is a workout in and of itself. There is 30% less oxygen in the air here than at sea level, and I believe it; it doesn’t take much to work up a sweat. I sometimes have to remind myself to SLOW DOWN when I’m walking!

Active Expat Community

Prior to arriving in Cuenca, I was very active on Facebook Groups. There are many groups specifically geared to expats in Cuenca, so I joined and read everything I could about life here, things to do, how to get around, where to meet people, how to find the things you need, English speaking doctors, which are the best places for cheap eats, etc. I attended a Newcomer’s luncheon/meet & greet today – I won the prize for the newest newbie (prize was a big round of applause!), and got to meet some very nice people. I even found a weekly game of Hand & Foot, and a place to watch american football games! There are a lot of expats actively involved in volunteer organizations in and around Cuenca – everything from soup kitchen to animal rescue to theatre groups. Plenty of opportunities to be active and give back.

So, What’s Next??

Hmmm…. good question. I have a list of a half dozen things I want to do/see over the next 3 months. But my primary goal is to see what life is like here, and if it’s right for me. After all, this would be my home, not a vacation. Some of the people I’ve already met have been here 3, 5, 9, 10 years or more. Many tell me they came sight unseen and fell in love with the place. For me, I can’t say it’s love at first sight – I didn’t expect it to be – but so far, so good! The next three months are about living as a Cuencano – taking the bus, going to the market, playing cards, meeting friends for breakfast, going to the dentist, paying bills, doing laundry, hanging out, etc. Might Cuenca be my new home base?

Time will tell.