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| The Three Musketeers or Moe, Larry and Curly? |
Last Monday, we bid a very fond farewell to Cotacachi. We have, for now, traded the mountains for the beach. Seems a pretty fair swap, right? Besides the obvious differences in scenery, there are some very stark contrasts between the two locales that were mostly unexpected.
Manta is a fairly large city, by Ecuadorian standards, with a population of around 150,000. And, just as in the States, small towns and cities have their pros and cons. We have immediately found that here in Manta, the locals are not as friendly as the locals and indigenous peoples of Cotacachi. This is a broad stroke and I am merely generalizing for the sake of being concise. Nevertheless, Cotacachi was such a wonderful place for us to move to on our first try…it was lucky. The warmth and kindness of the locals and indigenous peoples is unmatched in my experience. They were genuine in their thoughtfulness and pure in their sincerity. It was a great experience to live amongst such a high caliber of people. I loved walking into town for the simple pleasure of getting to say “good morning/Buenos dias” to the random person, or stopping to chat with Maria, the sweet indigenous lady who lived outside our community and to be also greeted excitedly by her pack of very friendly dogs. Riding the bus from Cotacachi to the surrounding towns and cities was also one of those unexpected pleasures that will be missed. There are countless details from the bus which will be forever etched in our hearts, minds and noses. Bartering and buying from the markets in Cotacachi and Otavalo. The people, colors, textures, variety…it was a feast for the senses and wallet! Laura has gotten to be quite the champ at bargaining in Ecuador…she knows just enough Spanish to be deadly. Eli and his two friends, Donato (formerly Jonah) and Nanke. I don’t know whether or not Eli will have a memory of them when he is older, but I hope so. Our wonderful and selfless Ecuadorian friends who helped us navigate our way through a new life experience in a foreign country. So many absolutely perfect things to pack away in our mental suitcases it is hard to remember them all. Did I mention the natural beauty or that they speak slower so we can actually try to understand what they are saying? It’s the little things.
So, back to my original point. The people in Manta are not as friendly. However, we have met some very kind and nice people. Just enough to make us really think we could live here on the coast for awhile. Manta has the conveniences of a city that was lacking in Cotacachi. There is an airport which can get us anywhere nationally or internationally cheaply and quickly. There is more variety for shopping. Easy access to beautiful beaches and the Galapagos Islands. Warm weather and a coastal lifestyle all year. And, most importantly, there is work for us here in Manta with which we could actually make a decent living. That was the most glaring and important difference for us. If we want to stay here in Ecuador, I/we need to work. As much as we like to pretend that we are retired, we are not retired. As much as we loved Cotacachi, there was no real future for us there. Manta can offer us a future, and it has.
Now, here’s the rub. We decided to move to Manta because I was offered a job teaching English at a wonderful school. Of course, as is the norm for our lives, something happened. While we were in Cotacachi getting the rest of our things packed and moved out of our rental house, we received an email from another school in Manta wanting both me and Laura to come in for an interview. This wasn’t just any school, this was THE school here in Manta. The school that is the Carmel High of Manta, but in a good way. This school has a group of private investors dedicated to making this school the best and most well-rounded of any school in the country. They are sparing no expense to meet that end. They have a brand new, state-of-the-art facility (with a view of the ocean!) that would rival most schools in the States. They have made us a very generous offer to come teach for them. An offer that we are seriously considering.
Life here in Ecuador is good, but not perfect…
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