A Story of Inspiration and Support

I love this story!  It is so indicative of the support system we expats have developed that I had to share it.

There are two part and I'll start with the part that has nothing to do with today's story but was going to be here as a blog post anyway and has direct bearing on what's happening.

A friend of mine, Caroline, realized that one thing we really need here and didn't have was a more formal emergency support system amongst those of us who live in a new condo complex as well as a few other close friends.

What's Happening In Cotacachi

Once again, Dan Delgado has provided us with information that's helpful for all of us living in Cotacachi and I hope it is informative to those who either plan to move here or just want to know more about what's happening here and how things are the same or different than where you currently live.  Enjoy--

Adorable Puppies

I know this isn't a blog about finding homes for dogs but I'm making an exception because I just fell in love with these little girls.

I got this email from a friend of mine a week ago and fully intended to post it the very next day.  Obviously that didn't happen.  They are now nine weeks old and still adorable.  Here's the email she sent me, along with photos of the pups:

Photo Roundup -- March 5, 2013

More odd and sundry photos for your enjoyment:

I was telling someone what it costs me to have my dirty laundry picked up, taken to the shop, washed, dried, folded, and delivered back to me on the same day.  She agreed it was something fun to put in a post.  Here's the laundry I just got yesterday.  There was a set of sheets, a full-sized blanket, bath towels, and a couple of small piles of clothes.  Total cost--$7.30.  I have to tell you, that dose not make me unhappy in the least!  I figure I would have paid between $5 and $10 for the machines in my apartment building back in Minneapolis just to wash and dry them, not to mention the soap.  Then there's just the general luxury of having someone else do it.  What a treat.

Morochos Musical Group

Last Sunday we had the opportunity to go listen to a group of musicians from Morochos.  Paige, the Peace Corp volunteer who lives up there, has been instrumental in bringing the expat community and the community of Morochos together and it has forged a bond between us that will last far beyond Paige's time here.

Meet the band.  The man playing the violin is the leader of the band and after saying a few things in English, which he had obviously practiced very diligently for quite a while, he told us, in Spanish, translated by Paige, that they wanted to come here to share their music with us because we are now an important part of Cotacachi and they welcome us here and we are to consider ourselves a part of their community.  It was very touching.

Behind Closed Doors

I remember when I first showed you photos of my first apartment in Cotacachi, you were amazed at how huge the back yard was.  So was I when I first saw it.  Since then I've had comments from people that centered around the size of various spaces, especially those things you find behind all the tiendas and even the apartments.  I recently took a few photos of some examples of how it sometimes works here.

First, a few of my original photos from my first home.

Another Of My Neighbors

There are so many sides to Cotacachi that it's difficult to portray the complexity of it at times.  These photos give you a slightly different view of life for some people here.

This is the front door of one of my neighbors.  She lives about five doors down from me. It's a little hard to see but there is an open space at the top of the bottom right panel in the door, not to mention the huge gap at the bottom of it.