I worry more about the feelings of culture shock. It can be fun to have to negotiate new things, but after awhile you just want to get up and turn the tv on with a cup of coffee. There is a reason everyone looks forward to coming home after traveling.
The thing that nags at me is related to safety... How many more years of living in a way that I am not comfortable with is safe? Unlike my husband, my answer is that all of the risks are acceptable when compared to the stress of another nine years in my job. And can I say here in public that I have some inner fears and doubts about the safety of the US? I think there are perils ahead that make this last recession look like a walk in the park. How long can my savings be guaranteed by a government that owes more than a trillion dollars? I want to stay out of politics, but I have to say that things just don't look all that stable.
I think safety is one of relationships but it is easy to think it is your town or your nation. I am not sure how to separate all of the this out. Our brains are trained to fear the unknown. Am I afraid of the unknown or reality? I can't help but compare the way I am finding out about Ecuador to the way I might be finding out about the US. It would be easy to find dramatic accounts of unrest here in our country. My memories of the sixties are filled with images of great distress. Crime happens all of the time here in the US. How do I find out about the difference between what is around me and reports in a place I know nothing about.
What is bothering me is the inability to find out about the consequences of every day events. Yesterday, one of my actions was to actually write to one of the people who is blogging about living in Ecuador. I was quite surprised by the kind response that was sent to me, so I shared my plans I am making for a trip to Ecuador which included getting a rental car. Here is a quote: " 3. If you should be in an accident in this country - ALL parties immediately go to jail while the officers process the information. Then you have to pay to get out of jail - usually a couple thousand dollars. This usually take from 2 weeks to 2 months." All I can say to that is YIKES and YIKES some more! Let's see... I have been back-ended twice, back-ended someone else twice, and once I was in a quite serious situation with a head-on collision. That would, worst case scenario, put me in prison so for for 10 weeks and in debt $10,000 beyond the ordinary cost of whatever the accidents included.
How do you find out about the little details like this prior to making a decision? My reaction to the car problem? I think buses and taxi cabs could become the way I get from one place to another, but I am not feeling good about it. How would you just get up and go gold panning and be sure you can get home? Can you imagine having to carry all of your groceries home all of the time on a bus. Yes, I know. Many people do. I have never had to and it is quite clear to me that I am glad. This is the most serious stumbling block I have yet to encounter. What else is out there?
Cindy
Safety in Ecuador.. there are too many levels. Here is my take. As you know I lived there for 5 years, never got mugged (and did some stupid thing, ie walking home from the bar drunk). Don't drive until you get accustomed to how they drive. Driving in Ecuador makes driving in Boston look like driving in the country side ;) - that being said, you won't go to jail if you are in an accident. Where does this person live? That is ludacris. Elsy was in an accident and it was her fault. She had insurance and the process went smoothly, almost US smoothly. Additionally, "instability" has its perks.. I have paid off cops for driving without a license, not having my passport or documents with me... $5 or $10 bucks and you are golden. One thing about Ecuadorians is that most of them are like little dogs.. "all bark and no bite!" People for the most part don't react... they may yell and scream "Vete a tu pias gringo de mierda" but if confronted they will get in their cares and go there along their way... this is very different than Colombia. Kidnappings?? Never heard of one the whole 5 years I was there - expect in that movie "Proof of Life" that was filmed in Ecuador... and everyone was pissed that it represented Ecuador badly.
ReplyDeleteLike any city... be smart, keep your eyes open and learn as much Spanish as possible. Oh, and don't take the buses in the city unless you know EXACTLY where you are going.. there is no rhyme or reason (planned and explained anyways) to them. Make sure you learn the system. Taxis won't have meters for you until your accent gets better and you learn the city. Take the Trolley bus.. .those actually have a plan, route and schedule to them. Inter-State buses are ok, pay extra for a good bus company (I can give you the names of the ones that leave Quito and go everywhere) otherwise you will have a driver that is racing other buses around sharp corners while doing through the mountains - it is scary :)
JS
Hi Cindy! Thanks for visiting my blog. I have some thoughts about safety in Ecuador that I can share with you. Feel free to email me at emily.yee.dubois AT gmail DOT com if you want specifics or have questions. As a PC volunteer, we get security memos and briefings when incidents happen in the country, and we also went through many hours of safety & security training to minimize our risk. We have a specific staff member that serves as our Safety & Security Officer so we often get a lot of information that may not show up in the newspapers.
ReplyDeleteThings such as kidnappings do occur but are often avoidable. There are express taxi kidnappings, most common in Guayaquil and Quito, where taxis take passengers to ATMs to drain their accounts and then drop them off somewhere remote. I know several people that had this happen to them and it is a scary situation- often men hop into the taxi after getting a call from the driver and they pull out guns. Luckily, this can be avoided by always calling for a taxi (or having a hotel, restaurant, etc. call for you) and not taking a taxi off the street. If you absolutely have to take a street taxi, jot down their license plate number and their taxi registration number.
Pickpocketing is very common, especially on crowded busses, trollies, etc. I can't even count how many volunteers have been pickpocketed and don't realize it until they leave the bus and find their bag slashed or something missing. I have been pickpocketed once and vow never again! Going to the police station to file a report is a pain! Also on overnight busses, I have had several friends who have had their laptops, etc. stolen right from underneath them. It is better to keep valuables in your lap, not underneath your seat, above your seat, or in the below the bus compartment.
Muggings can happen, so it is just better to be aware of your surroundings and not make yourself a target- don't carry around things that you don't absolutely need. When you are approached, just give them what you have- it isn't worth getting into a fight about it. There have been several people I know who have been approached (with what could be fake guns, knives, etc.) in restaurants, on the street, in the park, etc.
These things aren't to scare you, but to let you know that it is a very different kind of situation than in the U.S. In the states, I don't worry about carrying my camera around with me. Sure, if I leave my purse unattended in a shopping cart or in my car, it is likely to get swiped. In the U.S. I also know that most places that I frequent, nobody is going to come up to me with a knife and tell me to hand over my cell phone. It can happen in certain parts, I am sure, but here in Ecuador it can happen anywhere- nice neighborhoods, inside a restaurant, walking to the bank. The frequency of petty theft and crime here is much higher than in most parts of the U.S. (I won't say all places), but it helps to have the knowledge on how to minimize your risk.
Anyway, hope this is helpful!