The Yard
If the starting wage for a day laborer is $25, imagine how cheap a yardman is. We have a yard of normal size by U.S. standards. Before Covid claimed him, we had a yardman come to mow and weed our yard. He and a helper would spend 4 hours to get the job done, and […]
Contents
- Summary
- Disclaimer
- Author's Background
- Website Style and Purpose
- For Those Who Decide to Move
- For Those Who Decide to Move
- Ecuadorian Expats
- Moving: Setting a date
- It would likely help to…
- Taking an animal (Brrrr)
- The Airline
- Basics
- Warnings
- Quito
- Guayaquil
- Bargaining
- Intercity Air Travel
- Cell Phones
- On the Subject of driving here
- English
- Passport
- Blue Pens / Ink
- Going out alone
- Necessities
- KFC
- Water
- Hot Water
- Paros (From the verb Parar – to stop) Work stoppages
- Geology
- Earthquakes
- Volcanos
- Landslides & Mudslides
- Geography
- The Weather
- Places of note in: The Sierra
- Places of note in: La Costa
- Places of note in: La Selva (Jungle)
- Galapagos
- Peru
- Ecuadorian History
- Visas
- Business & Competition
- Websites
- Animals
- Medicine
- Insurance
- Real Estate, Banks, & Credit Unions
- Money
- Banks & Credit Unions (Cooperativas)
- Real Estate
- Mortgages
- Looking for MLS? Might we suggest Mercado Libre Ecuador?
- Buildings
- Acreage Size, shape, and Cost
- Some Things to Consider before Buying or Renting
- Condos
- Asbestos
- Homes – Construction Styles
- Homes – Common Designs
- Urban Neighborhood Designs
- Unfinished Homes
- Electrical
- Location, Location, Location
- Security
- Timbres / Doorbells
- Insects
- Renting a Home
- The House
- Culture
- Expats (Extranjeros)
- Ecuadorian Culture
- Education
- ¿Por qué? Porque
- Almuerzo (Lunch) / Siesta
- LGBTQ
- Religion
- Jewish Population
- Humor
- Saving Face is Everything
- Family, Family, Family
- Tradesmen/women
- Greetings – Buenos Días, Buenas Tardes, Buenas Noches
- Bureaucracy
- Corruption (A bribe vs. a tip)
- Different is not wrong
- Doctors
- Hospitality
- “I Want to Live in America”
- Marriages
- Patience
- Politics
- Taxes
- Bus Stations – Terminal Terrestres
- Laws
- Guns
- Begging Children
- Notaries
- Judges
- Racial Profiling and Soft Social Boundaries
- European? Sort of
- “You’re such an Indian”
- Sierra – Culture
- La Costa – the Coast
- El Oriente – The Jungle
- Work Ethic
- Macho Stereotypes are real
- Quichua – Pictures – Not!
- Languages
- English
- Quichua & Shuar
- Spanish
- Names
- Royal Spanish Academy – Real Academia Española
- Coastal vs. Sierra vs. Cuban vs. Maracaiban
- Dictionaries
- Typing in Spanish
- Not Learning the language
- Learning or Considering Learning the language
- Aids in Learning the Language
- Like English, Spanish is actually a very beautiful language
- Like English, Spanish can be confounding – Idiomatic Expressions
- Good English students will have an advantage
- Warning!
- IOU
- Pronouncing the other letters
- Verbs – Be afraid. Be very afraid.
- Cognates – True or False?
- Diacritics – Accent and other pronunciation marks
- Numbers
- Tricks
- Common Words / Expressions
- Restaurants
- Shopping
- Shopping
- Grocery Stores – Types
- Store Types
- Monthly vs. Total Cost price tags
- Negotiating / Haggling
- Repeat Customers
- Black Friday Sales
- U.S. Clothing Stores
- Lockers
- Be Prepared, some names do not translate
- If it’s on the shelf and you want it get it
- Experiment
- Bread
- Sodas
- Milk
- Nestle
- Eggs
- Fruits & Vegetables (F & V)
- Here are some foods we rarely buy on the street and why
- Seafood
- Candy
- Behind Glass (Lock & Key)
- Quito & Guayaquil vs. Everywhere else
- Street, sidewalk, and Traffic signal venders
- Transportation
- Transportation
- Freight
- Ground Transportation
- Pedestrians
- Bikes
- Motorcycles
- Automobiles
- U.S. Driver’s License – good for 30 days
- Seat belts and Car Seats
- Autopistas – Freeways
- Toll Roads (80¢ – $1.00)
- Tickets & Fines
- Accidents
- Street Names and Addresses
- Driving Restrictions
- Muros – Aaagh!
- Traffic Signals
- Traffic in General
- Age
- Automobile Types
- Dashboard Cameras
- Dashboard Rugs
- Taxis
- Mixtos
- Tuk-Tuks
- Recreational Vehicles – ATV’s, Sport Utility Vehicles, Go Carts
- Sea
- Theft
- Miscellaneous
- Batteries
- Birds
- City Designs
- Fireworks
- Gyms
- Holidays
- Homelessness
- Luxury – ¡Sí hay!
- Marijuana
- Paying – Cable, Water, Electric, Phone Bills and recharging bus cards
- Poverty
- Prostitution
- Security Guards
- Tobacco / Vaping
- Things that are very hard to find or are very expensive in Ecuador:
- Things that cannot be found, or are hard to find in the U.S.
- Cuenca
- Cuenca
- Spanish
- Medical Facilities
- Dentists / Orthodontists
- Country Club
- Geology & Geography
- Restaurants
- American
- Pizza
- Breakfast – Desayuno (Des-eye-yu’-no) & Café’s
- Almuerzo – Lunch
- Dinner
- American – Styled Food
- Chinese
- Ecuadorian
- French
- Indian
- Mexican
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Ice Cream
- Seafood
- Views
- Sidewalks
- Sights
- Road / Day Trips
- Las Cajas (Las Ká-has), (The boxes [National Park])
- Access to the Coast
- Real Estate
- Grocery Stores
- Hardware Stores
- Furniture
- Metalworkers
- Carpenters
- Ceramic Tile
- Clothing
- Miscellaneous Things We’ve had constructed
- Marble & Granite
- 3 x 5 Cards
- Appliances & Electronics
- Crime
- WIFI
- Entertainment, Diversions, & Recreation
- Nightlife
- Fishing
- Hiking
- Transportation of things from the U.S.
- Transportation in Cuenca
- Backward (The Opposite of a Foreword)