Well, I should make it official for anyone who has been wondering: David and I have returned from Ecuador to the US. We’ve been back for about a month, and we’re living in Michigan currently.

Our decision to return so early was based on a lot of things, but I think the breaking point came when it was time for his first paycheck (for about 2 months worth of teaching and office work). He had agreed upon a set monthly salary with the director of inlingua for taking the Academic Coordinator position. His paycheck was less than half of that…for 2 months! He came home after cashing the check and simply said, “I think it’s time to go back home.”

Both of us were torn: somewhat relieved due to all the stresses we had encountered job-wise while in Quito and ready to find stability again; however, we both wanted it to work. We had wanted to live abroad, to teach English, to improve our Spanish. But we realized that it was time to call it quits and booked plane tickets that night.

Coming back was also an odd, bittersweet experience. We grew comfortable with so many things in Ecuador: cheap prices, simple living, hearing Spanish everywhere, using it every day, consistently nice weather, the public transportation, delicious food…the list goes on. Our transition was a smooth one, though, for the most part.

We were both a little unsettled by all the English around us all the time, by being understood by everyone when we talked to each other in public. We had to readjust to driving everywhere, to not being able to hop on and off a bus for 25 cents (or less!) at a whim, to having to carry identification, wallets, credit cards, etc. with us everywhere we went. Although amusing, these minor changes didn’t affect us for long. Many things have stuck with us for the long run, however, and I hope to share a few of those things here for those of you who may pursue similar paths or are simply curious about life abroad.

-Save up a LOT of money if you’re planning to live abroad. I mean way more than you think you’d ever need. We had about $8,000 when we left. That seems like a lot. It seems like even more in Ecuador. However, especially if you are going to a country less stable than the US (so, anywhere other than North America or Western Europe), you never know what could happen. Your job might not work out as you planned, start-up costs are huge, daily expenses add up quickly, and what if you end up needing to come back (for whatever reason)?

-Don’t let culture shock get into your head. I think David and I greatly underestimated both the culture shock itself that we would experience as well as how much it affected us. I don’t think there’s a way to avoid it; I don’t think you should try. It’s a humbling, overwhelming, curious, frustrating, awesome experience to live in another country, but you cannot constantly compare it to your own country. EVERYTHING is going to be different, but focusing on those differences will only tire you out. Appreciate them where you see them, discuss them if you feel compelled, but there is no room for negativity or wishful thinking. Adjust and adapt.

-This is a big one: traveling to another country (no matter how much you have traveled or how cultured you think you are) is NOTHING like living in another country. You are pampered and sheltered when you travel. You stay in hotels that are designed for tourists to feel comfortable and at-home, to feel like they never left. You see things that tourists see. You do things that tourists do. You do everything on your own terms. Living in another country means living as its citizens live, doing what they do, how they do it, on their terms. I don’t think I can stress this enough, but honestly, you won’t fully understand this unless you have experienced it, so on to the next one. ;)

-Stay in contact with your friends and family, but don’t let it become your daily routine. Don’t make talking to your parents or your siblings a 4-times-a-week priority. Don’t spend so much time on Tumblr, on Facebook, on Twitter that you feel as though you never left. Get out into the air, into the streets, into the culture that you are surrounded by. Explore. You don’t even have to plan it out every day, because likely anything you see when you go out just walking around for a while will be new and exciting and interesting. Let yourself run free and be adventurous!

-Don’t be afraid to use the language. Especially in a place where you look totally different from everyone around you, there is no harm in slipping up when you speak to a local. They know you’re not going to be a native-speaker. I’m not guaranteeing you that no one will laugh or smirk, that no one will take advantage of you, no one will be impatient or rude. Just toughen up and try it. You’ll get better at it the more you try, that I can guarantee. :)

So, obviously this is not meant to be a comprehensive guide to living in another country. There are lots more practical things that you need to figure out, but there are plenty of websites for those types of things. (Speaking of, I suggest you google local customs, traditions, culture, just to get an idea of what you’re getting into and maybe prevent some cultural misunderstandings.) However, I enjoy the abstract and so I have offered you some more abstract advice, some advice on how to think about your experience. Some of these things I am still learning; my mind is still chewing on these bits of information. And you can bet that David and I are going to try this again in a few years, ready to use what we learned and then be smacked in the face with just how much more we have to learn. ;) Until then, I leave you with this wonderful quotation by Wade Davis:

The world in which you were born is just one model of reality. Other cultures are not failed attempts at being you; they are unique manifestations of the human spirit.

So we’ve been here for just over 2 months now, and I figured I could post again with some thoughts. :)

Something I’ve really been focusing on this past month is how often I hear and use Spanish here, and, in return, that means how little I hear and use English outside of my communications with David. (If I had a job by now, I’d have been using it a lot more, but…). Anyway, I’m realizing that I have taken for granted up until now how comforting it can be to hear your native language on a regular basis.

Still, it was a bit strange to me yesterday when I passed 2 girls on the sidewalk who were speaking English to each other. As I walked past them and heard it, I smiled and felt a bit more at home. This was somehow a much different experience than hearing it in the Inlingua office when talking with teachers, or Skyping with my parents, or even just chatting with David. I think the fact that I was out in the city, expecting to be totally immersed in Spanish, that made this moment a bit different than the rest.

As a linguistic majority in my home country, the United States, I have always taken for granted that I will be able to hear and use my native language whenever I go out, with almost anyone I meet. I don’t think I realized how much I miss English and just how comforting it is to me until I came to Ecuador where it’s a rarity.

Regardless, I will be starting Spanish classes soon with either the Yanapuma Foundation or Inlingua to improve. Why not?! :)

So, suffice it to say that I am looking forward to the comfortable linguistic aspect of coming home to the States. I’m also looking forward to a reliable supply of hot water for daily showers, but that’s another story. ;)

To say that the last 2 months have been a roller-coaster of emotions, possibilities, and plans would be an understatement.

David has decided to take on the position of Academic Coordinator/Corporate Advisor at inlingua, the school that we came here to teach for. He’ll also be doing business consulting for them, because the corporate culture here is…not quite the same as in the United States. Specifically, he’s trying to bring more accountability and organization into their office. It’ll be tough, but I think he’ll do great. :) He’s on a 4-month contract with them, which means we should be here at least until February. Then again, things change at the drop of a dime here…so I’ll keep you guys posted. :D

I have decided not to teach for inlingua and instead to pursue a volunteer teaching position with the Yanapuma Foundation. I will be assisting ESL teachers in elementary-school classrooms in under-funded schools just outside of Quito. My plan, though, is to work my way up to being an actual teacher, though, as I am very qualified for the position. :)

So, wish us luck…and here’s to hoping that our plans work out this time, at least for the most part. :)

This may seem like a mundane subject for a post at first, but I think that comparing the typical contents of my purse here in Ecuador with what I’d carry in the United States could be interesting. It can also illustrate some of the bigger cultural aspects of living here, in a third-world, patriarchal, Latin American country.

At first glance, the strangest object is likely the toilet paper/napkins. I have to carry toilet paper with me whenever I go out in public. This is because the public restrooms (for men and women) do not provide toilet paper in the stalls. You can buy it from a dispenser at the entrance of some restrooms, but others just do not provide it at all.

My phone probably looks a little silly to most people in the United States. It’s a phone I would’ve had at, like, 12 years old; it does nothing but call and text. Plus, it’s prepaid. :P

Sunscreen also likely looks a little strange, but being on the equator means that if I go out for a walk at midday, I’m going to get fried without it. The hand sanitizer is a necessity for someone who relies on public transportation; those bus rails can be pretty yucky.

The most obvious thing missing is likely a wallet. I usually carry change or just a few bills depending on where I’m going. I never have my wallet or more than $20 on me. This is because petty crime is still a huge issue in Ecuador, and being white just means I attract more attention than necessary and look like a rich American.

I never thought I’d need to carry toilet paper in my purse, and I certainly never thought that leaving the house without my wallet would be a daily occurrence. I’ll certainly be glad when I don’t have to worry about whether I have enough toilet paper to take a bathroom break while I’m out, but for right now, I’m enjoying the odd little things that daily life in Quito entails. :)