Fernando Pagés Ruiz
Articles by Fernando Pagés Ruiz :
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I’m fluent in Spanish, but still had to learn the language of social communication
As a lifelong real estate developer, my career began on the job site as a carpenter, evolved through business education into project management, and eventually running the company. Nowadays I… -
A daunting challenge for gringos is converting archaic U.S. measurement systems to metric
They came upon me slowly, despacito, like a foreign language, pacito a pacito, one millimeter at a time. Although at first these centimeters and millimeters sounded more like the names… -
Balmy winters, leafy legumes, coastal monkeys and other linguistic ambiguities in Ecuador
An English speaker has much to learn about the Spanish language when moving to Ecuador. But the foreign native Spanish speaker does, too. Case in point: I moved here from… -
Curb appeal from the inside: The Latin tradition of courtyards and private spaces
I recall almost every detail of my father’s ancestral home in Mendoza, in the wine country of northwestern Argentina. The layout, the tile, the woodwork, the planters — even the… -
Learn how to develop good hunches: Being lucky isn’t always an accident
You can learn to model lucky behaviors that will give you an edge in life, without resorting to astronomy or carrying a rabbit’s foot. It’s better to be lucky than… -
Thanksgiving for my Ecuadorian friends — served up with all trimmings
On Thursday morning we attended our exercise class in the park. One of our classmates had lived in the U.S., and we got to talking about Thanksgiving. She said she… -
Enjoying the beach life in Ecuador? Don’t sweat the details
Where I used to live, in the Midwestern United States, folks often had one room with rattan furniture, shells, and tiki lights to remind them of far-off paradises on warm… -
Some like it close and noisy
By Fernando Pagés Ruiz Latinos are not afraid of close contact even with strangers There’s no “three foot” rule. Why waste the space? Same goes for sound. Why would you… -
A Shangri-La with less culture shock
Images of paradise often include white sand beaches, palms, breezes, and aqua blue waters. Perhaps not for those finding Shangri-La in the cool altitudes of Cuenca. Yet it’s certainly, what… -
Buildings don’t need to last forever — impermanence is part of life and sometimes it just makes practical sense
By Fernando Pagés Ruiz In the U.S., people are very focused on durability. If something lasts for a long, long time, it’s said to be sustainable by definition, because the… -
Bamboo hut on a firm foundation: A close-up look at Ecuador’s amazing stilt homes
By Fernando Pagés Ruiz If you’ve traveled along the Ecuadorian coastal plains, you’ve seen the traditional Ecuadorian stilt homes, standing proud above the grass, built of stiff guadua cane and… -
Gender PC: Just don’t call me a ¡Latinx!
You may have seen the image on Facebook: a poster on a “Wholefoods” storefront window asking customers and employees to avoid “gendered” speech, such as “Hello Sir,” and “Thanks Brother.”… -
The best little hostal in Cuenca
By Fernando Pagés Ruiz How does a big love affair become a little hotel? That’s the story of Patricia del Pilar and Stuart White, and their Pumamaqui Accommodations, an elegant…