Posts:
By Jessica Brown The number of people cutting down on meat and dairy, or cutting these foods from their diets entirely, has been rising over the last decade. The number of vegans in the UK, for example, quadrupled between 2006 and 2018, according to research by The...
By Leita Hulmes Hi, this is Leita again, a volunteer with Hearts of Gold. I told you back in September about Hearts of Gold’s “All Children Deserve to Dream” program. So why is Tuesday the BIG DAY? Global Giving sponsors Giving Tuesday – and that is Tuesday,...
I was spending time with the gringo facilitator, German Zhina. He chauffeured me, accompanied me to appointments to accurately translate medical terminology, fixed an electrical connection disrupting my oil heater, programmed my cell phone, performed complex bank...
By Melanie Radzicki McManus Walking is the most popular aerobic physical activity in the United States, with 111 million people hitting the pavement in 2018 as part of their fitness goals. In addition, walking's sister activity, hiking, enticed 57.8 million...
By Megan Gambino Today, the traditional Thanksgiving dinner includes any number of dishes: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, candied yams, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. But if one were to create a historically accurate feast, consisting of only those foods that...
By Jeremiah Reardon With the Covid pandemic largely under control in Cuenca, thanks to the cooperation of its citizens and the efforts of its health professionals, festivals once again abound. One of them is the Eleventh Guitar Festival, taking place this week at the...
The phrase, “A picture is worth a thousand words,” emerged in the U.S. in the early part of the 20th century. Its introduction is widely attributed to Frederick R. Barnard, who published a piece commending the effectiveness of graphics in advertising with the title...
By Jan Dynes Always the perpetual optimist, today her mind went rogue, betrayed her and took a nasty twist. She didn’t know quite what to do with these feelings, she seldom went down the rabbit-hole. Her ‘Rah, Rah Pollyanna’ had always served her well at seeing the...
By James Hamblin As a young child I missed a question on a psychological test: “What comes in a bottle?” The answer was supposed to be milk. I said beer. Milk almost always came in cartons and plastic jugs, so I was right. But this isn’t about rehashing old grudges. I...
“Ya’ just gotta love this place! It is the best,” said the newcomer from Louisiana as we swished away from the tram platform on skinny tracks heading south. “I’m kind of a good old boy looking to move out of town and get me some chickens and maybe a goat next year,...
By Liam Higgins According to Quito attorney Gustavo Martinez, too many North American expats consider filing a law suit before they try to resolve problems personally or through mediation. “In Ecuador, legal action is always a last resort, not a starting point,” says...
Perhaps I did not understand the remark correctly. He said, “I am moving away from Cuenca because the weather here is ‘getting old’.” I wondered what he meant but readily agreed that the mysteries of weather are older than unseen clouds drifting over an unpeopled...
By Sylvan Hardy If you want to stir up a spirited discussion among Ecuador expats, bring up the subject of tipping. Ask what you should leave the waitress, the tour guide, the baggage handler, or the maid, and you’ll likely get as many answers are there are expats in...
Dear Paulee, I saw my first condors gliding high over Chican last weekend; they were scanning the valleys of grassland often full of bubbly clouds spilling over the high country of Amazonia and gliding down a patchwork of meadows heading towards Cuenca. I am already...
By Chris Hippi Traveler The phrase “expat life” is similar to the word “travel” in the sense that they both conjure up romantic images of far-off destinations. They hint of the sights and sounds of unusual cultures. They promise excitement at saying your first short...
The most regretful people on earth are those who felt the call to creative work, who felt their own creative power restive and uprising and gave to it neither power nor time. — Mary Oliver Sarah HB was raised under the prayer flags of big skies, glaciated mountains,...
By Liam Higgins Jerry Gilliam has lived in seven countries for 27 years and calls himself a "student of innocence abroad and the lack thereof." Gilliam, who currently lives and blogs in Singapore, is working on a book about his experiences living overseas that will...
By Tamara Hardingham-Gill There's no denying that going on vacation has become a lot more complicated due to Covid-19. Well over a year into the pandemic, border restrictions are still constantly changing as new variants emerge, while PCR and antigen tests have become...
“You can’t escape. Your heart will be broken, too.” This was how Jake introduced himself as he slumped against my table. It was a balmy evening, the cafe was full as he crumbled into one of the last available chairs. He went on: “I have never been married, other than...
Word filtered down from North America that the U.S. is spinning out of control, flinging folks into a maelstrom of frenzy and gunfire. I was told that mass murder is treated with the same importance as a mass transit accident: what a shame and too bad. I was warned...
