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New residency requirement. You must learn to speak Spanish to become a resident

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windshadow
  3/29/2015 06:16 EST

http://cuencahighlife.com/new-rules-require-ecuador-expats-to-be-proficient-in-spanish-requirement-affects-current-residents-as-well-as-new-ones/

Great idea! Sounds like the government is saying "Get in or get out!"

vandtor
  3/29/2015 07:48 EST

As much as I would love to profit from this, it appears to be a hoax from Dia de Los Inocentes.

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withoutego
  3/29/2015 08:01 EST

Senior Umbra de Venta

Did the new law on drivers licenses change the requirement for a HS diploma ON THE CEDULA. Mine says ninguna for education.

Interesting approach to road safety. If only PhD s were allowed to drive in the states the accidental death stats might go down. After, that is, the absent minded professors had all been buried.

So I need to change my cedula AND improve my Spanish before I can kill myself on a moto in Ecuador? Seems a lot of trouble since I expect to die anyway (and do it in Ecuador).

sinmoto

windshadow
  3/29/2015 10:02 EST

Vandtor,
LOL, maybe someday! You have to admit the article seems quite genuine up to the part where it says "Lee Dubbs failed" the test.
I laughed at that part. If he failed then we are all screwed!
Enough said. Good job Vandtor!

Tambopaxi
  3/29/2015 10:04 EST

Vandtor, It would seem so, assuming the last para in the article is true. I suspect that some of us would meet the requirements (were they to be true), but not many. Sure would cut back on the gringo ghettos, though...

remoore2001
  3/29/2015 10:44 EST

Before any of you drop dead from fright, this april fools joke has been going around for at least 2 years now that I know of.
Windshadow, don't they have April fools day in France?

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cheshirecat4591
  3/29/2015 11:44 EST

THIS ARTICLE WAS A (MEAN) APRIL FOOLS JOKE...I REPEAT --an APRIL FOOL's (early) JOKE

windshadow
  3/29/2015 12:12 EST

Cheshirexxx
April fools day here in Ecuador was actually on March 28th. If you notice the date of the article it might help you understand since it was dated the XXth.
Remoore,
Si, pero no exactamente de aquí.
But, this is serious this year! I love what a friend said, "bet a lot of gringos will be learning the word adios very soon. lol

hoteidoc
  3/29/2015 13:10 EST

Glad you clarified, altho I've been hard at my Rosetta-Stone Spanish for the past 3 Winters! Making good progress -- or at least acquired vocabulary -- but speaking beyond the simplies statements are very difficult. But there is Truth & Wisdom in your joke with which I totally agree! And while my plans to have moved there by this time next year have been "temporarily" put on hold, my intentions are to move to (hopefully) a different mind-set/Ecuador, not just get away from the US (well that too :-)! ) Nor will the studies be last, because I work at a thoroughbred racetrack where 70% of the "backside" workers are Hispanic.

GringoinQuito
  3/29/2015 13:30 EST

This really was a good prank..I have enjoyed reading the comments in Cuenca High Life. It has really made a lot of the gringos nervous. Even though this is a joke the responses have opened up a can of worms regarding the gringo community. It's amazing to me how many move here not knowing or not intending to learn even basic Spanish. To those people, stay in the USA or Canada!

windshadow
  3/29/2015 16:29 EST

Prank? I am not positive it is but I am assuming it is. I kind of wish it were not a prank. It would give us a reason to spend time working together to get each person fluent and to perfect our own levels of proficiency. I wish it were true but I can see all kinds of problems with the idea. For one, what if your husband speaks fluently and you do not. Hasta luego baby! lol
Everyone should try and learn to the best of their ability. Quit making excuses! This is where it starts. I think I have heard the most lame bull you can hear as to why people don't try and learn some level of the language. If it is only 10 or 100 words, it is a start.
If you can't master that then what the f are you doing here?

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OceanHideaway
  3/29/2015 17:21 EST

Yes it is a prank
...
Yes some people have actually written to President Correa...

I don't think this is mean -- I think it is perfect...

Much more perfect than the imperfect recipe for Pot square rope ...they passed off as brownies ...a few issues back...

Remember they call themselves the HIGH Lifers...

and they gotcha...

...now anyone want to discuss the family who got stranded in Orlando because the very high priced cutesy visa facilitator who "get's it for you in USA before you arrive" royally screwed up? That is not an April Fools joke...

withoutego
  3/29/2015 17:52 EST

This generated a bit of conversation in one of the watering holes in Vilcabamba this morning. the biggest question seemed to be, will it be retroactive. ie, affect those who have residence now.

My question is, what level (of language skill) might such a law require? An incentive for some and a show stopper for others.

The surest way to make this happen for real is for some jurisdiction in the states to bring in major requirements for English proficiency. I think the courts have limited that movement.

Gee, do you think its the same gringos? the guy who, when in the states asks why these foreigners don't learn English...then when he is in Ecuador asks, why don't these people learn English?

a hundred words in Spanish would go a long way. Its really not that hard. Three days per word? less than a year.

sinlengua y poco dentes tam bien

GringoinQuito
  3/29/2015 19:07 EST

This whole thing was an April Fools joke.

OceanHideaway
  3/29/2015 20:00 EST

Oh but it isn't April...and ...¨their¨April Fools is in diciembre!! so may it isn´t ...

...and maybe Culture and Holidays will be on the Extra Credit Part of the Exam !?!?!?

I am SO loving this!!!

... listening to some really rad music from my friends in the taxi coop and fishermen who are here tonite for a party ...

We bartered a low fee ...and some really ***AWESOME*** langostino were just past my way as a yapa :)

I <3 Ecuador Karma!!!

YO YO TODO LLAMO LLORA A LO TAXI!!! ... todo todo todo todo!!! ai ai ai ai ;)

remoore2001
  3/29/2015 20:20 EST

Sorry but you folks are so gullible as are the majority of gringos here. No wonder so many of you believe in chemtrails

OceanHideaway
  3/29/2015 22:24 EST

I am following this over on the Ecuador facebook pages and the back and forth is priceless --

the nerve of the Cuenca High Life Folks!

These are OLD people!!! you really upset them...they have weak hearts!!!!

They are talking of suing them -- for what I don;t know ...but dammit someone should ay for this!!!

...after all this could have been true and then what!!!

...I'm going to go fry up some langostino... :)

Tambopaxi
  3/29/2015 23:58 EST

I see that Cuenca Highlife has now removed the article from its link. The article was written pretty realistically, and numerous comments indicate that it frightened and upset a lot of people who didn't read it closely.

OceanHideaway
  3/30/2015 00:29 EST

Are they really pissed off that they have been shown to have admitted in public that they failed to read the article and just believed the hype?

Or failed to read the article with comprehension so were lacking the ability to recognize it was a hoax...?

So are people angry they were fooled or were they made to look foolish because they were fooled and that made them angry?

And yet they still want to blame their foolishness and refuse to take personal responsibility -- which was really the point of the entire hoax...in my opinion.

It comes down to personal responsibility.

Now the truth is we all have short comings -- we are human and so that is pretty much a given -- we are not perfect. If we were we wouldn't be human we would be angels. But then we wouldn't have free will.

The free will to chose to read the article -- carefully and discover that -- it was a hoax.

Even with a disclaimer -- which was not necessary -- the Cuenca High Life states it writes OPINION pieces and this was a helluva opinion.

It also says it is the FIRST and ...until now the most trusted ...online source of news...

Did it really have to include a disclaimer: Not to be read by anyone who scored LESS than 400 on the English Portion of the SAT?

kmoriarty45
  3/30/2015 08:59 EST

It never ceases to amaze me, that the very same people who are adamant about Spanish speaking immigrants, who are in the U.S. , becoming proficient in English , are the very same individuals who protest the loudest about having to read and speak Spanish, while they are living in a Latin American country.

hoteidoc
  3/30/2015 09:04 EST

It's called "Throwing stones in glass houses" ;-)

ecuadorjoe
  3/30/2015 09:08 EST

kmoriarty45
please understand that some gringos think that is funny and they are so smart to bs. Some of this people are living in U.S. and unfortunately some of this lunatics are here now.

LasCrucesLobo
  3/30/2015 09:48 EST

April Fools!

windshadow
  3/30/2015 10:57 EST

Ecuadorjhoe,
I think this is hilarious! I have laughed my ass off over and over again. I really liked the one I heard that a lot of gringos will be learning the spanish word, "adios".
That is funny! Wish it were true in a way! So, if you don't mind indulging me for a minute
JAJAAJAJAJAJAJAJAJAJAJAJA OR FOR ENGLISH READERS HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

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