OceanHideaway
6/30/2016 01:03 EST
After years of requests, I have found a great platform for letting people contact me to discuss their questions and plans.
I´m now on Fiverr.com
http://tinyurl.com/gq879op
"I will skype for 30 minutes about Moving to Ecuador for $5"
Here is my advertisement:
_________________________________
Ecuador is the #1 overseas retirement haven according to popular, international real estate and investment retirement living magazines.
Sounds like Paradise!
But what´s the real story and whom can you trust when everyone seems to want to sell something -- real estate, a gringo service, or a business opportunity -- along with their advice.
Talk to Me! I am offering 30 minutes of face time over SKYPE, one on one, to share my knowledge with you about Living, Retiring, Working, Moving, Traveling, and Becoming an Expat in Ecuador.
QUALIFICATIONS:
I live in Ecuador and have continually for the past 8 years. I moved here in June of 2008.
I am a 54-year-old expatriate, a single woman, a business owner, a former attorney and a Social Media Forum guru. You can find me moderating the Ecuador Forum of the ExpatExchange (since 2010), and administering the Ecuador Expat (2012) and Ecuador Coast (2013) pages on Facebook.
My involvement on Social Media keeps me on the cutting edge of information, up to the minute on available services, and in the know about the quality of service providers through customer feedback .
30 Minutes of SKYPE with Your Ecuador Expat Expert, schedule your call today!
______________________________
Please note... I still carry no business card :)
Check out my new gig and hope to hear from interested readers soon!
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withoutego
6/30/2016 01:35 EST
Pleeeeze let me elbow my way to the head of the line about to form here.... to offer a half hour of my time on skype for a competitively priced $4.95. Or, perhaps the 15 minute Quickie is what you need. The "Quickie" guarantees satisfaction at just $3.00
Qualifications? I've lived in Cuenca and Vilcabamba for the past five years...summering in Maine. I am fully papered too.
I have answers to all questions. If I am short of specific knowledge I can make stuff up quickly.
My "boots on the ground" are size 53 and a half (USA 17D) and cover a lot of territory.
sinhabladopordinero
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Karenks
6/30/2016 09:38 EST
Who to trust when everyone seems to want to sell something.......pay me $5!
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withoutego
6/30/2016 11:21 EST
Who to trust?
Remember the thaw in the cold war early in the 1980's ?
Reagan or Thatcher said...."Trust, but verify" That is good advise here too.
People come to this forum asking for information. They mostly want to be reassured. It maybe that the same "information" given in a voice conversation, with interaction, will give the reassurance that cold printed facts would not. Where there are "facts".
Yes, the warm and fuzzy.
As for the value in $$ of the advise. A simple heads up on some obscure bit of bureaucratic silliness would, in hindsight, be worth a bunch. But like fire insurance you don't appreciate it if you never need it.
I am curious to see if this Skype conversation idea has legs. The $5 would keep things serious as in another quote from that former president...."I paid for this microphone"
We kid when its gratis but money gets will focus our attention.
sinego
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OceanHideaway
6/30/2016 12:28 EST
Update on that URL
https://www.fiverr.com/susanschlesinge/skype-about-moving-to-live-in-ecuador?funnel=90af5d32-dac0-4d37-af2e-fc24dfbb6e16
Go check it out ...and let´s talk :)
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Kimac
6/30/2016 15:49 EST
People always pay more attention and are more engaged when they at least are paying a few bucks. It's often a good idea if you want people to take you seriously to charge a few $ on that basis alone.
The deal in any/all expat scenarios (IMHO) is to travel light, staying loose and positive at all times. Being social is also key, from kibitzing with other packbackers to those of longer tooth exchanging notes and opinions here.
I also think with the internet (lets blame in on the net), there are a more people attempting to travel/live abroad then presumed to do so 20 years ago, and many of them lack the aforementioned social skills (amongst others), so as to flourish.
Maybe I'm now one of them at this point. But, as with these $2-10 ebooks being sold on amazon with advice for putative Ecuador expats, this sort of thing does appear to fill the reassurance need nicely.
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kk881910
6/30/2016 18:07 EST
definitely interested in Skype with you. private message not going through. please reach out to me on email kk881910@yahoo.com
thanks
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withoutego
6/30/2016 20:24 EST
Susan,
Problem, fiver doesn't seem to take pay-pal. Anyway around that aside from the obvious? Adding one more password to my huge collection!!!
would an IOU be worth even the paper it wasn't printed on?
sincuentacongugul
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OceanHideaway
6/30/2016 20:52 EST
Hi KarenKS
Good to hear from you again.
Did you and your family make it to Manta on June 1st as planned?
And were you able to find the truck you had posted about needing but not knowing how to go about finding and purchasing?
If you need some assistance ...just click on my link and we can chat one on one and probably solve this and a few of your settling in issues... and yes, it´s just $5.
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OceanHideaway
7/1/2016 00:30 EST
Sinego...
We can arrange for payment via PayPal , just PM me when you would like to chat and on what subject(s) if you know in advance so we can have the opportunity to cover your topic(s) adequately in the time frame.
Fiverr is the best platform for this project but workarounds may be necessary if your method of payment is not accepted.
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OceanHideaway
7/2/2016 00:31 EST
.... of course...for you...
we could always trade ...
maybe...a sketch?...
Say! Now that´s something to sell!
sign it... SInSaldo :)
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withoutego
7/2/2016 10:27 EST
Susan,
Un retrato en vivo? en poco meses, despues mi volver.
Something mixing Bacon, Klimt and Beardsley.
sin cero
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OceanHideaway
7/9/2016 05:18 EST
And here´s the update so far...
Yes... I am having some really good conversations with some very good callers and I think this is going to be a great gig!
David Sasaki has allowed me to use one of his colorful photos as my cover shot and I have updated the look of my advertisement...
And I found that chatting via INstant Messenger (via Facebook) seems to have the smoothest conversation stream. By the way you can choose to have the camera on or not, it´s up to you.
So if you are on FaceBook and would like to chat with me for a half hour or more send me a written message via Messenger and we can schedule a conversation immediately.
Susan Schlesinger (on FaceBook)
To the private message requesting "naughty chat"... that would be a very special order and I dare say probably way out of your price range, but I am flattered...
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dumluk
7/12/2016 12:58 EST
What a deal! Who could find fault with these prices? Ive got one for the ecua experts. Ive just finished reading an article written by an Ecuadorian lawyer on gringosabroad and she says that the basic fees have gone up from $320 to $550......But what she didnt state was if that was her/their fee or the basic residency fee which goes to el gobierno.........Can somebody pls clear that up for me? $550 basic fee seems steep to me.....Makes Ecuador one ofthe more expensivecountries in which to apply for residency. Here in Panama its $250............But you must have a lawyer. As I understand it in Ecuador, you dont need a lawyer to sign off on your residency.
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dumluk
7/13/2016 00:20 EST
@sinego..........would you pls translate that into decent Spanish so I can understand what you mean.........? Was a simple question........Is it possible to get a straightforward answer on this forum? And while youre at it........Is a fish dinner a luxury in Ecuador?
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OceanHideaway
7/13/2016 00:20 EST
Actually...
The fee I think the fee being referred to is... the fee for an extended visitors visa... the 6 month visa... which is now $450 dollars (plus $100 per dependent)
Yes, fee change.
And when you think of where to add a fee to raise revenue for you country, rather than on the backs of your poor, it is a reasonable place to put it...
As for the new mid thread advertisements... that my friend is how we keep this site free for everyone and we appreciate the CLICKS... they pay the rent :)
By the way... the Gig is doing well, and I have a happy clients...
If anyone would like to speak with me LIVE via messenger, it´s easy ... Catch me on FACEBOOK... Susan Schlesinger... and we cna set up an apointment to speak LIVE THROUGH MESSENGER immediately.
The beauty of Live Chat is we can cover a lot more ground quickly... and that´s a fact. :)
Susan
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Sojourner44
7/13/2016 09:22 EST
I feel $450 is reasonable to stay in Ecuador for six months. I'll be happy to pay for the privilege. Six months residence is more than sufficient time to acclimate and explore.
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dumluk
7/13/2016 10:31 EST
You think $450 is reasonable to stay in Ecuador for 6 months? Can you think of another country in Latin America which charges that much? Or even close? Actually, I think that is misinformation.........They cant be that stupid and greedy.........
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Sojourner44
7/13/2016 11:09 EST
Dumluk, everything seems to outrage you, son. $2.50 a day to dwell amidst the beauty and gracious peoples of Ecuador? I call it fair. If I were the government of Ecuador and I knew you called me stupid and greedy, I would ask you to go home. You don't own or run Ecuador, you just take advantage of the low cost of living. Me? I believe in paying my fair share of what I consider to be fair and reasonable.
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kmoriarty45
7/13/2016 13:49 EST
Sojourner44,
Well said. Even with the price increase ( It was $320 a few years back ) it's a small price to pay for the privilege of an additional six months of exploration and experience.
Dumluk, to the best of my knowledge, doesn't even live here ! He/she lives in Panama and participates ( mostly negatively ) on this forum with no real understanding of what is happening NOW in our adopted homeland.
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dumluk
7/14/2016 09:38 EST
All that comes to mind, if in fact that is accurate info, is "a fool and his money are soon parted".........
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OceanHideaway
7/14/2016 19:01 EST
Dear Dumluk:
Your Query:
Is it possible to get a straightforward answer on this forum?
Response: Yes.
Your followup question
And while youre at it........Is a fish dinner a luxury in Ecuador?
Answer: It would be for you, one way or another.
... And for you, no charge...
It wouldn´t be fair or right to take any cash from you, you´ll need all you can get your hands on if you come to Ecuador. Because you are correct about a Fool and his money.
And you sir are a Fool., You do make it clear when you bash one of our wisest contributors.
But please do come to Ecuador, the economy could use your voluntary contribution. Hears a hint, just for you: Since you speak Spanish so well, tell the Ecuadoreans you want to impress that you come from Colombia, so they don´t confuse you with a gringo, I promise you they will all treat you with special care.
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MoodyBlue
7/15/2016 07:11 EST
@dumluck I believe you are just a sour puss (to put it lightly) because you're stuck in crime ridden Panama and can't afford a few extra bucks or too damn tight to live in the fine country of Ecuador. Cuenca is entirely out of your league compared to the small hut I'm sure you call a home in raggedy Panama so you're exactly where you belong. Your bashing the fine folks on this forum is out of pure jealousy and you know it.
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dumluk
7/15/2016 11:01 EST
Hahaha.........think what you will, but my comment stands........One can come to Ecuador on a free automatic visa for 3 months, and then extend for very little money for another 3 months.......if 6 months is not enuff to figure it out, then probably better to not embark on the great adventure in the first place.......Ive been in latin america for a long time, no doubt much longer than any of you, or at least most of you and and have jumped thru a lot of hoops, and negotiated close encounters which you cant even imagine.......In so far as living in crime ridden Panama, I dont live in the city. I live in the beautiful, cool, highlands of Chiriqui, surrounded by crystal clear rivers with magnificent views out to Punta Burrica and the border of Costa rica......One of the finest new roads in Panama runs right by the entrada de mi finca, and the weatheris pretty perfect, probably similar to Vilcabama.........My point is that Ecuador is NOT so tourist friendly and that there are a plethora of stupid reglas which seem just contrived to scare discriminating people away. I suppose for this reason, Ecuador has slipped in the ratings, and Panama has once again assumed the #1 ranking as a retirement destination......lots of advantages, mostly commercial over Ecuador.......but truth be told, I do like the culture of Ecuador better......and up to a point Correa as done a fantastic job of upgrading Ecuador and putting it on the map. But he's come off the rails, and obviously there is a lot of people, expats and Ecuadorians alike who believe its time for him to go..........He could have left a few years ago and left an unmatched legacy.......ahhh, but the adrenaline rush of power in your veins.......Now you may continue to splash eazy ;money all over the streets and show the natives how generous you are...........No doubt it will be perceived as generosity, and not foolishness...........
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OceanHideaway
7/15/2016 15:20 EST
Well... actually...
(and anyone who has been on this forum knows to fasten your seatbelt when I write that)
"One can come to Ecuador on a free automatic visa for 3 months, and then extend for very little money for another 3 months......"
...isn´t exactly what I would call...correct.
See you get a 90 day visitors visa and... that´s it
You want to stay longer? AWESOME!
But it will cost you... $460 dollars ...and you get 180 days more for you 12-Ix visa.
BUt you keep right on telling us everything you know ... because personally I find reading your posts the most amusing part of my day. And considering the world climate (terrorism in France, Trump in the USA, and the usual in Israel) I need all the amusing posts I can get...
...and like I said previously... you´ll be needing that $5...
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dumluk
7/16/2016 18:11 EST
That $5 and many more it appears if I would choose to come to Ecuador and apply for an extended visa. Upon further research, I found that you are correct......Well, blow me away......turns out, Ecuador is even less tourist friendly than I originally thought..........14% sales tax and 100% duty on imports is not very friendly either......not to neighbor countries or to your own residents.........
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DDR
7/28/2016 20:52 EST
OMG US$460 for a second world country 6mo. visa.I doubt they'll have the Rockefellers banging on their door to get in ;) 100% duties and 14% sales taxes.Ouch, one would have to be a Rockefeller to afford that.Please tell
me NO INCOME TAXES?
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OceanHideaway
7/30/2016 20:28 EST
Of course there are taxes on what you make...that is why you have a RUC and what you pay the SRI.
This is a Social Democracy my friend, and you are paying for the services you get.
TANSTAAFL... a famous Robert Heinlein quote.
If you can´t make the costs (an entire $2.56 a day for the right to be in their country on an extended tourist visa) , don´t bother coming here, you certainly do not deserve the privilege.
By the way: My Fiverr.com Gig? 100% Satisfaction so far and ... Happy Clients with repeat customers :)
So if you want to know the real deal... the nitty gritty... the good, the bad, the ugly... and what they don´t tell you when reading International Lying... contact me
... Just... $5
https://www.fiverr.com/susanschlesinge/skype-about-moving-to-live-in-ecuador
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windshadow
7/30/2016 23:05 EST
DDR,
You seem to have an obsession with "cheap?" I bet you are a real hit with the women.
Are you, by any chance, from Canada?
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OceanHideaway
8/1/2016 14:27 EST
Now on Craigslist... and taking payments via PayPal and Western Union :)
http://quito.craigslist.org/biz/5710034097.html?lang=en&cc=us
Give it a try!
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dumluk
8/2/2016 09:43 EST
Not only are you a manipulative moderator, given to censorship if you dont like the post, but now you are using your own forum to advertise incessantly.............IMHO, with you at the helm of this one, its time to move on to another forum..........
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OceanHideaway
8/2/2016 14:27 EST
Well, it´s like this...
Many folks have questions they don´t want to publish publically... and a 1/2 hour on the phone allows time to cover a lot ore ground than typing. The cost of $5 shows that my time has value and limits the amount of time to just that thirty minutes so I can continue to accomplish my work during the day (and night).
I believe, as do my very satisfied clients, that my expertise is proven and valuable, and is unique due to my 8 years here in the country and my constant research and review of the knowledge base on a variety of sites.
As for censordhip? That complaint doesn´t hold up... if it did, don´t you think I would be removing every post that was negative against me... I don´t . What I do is a moderate this community and maintain the rules.
We have a vibrant community of expats and prospective expats that come through this portal. Most you will never know of, they do not post...but they do read. And they know that the ExpatExchange is the BEST location for the real information they won´t find on those other sites, the ones run by real estate companies, International Lying, etc.
So...if you have a question... just let me know... and yes, it´s just $5.
Susan
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windshadow
8/2/2016 17:21 EST
At great risk of running my head up your arse, as one drunk says-lol, I think what you are doing is a good service, it benefits both you and your desire to help others, and those that don't know how stand on their own two feet--YET! We probably disagree more than agree on issues but that is to be expected from two absolutely wonderful people.
(: You will get better with time. jeje
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PACountryBoy
8/2/2016 18:23 EST
OCEAN....Point 1: As to your entrepreneurial spirit, go baby, go. If they don't like it, screw 'em. Let 'em go somewhere else or don't subscribe. Point 2: Censorship: I've had several dumped, one in particular trying to help the "PIZZA MAN" with a location by the Barcelo to do some "market research". I don't get it...nothing offensive as some of my other postings. :> /
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OceanHideaway
8/2/2016 20:28 EST
PAC...
I can tell you straight out...if it´s the upper forum and it doesn´t post...it ain´t me pulling it!
I´m not the one who has the ability to yank posts from there...
But I will also say that some posts just don´t post... if so...try again...
As my grandmother said...on pulling out the manual carpet sweeper during the black out of 1965... Technology is A WONDERFUL IDEA! when it works...
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dumluk
8/3/2016 11:03 EST
Well honestly, I dont have any problem with you selling info assistance for $5 a half hour......If in fact you really know what yur talkin about. And having lived there for 8 yrs with your EYES WIDE OPEN, you just may.......You were spot on with the visa restrictions.......And you surprized me by printing that last comment.....I expected it would be just between you and me.......So you are saying that my post, among others, on "50 years of CIA meddling in Ecuador" was not censored by you? It was yanked by somebody else or it simply didnt post cuz of my erratic internet svc here in upcountry Panama? Personally, having lived in latin america for so long I get really bored to death with the same old tired questions which have been answered time and time again. I thought that posting on the CIA meddling might stir some genuinely interesting debate..........Like my recent posting on the Nica forum about the "Return of Dictatorship toNicaragua"........that stimulated a lot of debate and a lot of interestingand noteworthy info has surfaced becuz of it..............Cant we move on beyond, "Can I survive on $1000 amonth in Cuenca" ?
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OceanHideaway
8/3/2016 13:48 EST
DumLuk...
You posted that on the UPPER forum...and it was pulled.
And again, I don´t pull the posts on the upper forum, only the lower forum.
On the other hand, if I do have to move a post that starts in the upper forum TO the lower forum, and you are the person who caused that movement... despite the original poster wanting their post to be in the kinder and gentler area... I will remove the post that caused the thread to go downhill. That is moderating the post to return it to its original intent.
If you follow the rules... you won´t have your post pulled.
I work within the limitations of the computer system here. That requires judgment, and yes, moderation.
Understand?
Susan
The Moderator
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Grasshopper
8/3/2016 22:17 EST
Nah.. he doesn't understand Susan..
as his well chosen screen name so accurately implies.. the troll is DUM..
(if he is LUCKy)
Upper.. lower.. there are difficult concepts to grasp. If one can successfully differentiate their "arse" from hole in the ground - perhaps they have a chance.
If not.. which I think has been proven more than once.. Then hang it up.
Like Bugs said when HE popped HIS head out of the sand, "..eeeeh.. i knew i shoulda made a left at Albuquerque!"
Hopponthis
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Grasshopper
8/3/2016 22:28 EST
Oh .. and yeah WS..
lol.. i saw the "drunk's" comment on you having you head up someone's arse..lol
Well, that's not the way he put it..lol
But i thought it was pretty considerate of you to give some respect to out moderate moderator..
I may never ever have the chance to meet Susan in person.. but if I ever do..
I will show my appreciation as well...
But I don't know that I will ever get up to Montana.. the upper midwestern US isn't on my "to do" list.
...had a friend in the Nav from their.. (a good guy and good friend really.. But a was rragging him in the head on the ship on day while taking a leak..
I said,"Mooontana.. where the men are men and the sheep are nervous!"
...he then tried to tackle me and completely dislocated my left knee.
(true story.. have the surgical scar to prove it..lol)
Hopper
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dumluk
8/4/2016 10:19 EST
Hopper! Has anybody ever told you that you talk too much? Theres an old saying, "the less u say, the higher u stay".........
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kmoriarty45
8/4/2016 12:14 EST
dumcluck said: "Has anybody ever told you that you talk too much? Theres an old saying, "the less u say, the higher u stay"........."
To which we will reply, to the troll from Panama, " Physician, heal thyself ! "
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dumluk
8/5/2016 09:26 EST
At least get it right if youre gonna say it K'arty. It goes like this: Physician, first heal thyself........now, back to the subject matter.....dont tell me you havent noticed how Hopped up is always buttering up the moderator......Teachers pet kinda guy it would appear.........
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Johninnv
11/17/2016 10:16 EST
I will definitely be contacting you in near future. Been getting info from IL for a few years. I have actually learned a lot from that, I think, but always understood that it was a picture being painted by folks who had financial reasons for painitng it that way and knew I would need to eventually get "real info" from "real people". I am heading to Panama in mid-February (2017) for a couple of weeks to explore, and then to Ecuador likely in late March-ish and certainly look forward to getting a more realistic grip on the truth,
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Johninnv
11/17/2016 10:22 EST
I apologize for being a "newbie" here but what the heck are you talking about when you say "upper forum" vs "lower forum".
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OceanHideaway
11/18/2016 11:21 EST
HI John:
We have two sections to the Ecuador Epat Echange Forum, which is different from all the other Epat Echange Country frums.
That is because it appears our posters are a bit more feisty than most and we beleive in allowing them to be so.
WHat we have done is separate the forum to the WELCOME FORUM, which has a bit of a time lag to it, and can be more heavily moderated. And the Live in Ecuador frum which is the second or "lower" forum where we allow our more cantankerous posters to promote their brand of communication.
This allows a few things to occurr: it certainly highlights that not all is flowers and sugar cake in the world of moving to live in a foreign country, that not all epats thingk alike, and that we value everyone´s right to look foolish equally.
We reccomend those who prefer a kinder gentler form of communication to stay in the upper Welcome forum, and eschew the lower.
If you come to the lower forum be aware there is sometimes a bit of backsplash but also often a rather wry and pervasive wit. The two seem to come together.
I look forward to chatting with you about your upcoming trip to Ecuador and look forward to providing you counsel and consultation.
Let me know how and when I may be of service to you.
Susan
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