About satyarising

Status:

Expatriate  

Gender:

Male

Currently Lives:

Citizen Of:

United States

About satyarising

Married happily, kids grown, both spouse and I have multiple advanced degrees, Master's, PhDs. We both are retired on disability pensions due to incurable neurological conditions which slow us down a bit, but we can still walk and carry on intelligent correspondence. We have some contracts to do some writing on travel for people with disabilities. We intend to remain in Ecuador as pensionados for many years.

Advice for New Expats

Start learning Spanish as soon as possible and keep at it. Being fluent in Spanish is a must if you want to have a fulfilling life in Ecuador. The country has so much to offer, but if you can't converse with locals, you will forever remain just another gringo. PLEASE BE KIND AND CURTEOUS to everyone, no one wants another Ugly American around, and we don't want to sour the current welcome the Ecuadorians have for us US expats.

I would love to live in...

Salinas, where we live our dream!

Education:

Old Dominion University
  1978 to 1980

Idaho State University
  1988 to 1990

U of Maryland College Park
  1990 to 1993

U of Maryland Baltimore
  1993 to 1999

Some Forum Posts:

Ecuador: Check your Ego:

Yada Yada Yada Yada, Charlie Cuenca. The amount of time and effort you have put in in your attempts to besmirch another human being only goes to make me think that YOU are even less developed as a human soul than was apparent before. Anyone who works this hard trying to hurt someone else is a piece of crap in my book. Forgiveness is the path to peace and happiness. I forgive you because it seems you just can't help yourself. But this whole campaign is not going to change anyone's mind. People already have their opinions of the parties involved, they've already decided who is who and what kind of person they are, and YOU are just digging yourself a hole standing at the bottom in the rain. Give it a rest and go do something to help a needy family for Christmas. Or not.

Ecuador: English Speaking Communities:

And so it is. While there are many English speakers in Ecuador, it is only used when absolutely necessary. Certainly not for conversation usually. That is unless you want to pay someone to speak English while teaching you Spanish. If you want to live happily among the lovely people in the lovely and peaceful, largely unspoiled country of Ecuador, speaking Spanish is a must. Sorry, but Ecuador holds itself distinct from the tentacles of the empire-building efforts of the USA. They are proud of this, and I heartily applaud them for doing so.

Ecuador: Ficus benjamina:

OH, you are just a Fountain of information! You never cease to amaze me.

Ecuador: Phone, Magic Jack, wi-fi hotspot:

About "hot-spots". The hot-spots I have used depend on an intermediary cell phone signal. In Salinas, on busy weekends when have of Guayaquil is there to party, it can be very difficult to get any speed up for surfing the internet. When I lived there, especially on holidays, it was almost impossible to get online and get a page to load. Just my experience. I've never had my hotspot to be great on speed, but they sure are handy when you can't find wi-fi. I survived for months on just my hot-spot, which I got from Claro cell phone store in El Paseo in Salinas.

Ecuador: Ipiales,colombia:

In the past, rumor has it, that some of those posting on the Ecuador forum spent more hours on the internet posting on this forum than they had spent living in Ecuador. You will find a wide variety of folks with various talents... some have great wisdom and experience, some have grandiose delusions, others have a knack for just plain pissing people off. Some seem to wait until they are intoxicated on their substance of choice before they post. Sometimes it seems the inmates are running the asylum. Its a great forum to visit, just hone your skills at separating the wheat from the chaff. In the end, the wisdom and wickedly funny humor floats to the top .

Ecuador: Fleas?:

Copper pennies? Those are a relic of the past. See table pasted below: Years Metals Mass(gm) 1793–1796 100% copper 13.48 1796–1857 100% copper 10.89 1856–1864 88% copper, 12% nickel (also known as NS-12) 4.67 1864–1942 bronze (95% copper, 5% tin and zinc) 3.11 1943 zinc-coated steel (also known as 1943 steel cent) 2.67 1944–1946 brass (95% copper, 5% zinc) 3.11 1946–1962 bronze (95% copper, 5% tin and zinc) 1962–1981 brass (95% copper, 5% zinc) 1982 varies: brass (95% copper, 5% zinc) or copper-plated zinc (97.5% zinc, 2.5% copper)[7] 3.11 or 2.5 1983–present 97.5% zinc, 2.5% copper (core: 99.2% zinc, 0.8% copper; plating: pure copper)[8] 2.5 They stopped making pennies out of 100% copper in 1857. In 1982, the amount of copper in the penny plunged to a miniscule amount, except for the pure copper plating, which made your penny look like pure copper.

Ecuador: LARGE FAMILY, SMALL BEACH TOWN:

In Ecuador, take a look at Crucita, which is not far from Manta, which will have all the medical care you need. Just a thought. We also looked at Panama (too "Americanized", Cost Rica (too expensive and touristy) and chose Ecuador. We are happy we did. If possible, its best to come down and visit and see for yourself. I hope you are learning Spanish, or your adventure is likely to be much more difficult. Best of luck to you.

Ecuador: doctor in Salinas:

This is a second recommendation for Dr. Rendon, I have found his English is good enough for him to practice, but if you have time it is good to send him an email message describing your medical status. This gives him time to read it carefully, makes sure he understands if you have any other complicating issues. He is ver warm, kind, and patient. He makes house calls, never rushes, and his advice and recommendation have always been very good. He comes to your house, and last I saw him he only charged $30. A bargain in my book. He is smart and compassionate.... things that are difficult to find in a physician in the USA from my experiences. I don't know his email address anymore, maybe OceanHideaway has it. I hope whatever your medical situation that things go well for you. Dr. Rendon is the best place to start in my book.

Ecuador: Setel Telecommunications:

Quick question: I have an Ecuadorian checking account that covers bills for cell phone, internet etc. I'm getting charges from "Setel Telecommunications". Does anyone know what service this company provides, or what there common business name is? It might be DirectTV, TVCable, Movistar, or Claro. Or maybe something else. I want to make sure I'm not getting billed for a service I no longer receive. Thanks in advance.

Ecuador: How Much Does IT Really Cost To Live In Cuenca:

You would have a lot more cushion and be comfortable, and have some extra in case of emergency if you had access to $1,800-$2,000 a month. Not that you would need to spend that much. But sometimes extra expenses come up. You just don't want to accumulate more than 10k in a bank down here, or then you have to deal with the IRS in the USA. Sure, you can live here on $1k a month, but that leaves you no "safety net".

Date Joined:

11/16/2011

Total Posts:

194

Posts/Day:

0.10