Should I Stay or Should I Go

Expat or Immigrant?

There are two categories of people who move and live outside of their native country. They may live for a temporary duration to explore new opportunities with the intent to return to their home country, in which case they would be categorized as an expat. Or, they may settle in a new country with a sense of permanency and even pursue citizenship, making them an immigrant.

When I began the journey of moving to Ecuador, I thought I would be an expat. I really thought that in time I would want to return to the United States or perhaps move on to Europe. Afterall, my husband and I rarely stayed in any one place for more than four years at a time when we lived in the United States. We had a tendency to become restless and often were looking for the next thing. However, the longer I stay in Ecuador (only seven short months so far) the more and more I feel settled and there are more and more reasons to stay long-term.

First and foremost, exiting the rat race of academia in the United States has allowed me to focus more on my family. I get to spend more quality time with my three year old daughter here in Ecuador. I know I could never have the same lifestyle in the United States and I am not sure I could replicate it in Europe either due to cost. I get to spend every afternoon with my daughter, far from the worries and stresses of work. I am home all day long, so it’s easy for me to do the household tasks that I enjoy, namely cooking beautiful, healthy meals for my family. I love to take care of the people I love, and not working a full time job, fighting for promotion in an academic environment, allows me the time I need to spend on my family.

Speaking of healthy meals, our entire lifestyle has had a major health overhaul since our arrival in Cuenca. Living in this city without a car encourages us to walk a tremendous amount and the food politics in this country are nearly completely opposite of the United States. Instead of processed food being cheap and readily available, it is beautiful produce and proteins that are available at a low cost and in abundance while processed convenience foods are difficult to find and quite expensive (for example, a 28 oz can of tomatoes will run you about $5.00 while a pound of fresh tomatoes is $1.00). Because of these changes in our movement and diet, I have lost over 15 kg and my husband’s blood pressure, tachycardia, and blood glucose are all much improved. Now we also have time to join a gym, so we are working on being even more active and further improving our fitness level. This lifestyle is either impossible or very expensive in the United States, but the value of improving our health is immeasurable. It means more time and more engagement with our family as well as reducing our need for medical interventions now and down the line.

On the occasions we have needed medical treatment, the care here in Cuenca has been superb. I know I am speaking from a place of privilege because I have access to the private health system by purchasing private insurance and paying necessary costs out of pocket (something a large portion of the population cannot afford). However, the private care I have received in Cuenca has been excellent. Doctors will spend a significant amount of time with you discussing your holistic health for as low as $20 for a home visit. Medication has been slightly more expensive than in the United States, but I am willing to pay a little more for my regular medication in exchange for the level of personal attention we get from our providers. I just cannot imagine going back to the United States and paying thousands of dollars a year for insurance provided by my fulltime job, just to be rushed through a ten minute annual physical with my doctor. Or even worse, seeing a psychiatric nurse practitioner online who refuses to treat all my conditions without additional, expensive medical tests.

In addition to the health benefits, there is my daughter’s education to consider. My husband and I were fortunate to go to really excellent public schools in the United States, myself in Illinois and him in Georgia. We had ample opportunities to participate in athletics, the arts, and advanced academics. However, schools of this caliber are simply out of reach for us as we cannot afford to live in the communities with these exceptional schools. There are many private schools to choose from in Ecuador. The most likely scenario is sending our daughter to Colegio Aleman, a school governed by the German Ministry of Education as well as the Ecuadorian Ministry of Education. At this school, she will learn German, Spanish, and have an English class for native speakers. She will learn to play an instrument, learn science in fully equipped labs, and have access to a trilingual library. In the end she will be prepared to attend college in three languages. I simply cannot afford to give her this kind of opportunity outside of the global South where her tuition is still attainable for us.

So, while I am still considered an expat by most Ecuadorians, I feel like I am becoming an immigrant. We are building a community here, more so than we had in Missouri. I can focus on the needs of my family over the needs of my work. All of us are healthier because of this move. Finally, my daughter can have a really bright future if she finishes her high school education here. Ecuador has so much to give us, and my desire to stay grows everyday.