Racism - Mixed Couples in Ecuador?

Thank you Mugtech.  I am a very patient person, so no worries!!  I am hoping to get info.. and doing a lot of reading here helps as well.

Tori

mugtech wrote:

I believe International Living Magazine is having their annual potential ex-pats shindig in Quito, so you may have to be patient about getting a response.

I think that would only impact the participation of Edd Said on this forum. Too bad you can't be in the audience Mugtech challenging the presenters on their data and anecdotes.

Something tells me a big part of Edd's presentation emphasizes cultural adapation. To me, the biggest challenge with respect to "cultural adaption" is the language barrier. People get frustrated when they can't communicate. So rather than emphasize cultural adapation, the emphasis should be be on having patience, imo, since re-wiring the brain to understand Spanish is not realistic for many older adults.

Regarding Racism and Mixed couples, I have no personal experience.

Certainly there was a commenter on this forum recently who stated she experienced it while traveling in Cuenca.

As for whether I have seen mixed couples, I have.  In fact the owner of the cafe ******* who is black, has or had a Gringo boyfriend, and I saw them holding hands walking around Cuenca one day.

TY Nards.. I will try to find that post as well.  I'm reading so many different posts here.   But I feel it's important to be aware of the climate we are considering moving into.  Did the same thing here in NY, as well as all other places we've lived in.  I appreciate the info!

T

Here is a comment I received on the topic. You can send a private message to the individual for more information.

https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.p … p=2#945479

Thanx again!  I did send a msg.. hopefully I can get more info. 

T

Hello Tory,

I meet PulpEdoes when she visited Cuenca and she was upset about some racism incidents she had here.
But, anyways she still interested in come live in Cuenca at least for some month a year.

Even Ecuador is a multi racial, mixed society there´s deep racist feelings between whites, indians and blacks.
Cuenca has been a closed city for many years with the same kind of population for centuries due in part it was isolated from the rest of the country but in the last decades, with the improvement of the roads many people from the Coast, Quito and Peru had arrived here and many locals are not used to all this new inhabitants. Then, many americans are coming but in general, they´re welcome.

Nobody is going to look bad on you because you´re black but maybe you will notice some reject if you try to talk to a local, or rent an apartment. 
I kown there´s other black american living here and maybe someone can share their experiences.

Vinny

Thanx Vinny

I have sent msgs to a couple of people... hopefully I will receive some response regarding their experiences in Cuenca.  I'm sure that once we get there, I will know if things will be tolerable.  We plan to stay for 6 wks or so.. so hopefully that will be enough time for our first visit to get a good feel of Cuenca and the surrounding areas.

Tori

Hi Tori,

I completely understand your question. I too am from the US. We have been married for 18 years and my husband is white and I am black. Sorry to say that I can't say what your experience will be in Cuenca, but we have been living abroad for several years here in Bolivia.  We live about 6 hours from Argentina in a smaller town and we both came speaking only a little bit of Spanish. From my experience here in Bolivia, which by the way this is the second time we have lived here, (2006- Oct, 2008 y 2010 - present) you will not have problems living in Ecuador.  The local people are very accepting to most foreigners even black ones. They are very curious, though, which sometimes come across as rude. They will stare and may not stop. Which can become a little uncomfortable at times. But they mean you no harm. We have never had a problem getting whatever we want/need. We live in a very nice brand new apartment. There are issues with gringos, period (black, white, yellow, purple). First, they think we all have money they will raise the price on things and give you the gringo price. We have developed a relationship with many and have made friends and when you do that they will not cheat you and they will actually give you a cut.  But if you are friendly they want to get to know you because you are different. Most important try to learn the language. So many of us from the US go to different parts of the world to live and we don't even put forth the effort to learn the local dialect. Then we wonder why we are so unaccepted. So in conclusion, where you live in Ecuador, in my opinion will determine how you are treated. They don't care that you are married to a white man. We have never had a Bolivian question our relationship. We have had more questions and glares from people in the US. I think you will be fine in Ecuador, but you might want to consider checking out other places beside Cuenca.

Hi Cewible

Thank you so much for your response.  Living in NY, we are used to the stares, rude people.. and we deal with each person accordingly.  I'm sure you know what I mean.  I don't have a problem with stares.. it's the other aggressive people that we worry about.  My major concern with this issue lies in the problems with renting, buying thing, etc...  That's where I've heard most of the problems have occurred.  I don't want to have to deal with not obtaining something because I am black.

I can say that this site has really helped us get a lot of information.  We are trying to sort out the 'horror stories' from the 'closer to the truth stories'.. and I can only do that by obtaining information from everyone I can.

I know enough Spanish to get by -- by NY Standards.. but I don't know how well that will fare in Cuenca.  I am starting classes again to spruce up, so by the time we are there.. I should be in a better place to communicate.  I believe it is important to go to a new place with some working knowledge of their language, culture, etc...

We have several places on our list.. and we are going in order of preference.. Cuenca being #1.. so there will be other visits for us.  Luckily we have the time to do the research and travel a bit..

Much thanx! 

Tori

Hello Tori,
Ecuador is a small country but it is so diverse in terms of traditions and cultures that traveling short distances you can see many differences. I am Ecuadorian married to a Afroamerican living in Quito. I have to say that in general the people from the coast tend to be more open compare to people from the "Sierra" (the mountains). And Cuenca in particular can be very traditional, very catholic, meaning that, in general, they can be confused about diversity including race. There are many exceptions and new generations are way more open to differences. Just be yourself and I am sure you will make very good friends as my husband had.

Tori.  Stand tall and proud of who you are and don't worry about your skin color. Just a joke but I would worry more about an Italian husband.  No Offense as I have a mixed family as well. The world shouldn't be this way anymore but it is.
   Stand your ground
     Bryan

I'm exploring the idea of moving to Ecuador and have heard so many wonderful things about it.  I've heard the people are very nice.  Today was my first time hearing that there is a lot of racism towards blacks. 

Someone suggested Cuenca might not be the best city.  What cities might be better for a large African-American family, 3 generations, that includes school age children?  Are there small towns that might be better?  Is the coast better than the mountains?