Ecua-Gringa

¡Bienvenidos and welcome!  I'm so glad you're here and thankful that I can share some of what I've found about wellness and growth with you.  This is a work in process but it is a labor of love.  I truly enjoy writing about positive ways to lead happier lives and I welcome ideas and suggestions.

I am an Ecua-Gringa and have been for 13 years and counting now.  This name came to be after studying and later working and living abroad in the South American country of Ecuador for four years.  That is when I decided to embrace my "gringa" heritage--being from the United States--along with my love for the culture, language and people of Ecuador to blend these two unique ways of living into one specifically for me and others like me who have shared part of themselves with another country.  I learned so much from my time in Ecuador, invaluable life lessons I still carry with me today, such as extensively practicing the art of relaxation.  11 years after first travelling to Ecuador and 7 years after returning home to the states, I met someone very special from this very enchanted country right here where I grew up near my hometown and that very special someone is now my husband.  Our future family will be of the Ecua-Gringa kind too and I intend to help our children embrace these two cultures and the blending of them through all I have learned.


Here is a poem I wrote several years ago about my Ecua-Gringa-ness:

I am

I am from the era of iPhones, Facebook and reality TV

I am from the fun language of "Op" passed down by the women in my family

I am from the scent of raspberries and butterscotch at the neighbor's house on summer afternoons

I am from the kingdom of 5 cats and 1 dog, plus my mom and me

I am from Wednesday night dinners at Wendy's with my dad

I am from the wonderful day trips around the Sound that my mom took me on as a child

I am from the pristine waters of the Strait of Juan De Fuca and the Snohomish River

I am from the majestic Cascade and Andes Mountains towering above my homes

I am from the bustling Malecón in Salinas on a hot and humid evening

I am from the ceviche and patacones and canguil

I am from the swish of the waves all along the Pacific

I am from the sway of hips to salsa and merengue music

I am from the community of friends and family who take care of me while in paradise

I am from Everett...Ecuador