Visa / When are you coming home?

“When are you coming home?” / “How long will you be in Ecuador?”

Those should be easy questions to answer. Anthropologists typically spend 12 months conducting research, but I opted to break my research into two trips. Still, if you know me, you know I’m a planner, so of course I had my plan in place. But sometimes the universe has other plans. And what should’ve been easy questions to answer because a lot trickier about a month into what I hoped would be my final research trip.

So I intentionally haven't told people about this because I wanted to wait until I had a concrete answer. it seems like one of those complications that Anthropologist have to deal with while in the field, but I didn't see the point in worrying friends at home because I was pretty confident I could solve it. Beginning the week of July 4th, I learned that Ecuador had changed their visa rules, although what the new rules are was rather unclear and took several weeks to finally discover. Some of you may already know that my trip was actually delayed by a month (I was supposed to start in May but postponed until June) because we knew that there had been some visa rule changes, but unfortunately, we were misinformed as to the details.

To condense a long and frustrating story, the visa I came on was only good until September 15th, meaning I had to apply for a new visa that would allow me to stay here through December as I'd originally planned. It was a lengthy process that required several day trips (7 total) to Ibarra, an hour by bus, and (2 more) Quito, one and a half hours by car. In addition to the time 'lost' while traveling, I found it frustrating that phones are prohibited in all of the offices and even in banks (I had to wait in line in a bank in Quito for an hour to deposit $6!!). While I understand why you don't want people talking on the phone, I use my phone to work -- I take notes and send emails -- so it felt like a wasted opportunity as I sat their in silence. But, I came up with an alternative. I started learning to crochet, so I decided to work on my hat during my final trip to the visa office. (The progress pictured below was brought to you by one visit to the visa office.) The look on the guard's face was priceless -- equal parts annoyance and admiration -- since wearing hats is forbidden, but there are no signs saying you can't make hats. I wasn't trying to find a loophole, really; I just needed to do something so I didn't lose my mind!! To be fair, I'm still learning and not great, but I'm proud that I am learning. I've always wanted to be one of those ladies who can crochet/knit on a plane. It's a shame I didn't learn to crochet sooner. I think I'd have hats done for everyone in the family by now if I'd worked on them during every office visit!!

Along the way, I met scores of foreigners trying to navigate the confusing visa application process. I saw firsthand how the political-economic crisis in Venezuela has resulted in a humanitarian crisis in Ecuador, with several provinces declaring a state of emergency as they try to cope with the thousands of Venezuelans who flood across the border on a daily basis. Ecuadorian responses range from the desire to help Venezuelans to concern about how the country can accommodate the numbers to outrage at foreigners stealing their jobs. In addition to seeing Venezuelan refugees living on the streets, holding signs in search of work, and selling whatever small items they can manage (candy, cleaning products, etc), I spent hours in line with Venezuelans only days after the failed assassination attempt of President Maduro. Although they did not agree that assassination was the correct approach, they all agreed that had it been successful, they would be at home. The situation is heartbreaking and one I would not have experienced so poignantly had I not gone through the visa process alongside them.

Venezuelans often sell chocolates on buses and gift their virtually worthless currency with every purchase.

A Venezuelan man in Quito. Sign reads: Soy Venezolano en busca de un trabajo. Para poder sobre vivir. Ayudame con lo que [pueda?] de su corazón [Dios le bendiga?] / Translation: I am Venezuelan, in search of work in order to survive. Help me with what [you can] out of [the goodness of] your heart. [God bless you]

It's certainly put things in perspective. I think many academics struggle with being motivated to complete their research over long periods of time. For anthropologists, this is especially tough because we tend to just get thrown into the field for a year at a time and told to just go do it and don't fail. It's like the worst Nike campaign ever in the form of academic hazing. BUT I have never been so motivated to want to complete my research as when I felt like I was wasting days of my life working on the visa process (which clearly wasn't a "waste of time," as it was important). I thought to myself, 'I might as well be in the US! This is not what I came to Ecuador for.' And it was frustrating to have to split my focus and time, feeling like I wasn't advancing in either.

It also reminded me that there are so many things we take for granted at home. No Utopia exists (sorry, Marx), but we can all learn so much by traveling abroad and keeping our eyes open. I experienced so many eye opening things my first trip here and I've been more lax as Ecuador feels more and more like another home to me. But this experience has shown me some things that I take for granted. For instance, never, ever complain to me about the price of mailing items in the US. I purchased a pair of new glasses (frames and lenses) for the same price that it cost me to mail two pieces of paper to the US in order for me to receive a copy of my (lack of) criminal record!!

After all of this, you're probably dying to know the result of my application. So was I until Friday afternoon, my friends. Literally, a day before I thought I'd have to leave the country (my bags are half packed), I finally got word that my application was approved!!! So, I'm going to celebrate a bit and then get back to business! Feel free to celebrate ‘with me’ from afar in whatever way you see fit. I had some fancy coffee and ‘got my nails did,’ as Pat would say.