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Continue reading →: The First LeavingPart of a Memoir Series February 2013, I was scrambling. A huge life change meant giving less than two weeks notice at my first “grown up” job and taking a 7,000 mile trip for “house hunting”. It would be my first time to cross the Pacific. My first time really…
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Continue reading →: Shopping School Options as a ForeignerWhen we arrived in Ecuador, our daughter was only two years old. However, she is old enough for grade level Maternal II in Ecuador, and she will be entering Inicial I in August. As such, we’ve already been considering our schooling options and shopping for possible placements. We want to…
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Continue reading →: Back to Work I GoHappy New Year! I hope everyone has had a splendid holiday season. Tomorrow marks a big step for me. After leaving the workforce in June of 2025, thinking that I would permanently retire, I realized I needed some structure and a little more meaning. I will be going back to…
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Continue reading →: Trying to Find My Ecuadorian Groove
I am now two months into my resettlement in Cuenca, Ecuador. While things have gone relatively well, I am starting to get the itch for change. What is going on exactly? Wasn’t settling into retirement exactly the plan? I’m just not sure what my next direction should be. The past…
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Continue reading →: Preparing for our First ParoEcuador has a long history of paros—nationwide strikes and protests that can bring transportation, commerce, and daily life to a standstill. Whether sparked by rising fuel prices, political disputes, or social grievances, a paro can last a few days or stretch into weeks, affecting locals and visitors alike. We’ve only…
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Continue reading →: Refocusing on HealthOne of the reasons I felt it was so important to leave the United States and to retire from working full time was to focus on living a healthier lifestyle. With my weight piling on while I worked a sedentary job, I really felt like the American Dream was going…
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Continue reading →: The Hardest Day YetBeing an immigrant comes with a lot of challenges, but I feel like up until today I had taken those challenges well in stride. However, no matter how much research or speaking with other expats here in Cuenca I did, I was not prepared for today. Today I sent my…
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Continue reading →: We Have ArrivedOur family arrived in Cuenca, Ecuador on Monday, August the 4th and the few short days here have surpassed our expectations in major ways. Our temporary housing was in a great location and really surpassed our expecations! Directly across from the Mercado in the barrio of 12 de Abril, we…
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Continue reading →: What About Health Insurance?!As we started telling friends, family, coworkers, and acquaintances about our plans to retire and expatriate, we were constantly asked “but what will you do for health insurance?!” And, unlike many unanswered questions at this time, we do have the semblance of a plan. It is multistep and will require…
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Continue reading →: Bare Minimum Kitchen ItemsWe are moving abroad, and that means getting rid of nearly everything we own. One of my biggest tasks is to clear out my kitchen before we depart at the end of June. But we still need to cook and eat for the next several weeks, so I decided to…
Hello,
I’m Lauren
Welcome to The Wandering Librarian, where I recount my attempts to connect to a simpler life!
The Wandering Librarian 