Musings on Migrations

Diane: About a year or two ago, I read a review of a book detailing humanity's largest migrations. In addition to being voluminous, it looked fascinating. Neither the Sarasota library nor the largest local bookstore had a copy, and apparently it was too new for them to figure out how to order it. During the Film Festival in Cuenca last week, they showed only one Ecuadorian film, "Traficombo". It was something of a documentary, using the words of Ecuadorian migrants and their families to show the many faces and effects of their migration. The film looked at the effect migration has had on money, family, and culture. Although they spoke clearly, I could not understand much of what was said. Without the historical background I might have gained reading a book about migrations or understanding the personal anecdotes from the film, I find myself musing about the migration that has been going on here for the last decade or two (I'm making up the timeframe, so if someone knows the real number, let me know).

At home, many people discuss, write commentary, and try to pass laws to protect U.S. borders and keep jobs for U.S citizens. We have a very exact set of rules that can result in detention and/or deportation. On the other side, there are those concerned with human rights abuses. They get legal representation for immigrants and publicly expose the privations they suffer. These folks discuss, write commentary, and try to pass laws to stop discrimination, hazardous work conditions, unsafe housing, illegal detentions, and hate crimes.

I haven't heard much about any of these issues here. I'm sure that's partly due to my limited time here and my limited comprehension of Spanish. But, from my observations, it seems that migration is simply framed differently. Much as there is a concern over the impact of U.S. military bases throughout South America, there is a concern here over the impact of U.S. and European cash.

According to Richard, head of the Abraham Lincoln Center, where we study Spanish, many of Ecuador's poor indigenous people have no hope of securing employment in Ecuador. They have faced extreme discrimination over the centuries and have finally taken matters into their own hands. They migrate - often illegally - to the United States, Spain, and Italy. They evidently live frugally on their earnings from the menial jobs they can obtain abroad and send anything remaining home. I know they continue to face discrimination in their new locations, but they persevere earning far more money than they would in Ecuador.

According to Richard, back in Ecuador, many of these families are now rich enough to construct grand homes, buy cars, and send their children to the finest private schools. They have become part of a nouveaux riche. They continue to experience discrimination here, but I'm sure the dynamic is changing now that they are rich. As a foreigner in Ecuador for a short time only, it is hard to really see this dynamic at work.

In Sarasota, my children have befriended other children who are being raised by their grandparents. I think this scenario is more common in Sarasota, because there are more grandparents there. Perhaps a parent died. More likely, parents are incapacitated for one reason or another. Sometimes there is a drug issue. In some cases there was child abuse or neglect. Sometimes divorce comes into play. Many of the children seem to do fine after their initial adjustments. Time will tell how true this is. However I have observed that it is a much larger adjustment for the grandparents and family members who are left to raise the children.

There is a family that lives inside the Abraham Lincoln Center. I would guess they live there to safeguard the property, when the school is closed, but I'm not sure. Although I am usually in Spanish class, there have been occasions for me to meet the grandmother and her young granddaughter who live there. Everyday, the grandmother picks up the young girl from school and brings her home. Last week, I saw them go off for a swim session. The parents of the little girl are in the United States working. They have been there for a couple of years and have come home to visit once.

I have also had some short conversations with students studying English at the Abraham Lincoln Center. A few of them have told me they are studying English so they can travel to the U.S. They want to visit family members there. I imagine some of the older students are hoping to get a job in the U.S. Learning a foreign language, especially one as difficult as English, is a large commitment to make in order to visit relatives or potentially help get a job.

I haven't had in-depth discussions concerning all of the familial and cultural adaptations that are occurring due to migration. But as with the grandparents raising their grandchildren in Sarasota, I see similar challenges and adjustments, even if I am only able to view them from the surface.

In addition to my internal musings, I have actually seen physical evidence of migration on three of our day-trips in the Cuenca area. On the Day of the Dead, Tom and I visited the cemetery. In the newer and more expensive section of the cemetery, there were large individual gravesites predominantly for family members of the nouveaux riche migrants.

And yesterday in Biblián, we saw large, new houses sitting vacant. Their owners are probably living and working in New York City. From the way people around here talk, I would say there are more Ecuadorians in New York City than in Cuenca (another made-up statistic; again feel free to correct me). We also saw a very large Western Union office in a very small town.

The third piece of physical evidence was in the small town of Turi. In addition to the great view of Cuenca, we saw a humongous building that had the look and feel of a palace. In reality it was a prosperous store selling Ecuadorian arts and crafts. I did not go inside, but I did find out that the owner worked in New York City as a dishwasher for 20 years. With the money he saved, he was able to put up this massive building. Now I have no way of verifying this, so this may just be gossip - you didn't hear it here.