sv evi

Happy Ending! We got our visas! The Fiji background checks arrived in Cuenca the day after Christmas. We submitted our papers to Diana on January 3rd, and picked up our visas on January 21st.  While it has been a stressful process for sure, it took my friend Fabiola’s husband 12 years to gain legal status in the States. I’ll take 4 months.

After getting the temporary resident visas, you have 30 days to return to the same office with more paperwork, most importantly proof of health insurance for the whole family, so that they can issue you an order for your Ecuadorian ID card.

So my next task was to find cheap health insurance. Since the kids’ doctor charges $10.00 per appointment, including follow-up appointment, health insurance does not feel as necessary to have as in the States. I went to a few companies, and was quoted between $120 and $150 per month, with a minimum 3 month contract. Then as I got up to leave, the insurance salesperson gave me a tip: try Produbanco. I went to Produbanco, a bank, immediately. They had an insurance package that covers my whole family for $12.90 per month—all I had to do was open a bank account with them, and I could apply. Wahoo! With the health insurance, each of us can see a doctor 3 times a month, with a copayment of $5.00. Dental insurance is included, with free cleanings once a year.

Last week I went to Azogues Thursday and Friday, and got the orders for the ID cards. Then Tuesday, all 5 of us went to the Civil Registry Office to get the ID cards. We got there at 8:10 am, and left, ID cards in hand, at 11:45 am. Luckily there was a park right outside the office, so Riki and the kids played out there for most of the waiting time.

Keeping busy while waiting.

Riki and I replaced our drivers’ licenses with our Ecuadorian cédulas in our wallets–we’re so official now. 🙂