In 2006, I participated in a mission trip to the banana jungles of Ecuador. Pasaje…located in El Oro Province in the southernmost region…is one of the most economically depressed areas of Ecuador. The purpose of our trip was to build a church/school for a desperately poor community.
You can read my other posts about this mission trip by clicking on the following links:
EVERYTHING I KNOW...I learned from the children of Ecuador!!! (Part 1)
EVERYTHING I KNOW...I learned from the children of Ecuador!!! (Part 2)
EVERYTHING I KNOW...I learned from the children of Ecuador! Part Three - The End!
Today…as I was reflecting upon all of the blessings in my life…my mind returned to Ecuador. I remembered the first morning I arrived in the tiny town of Pasaje…driving down the dirt roads…past the rows and rows of houses. As a REALTOR®, I am always fascinated by the differences in the real estate market from one region to another…so I was particularly intrigued to learn about real estate in a foreign country.
In truth, I was not prepared for what I witnessed…but I was forever changed by it. Consider this quote by Donald Williams: “For those who have seen the Earth from space, and for the hundreds and perhaps thousands more who will, the experience most certainly changes your perspective.”
I’d like to take you on a virtual real estate tour of Pasaje, Ecuador. These are real homes, in which real families live. In most cases, there are more than ten family members living in one home. As you join me on this tour…remember that these homes belong to the average resident…not the poorest of the poor.
Let’s get going…
In the first stop on the tour, I met the grandmother who owns the home behind me. In that tiny home...that has a dirt floor...lives fourteen people. Notice the little girl in the pink, ruffled dress. Her grandmother quickly changed her into her best dress for the special picture with me.
RUSTIC CHARM! Our next stop is a home I call the 'scrap metal home'. From where I stood, I could not see any other building materials other than a few wooden vertical supports and scrap metal. The walls and roof were just sheets of scap metal propped against some wooden supports. I never actually saw the people who lived in that home, but I could hear the voices of children playing.
VACANT LOT FOR SALE! Looking for a nice lot to build your new home? Look no further! This spacious lot will easily accomodate a 300 square foot home. No restrictions. No setbacks. No water or sewer!
I bet you are getting thirsty in this 105 degree weather. We can buy a soda at the next home on our tour. This 'COMMERCIAL PROPERTY' (in the background) serves as both a home to its eight residents and local mini-mart to the community.
The following is one of the few 'NEW CONSTRUCTION' homes I saw while visiting Pasaje. According to some of the town folks, it has been under construction for seven years or more. The owner purchases a truckload of bricks at a time...as he can afford it.
Our next home features an UPDATED BATHROOM! Well...it is not actually a home. It is the church we built...but the bathroom is BRAND NEW! In fact, it was the first thing we built when we arrived. As far as I know, it is the only actual toilet in the community. Now...THAT is PERSPECTIVE!
The following home on our real estate tour of Pasaje, Ecuador is part of a GATED COMMUNITY! Of course, the gate is constructed of scrap wood and barbed wire.
Our final stop of the tour is this lovely EXECUTIVE HOME with GARAGE! This owner of this home is one of the primary business owners in the town.
Perspective...a terrible thing to waste!
Written and Posted by:
Elizabeth Nieves - Broker, REALTOR®
The Elizabeth Nieves Realty Group @ Keller Williams (A Bilingual Real Estate Team serving Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill NC and surrounding areas.)
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