Why we're moving our family to Ecuador

For years, my life revolved around Wilkes-Barre. A coffeehouse on West Market Street, a software company, a marketing agency. I was the guy who built things and kept them running. Then Mateo was born, and the question that mattered most changed from "what are we building?" to "where are we raising him?"

Dennisse is Ecuadorian. Her family, her language and her childhood are all there. Every time we talked about Mateo's future, Ecuador kept coming up: growing up bilingual, knowing his abuela, living somewhere with mountains, rainforest and ocean all within a day's drive.

We didn't want Ecuador to be the place Mateo visits. We want it to be a place he's from.

The doubts

None of this was a simple decision. Moving countries with a baby means rethinking healthcare, housing, schooling and how I run my businesses from another hemisphere. My Spanish is a work in progress. And leaving the place where you've built everything is hard, even when you know it's right.

What made us say yes

In the end, it came down to family and time. Time with Mateo while he's small, time with Dennisse's family, and a chance to experience a whole continent together instead of a week at a time.

What comes next

This blog is how we'll share it. The logistics, the mistakes, the food, the trips and what it's really like to start over at latitude zero. If you're thinking about a move like this yourself, follow along. We'll be honest about all of it.