Trying to get Ecuadorian citizenship

So, today was the day we would get Tom’s citizenship sorted (or so we thought). We went to Riobamba (Bamba means field, so Riobamba – field by the river) which is about an hour’s drive from Ambato.

We had some difficulty finding the office on Google maps mainly because there were two streets of the same (or very nearly the same) name. The office was in a location where you wouldn’t expect to find an immigration office. We went in, went upstairs and there was just one chap who hadn’t started work yet. Aureliano and I went downstairs. I had clocked a play area but it was quite a walk away, so we went to a shop instead and I bribed Aureliano with snacks and the chance to sit in the driver’s seat of the car.

As it happened, they weren’t too long. The bad news was that despite being told in Ambato that it could all be sorted out today in Riobamba, it seemed there were still several documents needed. The good news was that the official took to Lucy and sorted most of the paperwork. She also gave Tom the questions Tom will need to answer to pass his citizenship test. Like the UK test, few nationals would be able to pass, but that’s not what it’s about; it’s just another hurdle to jump.

I think Tom will be fine with the questions, but he also needs to know the Ecuadorian national anthem, which has a lot of verses and a rather tricky tune, although the chorus is quite good. Like the quiz questions, not many Ecuadorians know anything except the first verse and chorus of the national anthem. If Tom passes, he should get citizenship in 2-6 months.

After the meeting, we drove into the centre of Riobamba in high spirits. It’s a nice town, with an old, colonial centre, plaza and cathedral. We ate lunch in a restaurant called Bonny, which specialises in fish. I’m surprised how much Ecuadorians love fish. The country does have a Pacific coast and fishing industry, but only in recent years will it have been possible to easily transport fish from the coast to the highlands. I had trout (not a sea fish), Lucy this enormous fish two feet long.

On the way back to Ambato we saw Chimborazo from Riobamba – it looks massive … really massive; you get a very different perspective on the mountain from that city.