âWe donât want the American Dream for our kidsâ: Why this couple left the US for Ecuador with their children four years ago
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Theyâd never even visited Ecuador before, but Brittany and Blake Bowen, from the United States, decided to move to the South American country in 2021 to give their four children a completely different upbringing.
The Bowens, who were previously based in the state of Washington, have been living in Loja, a small city based in the southern section of the Andes Mountains, ever since, and say that they are in it for the long haul.
âWe love this little country,â Brittany tells CNN Travel. âWe hope that maybe weâll have grandkids here one day.â
Before the move, the couple, whoâve been married for nearly 17 years, say that they were becoming increasingly concerned about the pressures placed on children by âmodern American societyâ and wanted to try something new.
âWe did not like what weâd seen develop over the course of the last couple decadesâŠâ adds Brittany, explaining that they felt that young people in the United States were becoming âmore isolated.â
âWe werenât confident that our kids would enjoy the same sort of potential trajectory that previous generations had shared.
âAnd the more we considered things like that, the more we wondered, âIs that even what we want? Do we even want them to be on a fast track to the American Dream?â
The couple were also frustrated with living what they describe as the âstandard American life.â
âLong commutes and never enough money,â says Blake. âAll those usual problems⊠I was working in a career that was very time consuming, and took me away from home a lot. So we didnât want that anymore.â
So why did they choose Ecuador as their ânew homeâ?