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Editors’ Note:
The American Dream! One of the things we love about living in Ecuador
is meeting new people and hearing their unique stories. Gary
and
I met Lucilla and Pablo Alcivar in Ibarra, Ecuador. We were
admiring their Toyota Land Cruiser, Gary’s dream vehicle,
when
they came out of a store and we began to talk.
We took an instant liking to them and they invited us to travel to
Atacames, a small Ecuador beach town, to see some real estate they had
for sale. Two days later we were bouncing over the
pothole-filled
back roads that take you from Ibarra to the northern coast of Ecuador
to Esmeraldas and then south to Atacames.
This was the beginning of a wonderful relationship with them that
expanded to include their son Antonio, who has lived for over a decade
in the U.S. His most recent dream involves returning to his home
country
to continue investing in Ecuador and building beach condos.
I Wasn’t Thinking of
Getting Rich
My name is Antonio Alcivar and I am 34 years old. After I
graduated from high school I wanted to attend a military academy in
Ecuador. On the day I was supposed to register for the academy, we
found
out that a crucial document was missing. The whole family
made a frantic search for the paper but it was never found.
A few days later, at the age of
20, my life's direction was
changed forever. I decided to go to the United States.
I wanted to follow the american dream. I wanted to make
some
money, buy a house. I wasn’t thinking of getting
rich.
I ended up in the Bronx in New York City. I was
alone with no
job. My mom had taught me how to wash dishes but I
didn’t
want to do that, so I got a job in construction, removing the
trash. The company only paid me $40 a day.
I
learned how to build. It was really hard work.
Then I said, "That’s enough. Something has to change!"
I took six months to learn English by taking classes, reading books,
meeting people, and watching
tv.
The Building Crew
Wouldn’t Do
What I Told Them to Do
When I went back to construction, they made me a foreman because I
could speak English and Spanish and there were so many Spanish
workers. But I was young and inexperienced and nobody would
do
what I told them. I
had to fire half the crew and hire a new crew.
After that, things were better.

I heard about Amway and the promise of wealth. I believed
it. I started with only one person and my down line grew to
20. I wore a suit. Guys on the construction site
would
laugh at me, say, “Here comes the millionaire.” My
American dream was changing.
Every day I would put on my suit at 4 p.m. and
go to meetings. Sometimes I would travel around the country to take
seminars in how to sell. I did well. But then I had
to make
a choice between Amway and the construction business.
I chose
construction. The
day I quit Amway was the day I decided to dedicate all of my
time to construction.
That was at the age of 23. I made lots of mistakes.
I bid too low on several jobs, worked really hard and ended up with no
money after the jobs were done.
People really liked me but I
stayed poor!
I went to school, learned business skills and financial
planning.
With a plan, people didn’t like me as much, but my life sure was
getting better! My American dream was manifesting.
But I was still alone. I asked myself
, “What am I doing
here and what is my purpose in life?”
In those days I was searching for God. In this
seaching I found a
Christian faith. I didn't agree with all the rules and
decided
to continue my search.
I studied the Mormon’s teachings, got
baptized.
Next came
the Muslims, reading the Koran. They teach a strict faith and I
did
not agree with that either. I
got
enough religion to decide for myself that there is one God in all
religions. People need to believe in something. Religion
gives
people what they need in a specific moment but the price can be that
you lose yourself.
I Give and the World Gives Back
I don’t live in the world, I make my world. I am
creative. I give and the world gives back, like a big elastic
band. The more
I give, the more I receive.
There is one God, a God for everyone, and that force is what I call "a
strong energy."
After I learned how to get enough energy, I noticed that I could feel
the energies of others, whether
they were positive or
negative.
The negative energy of others can get into your system. This
can
cause you problems and you can have difficulties because of
it.
So I started to be more selective about who was around me.
Most
of the time I was alone.
When
you are good with yourself, that is the most important thing in
life. Then
you
realize that each of us is here for a purpose. There's
something
each of us must do.
You can learn
to feel when someone really needs you and when they
don’t.
Sometimes in New York, people would come up to me on
the street and
ask
me for money. Many times people would want this money to buy
drugs. Other people would ask me for legitimate
help.
I would take these people into a restaurant and tell
them
to order whatever they wanted to eat.
I have talked to my family about these things---about life,
religion. I ask them what they want. They just want
peace. To find peace, the answer is Spirit. I can
give my
parents or others the key, but they must open the door to Spirit
themselves. I can’t push them and I
don’t.
The Stress of Life in New York
Can Break You
New York City is a tough city where the system of work and life can
break you if you are not open to change. It can be tough learning
about the American dream. I remember a day
working on Honeywell Street in the Bronx when I heard a couple of gun
shots. When I asked what happened, a tenant told me that
another
person had died in the street.
In my experience, many immigrant couples get divorced after arriving in
the United State because their lives lack the freedom of their home
country. Both work up to 15 hours each day, come home
tired, and don’t talk to each other because they need their
space. Then
sometimes the wife starts thinking her husband is having an
affair. But the other woman is a job!
I Listened to the Little Voice in
My Head
During my commutes between construction sites I use the silence of my
car to think. I
ponder life and let my thoughts speak. I listen to the "little voice in
my head." I think about my life, my questions, and the
answers
always come.
This struggle
can make you strong and wise.
When I see a carpenter in action, smiling, doing it
right. . . making a perfect wall or perfect door. . . I know
he’s
a professional. I know that he loves his job.
I will eventually move back to Ecuador, my own country to
teach people what I have learned and build there. I want to
invest in
Ecuador. I want to teach people of the American dream in my own
country.
My dream is to develop real estate
projects throughout my country. I
have been constructing my first beach
condo
in
Atacames for two years.
When I ran out
of money,
I stopped
building for seven months, then started again. It is now complete.
I know life
isn’t just about
making money. It’s about being happy, being peaceful.
I know I can make money while I am focusing on happiness. As
soon as I
teach my two brothers, Alberto and Pablo, how to run my company in the
U.S., I am
going to spend more time in my beautiful country. My brothers
can continue to live the American dream.
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