Hello Reader,
I have been sitting with this letter for days, writing and rewriting, because asking for help does not come naturally to me. I am better at offering it. Most of us are.
But I've learned something about thresholds — the ones I write about here, the ones I keep crossing in my own life — and it's this: sometimes the bravest thing is not to push through alone. Sometimes it's to open your hands and say, I cannot do this without you.
So here I am. Hands open.
Some of you know about Quinta Oasis. You may have read about it in my memoir The Shaman's Wife. It's a property I built on Ecuador's Pacific coast, in the fishing village of Salango — 4,200 square meters of hillside overlooking Pikeros Beach.
I didn't inherit it. I didn't buy it finished. I cleared that land. I planted the fruit trees — avocado, papaya, maracuyá and watered them with my sweat and tears. I oversaw every brick wall, every guesthouse, every tile in the pool. It became a compound with ocean-view homes, a yoga area, gardens, and a hand-hewn wooden gate that opened onto a palm-lined drive. It became a place of healing for many visitors, including some of you on this list.
It was not just a property. It was proof that I could build something from nothing, a dream, in a country not my own, in the language of my ancestors, alongside a marriage that was already unraveling.
I left Ecuador years ago. I came to Portugal. I built another life — this one quieter, rooted in writing, in cliff-top walks, in the kind of solitude that feeds rather than empties. But I never abandoned Quinta Oasis, and I have never stopped being its legal owner.
Now my former husband's brother is actively working to take it from me. He has been sabotaging any potential sale — interfering with prospective buyers and undermining my ownership from the inside. What should have been a clean, if bittersweet, chapter of letting go has become something I have to fight for.
And I cannot fight it from Portugal. And it appears, I can’t fight it alone.
I need to fly to Ecuador, spend approximately a month on the ground, make repairs, hire a trustworthy caretaker, and take the steps necessary to protect and eventually sell what is mine. Then I need to come home — to the Algarve, to my writing, to Sophie and Merlin, to this life I've built between root and sky.
I've set up a GoFundMe to help cover the costs:
• Airfare (Portugal–Ecuador, round trip): $2,000
• Ground transportation in Ecuador: $500
• Property repairs and maintenance: $1,000
• Caretaker (10 months): $4,000
• Meals during my stay: $500
• Pet and house sitting here in Portugal: $500
The initial goal is $5,000 to cover the most urgent needs. Anything beyond that goes directly toward the property.
I want to say something to you, specifically — you, the people who read these letters and have traveled with me for so long.
You are the ones who have told me that something I wrote arrived on the right morning. That a line I offered helped you breathe. That this newsletter has been a companion during a hard season. I have held those messages close. They are part of what keeps me writing.
I've spent many years pouring into others — listening, holding space, showing up when it mattered. If my words or my presence have ever meant something to you, this is one real way to return that.
And if giving isn't possible right now, sharing this post or the Go Fund Me link is its own kind of generosity.
Thank you for reading this. Thank you for being here. You'll hear from me about this fundraising a few times and later, I'll write to you from Ecuador when I get there. I plan to go in mid to late May until late June.
With love and with open hands, 🫶🏼
Alicia
Learn more about the property: www.oasisinecuador.com
Quinta Oasis Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quintaoasisinecuador
Read The Shaman's Wife:https://books2read.com/theshamanswife
