Shopping for Wheels

Posted on February 26, 2016 by Karen moves to Mexico

Now that we are basically settled in our rental home, we have decided it is time to move to the next step of grown-up residency – owning wheels. We have been renting cars when we’re here and it’s really ridiculously expensive. We have long been discussing how to approach the car issue. As you all know – and have all mocked me for – I have driven Milly the Smart Car for many years. I loved her and felt totally safe and comfortable squeezing into tight spots and parking in crazy places. My favorite was the time I parked in the covered shopping cart spot at WalMart. It was Christmas season, which meant all the shopping carts were in the store full of toys and turkeys. Why waste a perfect Smart size parking spot? We have taken Milly to the mountains packed down with ski equipment on more than one occasion – once she sadly returned on the back of a tow truck. But mainly she has been my source of independence and a worthy companion. We had not decided if she would come with us south. German cars are not generally welcome in Mexico and I can’t imagine driving her all that way. She would probably fit in the back of the truck with our belongings but when would that happen?

A Milly Sandwich – RIP

Before we had made the decision, God/fate/Saskatchewan icy roads/traumatized friends stepped in and made the decision for us. Milly is now in Car heaven, revving her motor with the best of them.

So now what? Grant began by researching every vehicle in Mexico. Literally. I want a small car or SUV. He wants a big old truck that can haul his trailer full of tools. I want something pretty and fun. He wants something manly and hardworking. I want an automatic gas vehicle. He wants a diesel manual. We both want room to haul children and visitors. So we have made the marriage-saving decision to buy 2 vehicles. While I know we could easily make one vehicle work, I don’t want to be trapped at home when he starts building.

Apparently even the vehicles here come with their own chickens!

After perusing every online ad we could find, we decided to start by checking out all the used car lots in the area. Generally, vehicles are cheaper in Guadalajara, but I wanted to see what we could find locally. And BAM! I found exactly what I wanted – a baby-blue convertible Volkswagen beetle. After doing some price comparisons online, we decided this was a decent deal. Now we are risk-takers but we certainly weren’t going to buy a car without getting it checked over by a mechanic. How would we possibly figure out that process? I emailed our go-to buddies, Pastor Fredy and Pastor Gregory and asked if they knew of a trustworthy mechanic and of course they came through. Fredy told us that a mechanic would be at the church the next morning to look over all the church vehicles. So we went to the car lot, shoved the salesman in the tiny back seat, put down the convertible roof and cruised to the church to meet Francisco the mechanic. We received a good report and decided this was the car to replace Milly (R.I.P.).

The next tricky issue was to get the money together. There was no way to get money from our Canadian bank to the car dealership except the old-fashioned way – withdraw cash from an ATM at the Mega store. So we maxed out the daily limit on 5 credit cards two days in a row until we had the needed giant pile of cash. In 2016 there really has to be a better way! Once my purse and Grant’s pockets were bulging, we snuck around Mega store, taking sharp turns around corners to ensure no one was following us. As if Mexican cartel banditos were hiding in the fruit department of Mega grocery store spying on old, sunburned gringos.

The car had a couple of things that needed checking and the mechanic had suggested a tune-up, so we were told we could pick her up at 1:00 on Thursday. Now I totally didn’t believe it would be ready at 1:00 but we went to the lot – come back at 6:00 they told us. At 6:00 we arrived with our giant and secure Ziploc bag full of cash to complete the transaction. After the ceremonial counting of the cash, we were given a receipt and all of the original titles and paperwork. We knew the car had originally come from the USA but we did not know that it had never been licensed in Mexico before. The salesman had promised he would help with the licensing process, but he definitely had not mentioned that we would have to go through the whole process of getting it licensed in a new country. I see a bureaucratic nightmare in our future.

By about 7:00 we started getting nervous. Two business type men had shown up and driven away with our cash but our car was still nowhere in sight. It was still at the mechanic’s shop – on its way any second they said. The dealership lights went out, everyone started leaving. Our salesman told us “Follow that guy in the white truck, he’ll take you to your car”. Now that didn’t sound like a good plan to me – but I really wanted to see my car since my money was long gone. We backed out of the lot, prepared to follow the random guy in the white truck….. and it was nowhere in sight. So now the money is gone with the business guys, the white truck that knows where our car is has left us behind, the salesman has gone home, and we are standing at the side of the road in the dark wondering what the heck is going on. I did have the cell phone number for Pepe, the dude who had taken my car to the mechanic’s shop and I called him with just a hint of panic. He told us he was on his way and within a couple of minutes my new car pulled up alongside us, ready for me to drive her home.

We verified that it would be okay to use the dealership permit until we got our own plates the next morning (Oh definitely!) and that their insurance would cover me in an accident on my way home (Oh no… there’s no insurance on this car. You have to get your own but the insurance office closes at 2:00). I KNOW I NEED INSURANCE BUT YOU TOLD ME TO COME AND GET THE CAR AT 6:00 AND I WOULD HAVE A TEMPORARY PERMIT AND I WOULD TAKE THE CARD HOME AND YOU WOULD HELP ME GET ALL THE PAPERWORK DONE TOMORROW!!!!! But senora, the insurance office closed at 2:00 – you can’t get insurance now. Yeah ….. I got that…..

So no way am I driving a new car home without insurance. It’s Mexico people – there are crazy drivers and mountainous speed bumps and a variety of loose farm animals and chickens – I am not sending another good friend to Car heaven without insurance. So we headed home with no money and no car, trusting that tomorrow would be a better day.

To be continued…..

Today was indeed a much better day. It is so true that everything looks better in the daylight and that held for us and our car-buying adventure. Now I’m not saying everything went smoothly today – we still spent 3 or 4 hours going from office to office. I’m not even saying it’s all done. We are still waiting for our final registration and plates which will take another week. But we have a temporary sticker and I am driving my own car. Is there a moral to this story? Well, life in Mexico is not easy. Bureaucracy sucks. Mexican time is unpredictable. Speaking Spanish is really important. Convertibles are fun to drive and now I can do it all year round. Insurance offices close too early. Life is the place where patience gets you through or frustration takes you out. If you love where you are and what you’re doing, it’s all worth it!

It’s all worth it!

Guess I better learn to drive here!

Hashtag Where’s Jose?

Posted on February 23, 2016 by Karen moves to Mexico

It’s hard to believe we’ve only been back here in Bucerias for 4 days – our feet have been moving since the airplane wheels hit the tarmac! Friday was our re-entry day….. get the rental car, start unpacking the zillion suitcases, fill the fridge, meet the new baby that had been born to our neighbors in our absence, and go to two different taco restaurants to get things started. Friday night was the start of the sleep adjustment period – which means NO SLEEP due to the heat and the animals.

Saturday was a friend day. We met Chris and Darren in Old Town PV for lunch and then headed to the airport to pick up our first houseguest Klara. She may have thought she was coming to rest, but within a couple of hours of her arrival, we were all busy at work at the fundraiser for the orphanage Manos de Amor. The children’s home depends completely on donations and fundraising, so this event Rhythm and Ribs is absolutely vital to its existence. It was an amazing event to see – hundreds of people arrived to listen to the fantastic band Luna Rumba, buy silent auction and raffle items and eat ribs. And I mean eat a LOT of ribs. My job was to collect tickets at the Rib stand (Klara was working at the taco stand!). Hundreds of people lined up to exchange 5 tickets (50 pesos = $4 Canadian = $2.75 American) for a small plate of delicious ribs. Now let me just say one thing ….. if you go to a fundraiser for orphans, do not yell at the ticket taker because you think you should get all-you-can-eat ribs for $2.75. Seriously – that’s dumb.

Karen collecting tickets for Ribs

Sunday we went to church and then over to the market at the marina in La Cruz to get our giant shrimp and some veggies and pasta. Sunday dinner was tortilla soup and guacamole and a beautiful beach sunset.

The final task to feeling settled was a giant wash down of the house on Monday morning. Because we had left windows open to keep the house from turning into a raging inferno, we had a month of dust on every imaginable surface. And one really bad smell to track down. Note to self: do not put a package of frozen fish in the cupboard for a month….. frozen things should be in a freezer at all times.

Monday evening, after a relaxing day at the beach, Klara started preparing our shrimp and pasta feast while I was determined to get back in a proper workout routine. So I threw down a yoga mat and put on a pilates tape and got to work. About halfway through, Klara told me I had guests out at the gate. Being as I was just heading into the Plank series, I was more than happy for the interruption. Standing on the sidewalk were Isabel and Laurentino and two of their friends. Normally these children, who live at Manos de Amor, go home to their tiny tarp house in San Vicente for the weekend. Because their mom really can’t care for them, they get on a bus on Monday, along with their 5-year-old brother Jose, and head back to the orphanage for the week. Sometimes they get off the bus close to our house and stop in for a visit, so I wasn’t totally surprised to see them. But when I asked what they were doing they said they were looking for Jose. (Thus the title of this blog #wheresjose?) And could they have a glass of water. Seems they had gone to the home of their friend before going to the orphanage, and Jose had disappeared. Two hours ago! HE’S FIVE! So we panicked a bit. Grant panicked a lot. I suggested we get in our car and start driving up and down all the streets. Grant yelled at me to call the police. I looked at him incredulously – I don’t have a clue how to call the police!!!! GRANT: “Five year olds shouldn’t be lost for 2 hours!” ME: “no really, I don’t know how to call the police” (so now I know something else I need to learn). So we started driving around and hollering “JOSE” out the window on every block. At one point, Isabel told me she had forgotten her money at her friend’s house so we went back there – and as we pulled up the gate opened and out came Jose. I jumped out of the car and scooped him up and softly said “Jose, where have you been?”. “Sleeping” he whispered. “Where were you sleeping?” “En una cama” (In a bed). So while we were searching for him everywhere, panicking that maybe he had crossed the highway, he had found a bed and was busy doing whatever it is that 5-year-old boys do in dreamland. We drove them all back to the orphanage and went home for Klara’s delicious meal. But my heart struggled to settle. In Canada I often grumble about over-protective helicopter parents who won’t let their children out of their sight. Here I love little ones whose parents can’t – or won’t – meet even their basic needs. Here I drive up and down the streets wondering #where’sjose? I am so grateful for organizations like Manos de Amor – and there are others – that provide a home for these lost children. I am glad to know they feel safe to come find us when they need help. And I am glad I spent 3 hours arguing with drunk gringos about the price of ribs so these children can have food and clothing and schooling and love. Mostly I am just really glad to be home where I belong!

Not Better….Just Different

Aside

Because we have not completely wrapped up the zillions of details of our move south, we are back in Canada for three weeks to finish taxes, finish construction, and finish packing. There are a lot of ‘finishes’ before you can truly experience new beginnings. Last year when I met with a Career Coach Warren, he told me my Kolbe Index indicated I love to brainstorm and start projects, but I get bored with the carry through. I am strong in “Fast Start” and not so strong on “Follow Through”. (Mind you he told me I should NEVER be an implementer, working with my hands and now I’ve laid tiles and sawed stuff with a power saw….). The point is that I am pulling at the reins to get going, but I know that we need to finish well. So we are back in the North doing Follow Through stuff that must be done.

It is impossible not to compare my two homes – and I don’t mean our physical houses (although there are some serious differences between my fancy new house with all the fancy new appliances and my simple Mexican home). No, I am thinking about the differences between the world I have lived in for all of my life and this new place I am trying to be accepted in. Maybe I am mostly thinking about the differences in me and in Grant and in the things that we now value. Not better. Just different.

So here is a preliminary comparison

The Obvious Stuff

It is cold in Canada! There is great irony in that fact that my Canadian friends are rejoicing that this has been a mild winter (usually warmer than -15) and my Mexican friends are lamenting that it has been a very cold winter (in the mid to low +20’s). The human experience is just very tied to weather and no matter where you live, every conversation begins with a tiny bit of complaining about the weather.
The food is unbelievable in Mexico! We often ask ourselves what food we miss from Canada, and the list is pretty small. A Tim Horton’s coffee. Houston Pizza (the really thick meaty kind). Spring rolls from Viet Thai Restaurant. My zoodles since I couldn’t pack the spiralizer last time. A pumpkin pie. That’s about it. When we are in Saskatchewan we constantly whine about the lack of proper tacos – or any Mexican food – in Regina. Taco Time doesn’t cut it after eating Chilaquilies at Ponchos or Mole Enchiladas at Taco Itzel. We are slowly raising our picante level and are making our own Green Sauce now which makes everything delicious. Still can’t stand cilantro however which eliminates me from every being a true Mexican foodie.
The noise level is hilarious in Mexico. I have told many stories about the joyful celebrations in our neighborhood in Bucerias. First Christmas, then New Years, then the Patron Saint Festival, then some teen girls Quince, then some random dude’s birthday, then the 9 hour Karaoke party, then…… You get the picture. At the end of our 6-week relocation trip we were just beginning to ignore it all and sleep at night. Then we got to our house in Lumsden – a new ICF home (Styrofoam and cement) – super insulated and unnaturally silent. No traffic in the valley after 9. No music in the streets. Total silence. And then we couldn’t sleep there. We laid awake the first night home, unable to sleep because of the eerie quiet. It was beautifully peaceful, with the moon sparkling on the house rooftops – the complete opposite of the loud joyfulness that surrounds our Mexican home. Not better….. just different.
$$$$$$$. Much of Mexico is poor. I know that there are many poor people in Regina as well. There is addiction, child abandonment, child prostitution, poverty, illness…. It’s in every city in every country. But in Canada we have social networks of government that at least make an effort to close the gaps. We have medical care and education for everyone who will show up. There are welfare programs and food banks and intervention programs to try and save the children who are lost in family dysfunction. In Mexico, the money that should flow to those who are struggling is blocked by crazy systems and non-existent programs. Children are not mandated to go to school – and in fact there are crazy bureaucratic barriers that make it difficult or even impossible. Children must show a birth certificate before they can register for school. Only a mother can get this birth certificate. Many did not get one at birth and now cannot afford the $200 it will cost. Or children who have been abandoned by a mother have no way to get this piece of paper. And so they cannot go to school. Those who need it most cannot access education. Wages are unbelievable low. Minimum wage has just been raised to $73 pesos (that’s about $6), not for an hour but for A DAY! $6 a day to raise a family. How can a family or a community prosper in this environment? It has been inspiring to watch both the Mexican community and the many Gringo associations step up to care for the people who have needs and I am super excited to be part of organizations such as La Fuente Riviera Church and Manos de Amor who care for the poor, and especially the children in Bucerias and many surrounding towns and villages.

August, 2015

The Not So Obvious Stuff

We move a LOT slower in Mexico. Those of you who know Grant and I in Canada will not recognize us in Mexico. We are slow …. Bordering on lazy. I suspect this is somewhat temporary. We arrived in Bucerias in mid-December really tired (especially house-builder guy Grant) and we have taken some time to rest and vacation. We sit on our balcony or in our garden and read and play Candy Crush and talk and maybe even nap. While I expect that to change, I am pretty committed to guarding our time here. We are definitely planning to be involved in the orphanage and the church, but we are not going to organize every minute – we are going to leave time to just play with the children and to open our home for fun stuff with our new friends. Grant is ready to start building our dream home and I am continuing to do my job from a distance so that will be enough structure for us. The rest of the time will be for beach picnics and boogie boarding and watching hummingbirds in the garden. I welcome you keeping my accountable for this plan!
My heart is very soft. I am now a crybaby. I cry at everything. I cry because the hibiscus bloomed. I cry because Lupita is too cute today. I cry because every child should have their own dad, not just an old white guy from Canada who throws them around. I cry because I knew I shouldn’t have tried the ‘mas picante’ sauce. I cry at the airport and bus station because the kids are here. I really cry at the airport and the bus station because the kids are leaving. I think mainly I cry because I now have time to feel stuff instead of just rushing to do stuff.
Home is wherever you are today. When I am in Mexico I refer to Lumsden as home, when I am in Lumsden I refer to Mexico as home. Today, I am trying to embrace the snowy day, the beautiful new home I am in, the friends I have missed, the family I will soon spend time with and I will make sure I get a Tim Horton’s coffee and a springroll and some pumpkin pie. I will try to figure out how to import butter into Mexico. In a couple of weeks, I will pack 6 more giant suitcases with the stuff I haven’t been able to buy in Mexico, like my zoodle spiralizer, and I will head to my new home. I will try to embrace the crazy noise and the humid days and I will build a new life. And I will be home. Not better….. just different.

Our simple Mexican kitchen

Our fancy Canadian Kitchen

Our Mexican yard

Our Canadian yard

Weekend!

Posted on January 17, 2016 by Karen moves to Mexico

Weekend! We’re currently living this weird life – a mash up of vacation, working from a distance, retirement and everyday life. We’re trying to figure out a routine that includes the regular stuff like laundry, office hours, church, volunteer work, house cleaning, grocery shopping, iguana recovery, garden tending, etc. We’re also keeping some time for fun and exploring and learning how to embrace new experiences. So Saturday is a free day that we will need to learn how to fill.

We did have one errand to do on Saturday. We have decided that we are only going to plan to complete one task per day. Everything I read says every little thing is just harder here. You can’t easily pay your bills online – you have to stand in line at a bank or office. And whenever I walk by a bank – especially on a Friday – there are super long around-the-block lines. Yesterday we needed to pay our telephone and internet bill. So that’s all we planned for the day. No point getting uptight – let’s just expect to wait and leave the day with the flexibility to handle whatever the line looks like. And wouldn’t you know it – we realized we could pay the bill at the Oxxo (equivalent of a norther 7-11) and we were done in 5 minutes. So we had a whole free day ahead of us – no one to see, nowhere to be, no tasks needing care.

So what else would you do in paradise? We packed a picnic, wrestled the lawn chairs away from the still visiting iguana, packed up the boogie boards and headed to the beach. An absolutely perfect day – waves large enough to give us a ride without filling our cavities with sand and sea creatures. It was fun and might even qualify as a bit of exercise.

In the evening we decided to check out the festival in Bucerias Centro (downtown). We had no idea what craziness we were in for. Mexican people are ‘lively’ at the best of times – but give them a festival and you reach a whole new volume level. It was like the fair at home – food stands, liquor stands (ok that part’s not like at home), children’s rides, dancers and singers and vendors everywhere. At home, the fair is at a fairground – a giant piece of land where vendors and rides can be spread out. Here everything is just dumped in the middle of the already narrow streets. Every street is filled to capacity. The irony is that this 8-day festival is to honor the Catholic patron saint Our Lady of Peace. The absolute last thing I saw or experienced last night was any semblance of peace! On the last day of the festival, all the fisherman in the region will form their boats into the shape of a cross out in the ocean and will arrive in Bucerias for a blessing for the upcoming year. It was an interesting view of a Mexican celebration – and as was to be expected the music went long into the night.

Parade float heading to the church

Cause nothing says Mexican cultural festival honoring a Catholic saint like Indian belly dancing….

Poor Poncho had to shove his Restaurant sign in the middle of the leather belt booth so people would know he was still open!

Sweet toque and delicious corn!

Seems like weird prizes at the arcade booths??????

This stuff looks more familiar….

One last update on our iguana infirmary. Our injured friend Iggy has been with us since Wednesday. She was obviously not well after getting a chomp taken out of her tail. She has been mostly sleeping – first on our window sill, then wrapped amongst our lawn chairs. Grant the animal whisperer chatted with her often, gave her water and beans and fruit. We thought for sure she must by dying as she wasn’t moving much. But today she got up, sat in the sun in the garage for a while and finally wandered off down the street. And not to be forgotten, Iggy left a rather large pile of lizard poop by our front door as a last gift. Great.

Crazy Critters

Posted on January 15, 2016 by Karen moves to Mexico

One thing Mexico has is lots of critters – some good, some not so good. We have met only a very few of them, but I’d like to introduce you to some who have visited us.

The Cute Critters

As always, Grant attracts all kinds of cute creatures – they just love him. So we’ve met a LOT of kitties and dogs. Of course, what is cute during the day is a sleep hazard at night. So it is a bit of a love/hate relationship with each animal we see. It is never really clear if these animals have a home and just choose to avoid it or if these animals are strays.

Neighborhood Critters

These animals live in our neighborhood and roam the streets like an inner city gang. They clearly believe this is their hood and who are we to argue?

The Creepy Critters

These are the things I am not so keen on – especially in my home or yard. But they were here first and I am trying to come to a negotiated space agreement.

We have only had a couple of these cucarachas – and I have purchased all manner of traps and spray to keep it that way. They run faster than the wind and are giant. Giving them their own very popular Mexican song seems ridiculous to me. Gross.

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Spiders of every shape and size are around – but we have only seen a couple in our yard. So far so good.

Tiny geckos can be seen running up walls and trees. Geckos have the same place in the lizard family as kittens do in the wild cat family. They are the cute version of scary critters. This little guy was living in our guest shower for a while and although it always made me scream when I saw something scurry out of the corner of my eye, I was okay with sharing the bathroom with him. The guy on the right was just hanging out (literally) at a nearby outdoor restaurant. Better than the wasp infested lights we have up North!

Yesterday I was not so keen on sharing my space with this guy I saw sitting on the wall in our garden. Every time I came outside, I heard something run behind the fence so I figured it was a cat. Not so. If you look up on the wall you will see this black lizard looking down on us. He was pretty shy and really just wanted to get some sun. So I gave him lots of warning (coughs, door slamming, yelling) before going outside.

My explanation to Grant was “I don’t like the black lizards. But I’m okay with the green ones – they’re not as scary. Who doesn’t like Iggy Iguana?”. No sooner had I spoken these words then I went out my front door and what do I see climbing up on my window sill? Yup – a big green one. And it turns out I don’t like them either. This poor guy had an injured tail – probably a dog bite – so he wasn’t moving too fast and just wanted a place to recover. He sat on the ledge for 24 hours and when he finally moved this afternoon it was just to go a few feet further into the garage, nestled amongst the lawn chairs. Hoping he moves on tomorrow – I’m thinking of a Sunday picnic which means I’m going to need those chairs.

So those are the critters we’ve met so far. There are also some amazing colorful birds and butterflies and a hummingbird who visited. Haven’t met any snakes or scorpions but I know they’re out there waiting to introduce themselves at the right moment.

Dancing in the Streets

Posted on January 8, 2016 by Karen moves to Mexico

Our family Christmas vacation is officially over! It is sad to say goodbye- but now we will find out what it is like to live in another country with no family or familiar friends around. We will have to create a life. Where do we even begin to establish a daily routine?

Brett and Luis head out for more Mexico backpacking

Yesterday we drove Brett and Luis to the bus station to send them on their way to Guadalajara. We knew our first task was to fill up the cupboards with groceries – it is time to cook like a normal person again (never really my strength and now I have to figure it out with new ingredients and new flavors). But it was already 1:00, so no point getting groceries until after lunch right?. We headed into Centro and found a giant torta (sandwich but in a big bun) for $30 pesos (around $2.50). We then wandered through the market looking for a colorful picture to hang above my stove in my kitchen. If I am going to cook, I need to be inspired and I definitely need a cheery picture. As always, I got stuck in a never ending loop of indecision when faced with too many choices. Yellow or green background? Purple or blue flowers? Writing or no writing? Ceramic or wood? I recently told Meigan that perfect decisions are not always necessary – sometimes a good decision is enough. But today I could not take my own advice. No inspiration and no decision here. So we headed home, planning to get our groceries.

In the afternoon I did some work at my computer while Grant painted a pot and had a nap. I sat in the garden and read an inspiring book about water wells in Africa (One Thousand Wells by Jena Nardella – a great read!). Still no groceries – but of course it’s now close to supper time and everyone knows you shouldn’t get groceries when you’re hungry. We could tell it was going to be a fantastic sunset. So we looked at one other and said “Supper at the beach tonight, groceries tomorrow!”. Perhaps this is our new normal “Manana – we can do it manana”.

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After dinner on the beach, we wandered through Centro and saw a band was about to start playing in the square. It was a plain old Thursday night and the square was packed with Mexicans and Gringos alike. Candy floss and peanuts and ice cream and tequila available for purchase.

Candy Floss Guy

Peanut Guy

Within seconds of the band beginning to play everyone was dancing – entire families, tiny children, teenage couples, grandmas and grandpas and ME. And since Grant hates to dance, guess who I was dancing with? First the beach vendor who sells peanuts (I had turned him down at least 3 times that day in various places around town – I didn’t have the heart to turn him down again) and then a Mexican grandpa in a ball cap. There is video evidence of both of these dances but they will never see the light of day! I am sure I looked like a silly old lady, but it was fun to be part of the activities of the community.

My good friend – and hero – Veronica

So that is a normal day here in Mexico. A bit of work, a bit of lazy, a bit of fun, a bit of dancing, a beautiful sunset, lots of food – all done with laughter and noise amongst my new community of friends and neighbors. And today ….. today I will get groceries…..

Our First Party

Posted on January 3, 2016 by Karen moves to Mexico

Yesterday we had our first house party! Well it wasn’t much of a party by Mexican standards – no boom box, no piñata, no fireworks – but we did have guests at our house. They were little, but still they were guests.

Lupita’s Birthday, August, 2015

I’ve told you about the family from the small town of San Vicente that have stolen our hearts. We first met the Santanas 2 years ago when 13-year-old Ivonne was about to give birth to Lupita. A few months later her twin sister Ivette brought Kevin into the world. The twins and their babies live with their mom, their sisters Irandi and Isabelle, and their brothers Jose, Laurentino and Nasabid. 10 of them in one room. So we have become friends and adopted abuelos (grandparents).

Baby Lupita, Sept 2013

When I held Lupita when she was only a few weeks old I whispered in her ear that I would make sure she would be okay. I really have no logical ability to keep that promise and yet I am standing by it and the least (or maybe the most) I can do is show up from time to time and hug and kiss and cuddle this sweet little girl. And pray for her – that God will hold her close and give her a hope and a future. We trust that our continued presence in the life of this family tells them that we care – that we support them as they walk their own journey. Two years ago little 2-year-old Jose looked at us suspiciously. He seldom smiled – and never wore pants! Now when we drive up Jose flies out of the houses and into my arms.

So yesterday we did what I have dreamed of for a long time. We picked up Laurentino, Isabelle, Jose, Lupita and Ivonne and brought them to our house to play Wii and have lunch. After some crazy Mario Kart, we headed down to the beach where we all played on boogie boards for a couple of hours. While I watched Lupita, Ivonne was able to have some fun in the water, like the teen she is. It just made my heart happy to have a normal family day with my sweet little friends.

Zumba

Jose is a crazy driver!

Mario Kart – no language barrier here

All little kids love a fountain!

Uncle Grant does some repairs for Jose….

…. and acts silly with Lupita

The Ice Cream Guy is coming!

In 2015 my word for the year was JOY. For me that word was a reminder to squeeze everything I could out of life – to live fully in every moment, to stop thinking only about the destination but rather to find pleasure and meaning in every step of the journey. But I know that when you live life to the max it can be messy and dirty and scary and uncertain. So my word for 2016 is PEACE. I know that this new life is not going to be easy – heck, thanks to the roosters I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in 2 weeks! – but I know that in the midst of it all, I can experience peace. I want to wake up every day and be able to say “It is well with my soul”. No matter what.

So yesterday, in the midst of the chaos of hanging out with children who I can’t properly communicate with, keeping a constant eye on Jose who was getting slammed by the waves, I held sleeping Lupita in my arms and knew that this was peace. To love a child. It is indeed well with my soul.

Driving in Mexico

Posted on December 31, 2015 by Karen moves to Mexico

Today I woke up tired ….. like I ran some kind of a marathon tired. But of course I did not run so much as a block so what did I do yesterday that wore me out? Oh yeah – DRIVING in Mexico. We have been spending the last few days buying plants and pots for our tiny garden spot. Which meant driving between a Vivero (greenhouse) in La Cruz and Home Depot in Puerto Vallarta… a bunch of times. You really have to experience driving here – my explanation won’t do it justice – but I’m going to try. First of all, this is the busiest week of the year (darn tourists) so the roads are crazy busy. But what’s exhausting is the way the roads are set up. There is a main highway that leads from PV north through Bucerias and on to La Cruz, Punta de Mita and Sayulita. The thing is that on both sides of the highway are lateral roads – we call them service roads at home. All the businesses you want to visit – and by businesses I usually mean a bunch of stuff under a tarp on the side of the road – must be accessed from the service roads. At home, you exit on the service road and turn right or left to find your destination. Here, you sharply veer off the highway, sometimes dropping many feet while merging with crazy cars coming from behind. The laterals are one way – which means you must exit before the business you want to visit. If you are on the highway and miss the correct exit (100% of the time) you must drive a few more miles to the next retorno (turn around spot) and drive back and start the whole thing over. Now when you get to the retorno, it’s not as simple as turning left at the corner and circling back. Again, you must veer off the highway onto the right lateral road, wait for the green arrow and turn left from the right hand lane. And of course, not only are you watching for the buses and taxis that are edging in front of you at the light, but you are digging in your pocket for coins to give to the guy washing your windows and the juggler entertaining you.

The business we want to visit is almost positively right before the exit – missed it again…..

In many ways it would make more sense to just drive on the lateral roads and forget the highway – but there are at least 3 reasons why that won’t work:

There will invariably be a bus in front of you that stops every few feet OR
The road may suddenly and without warning end in a pile of rubble and broken cement OR
As happened yesterday, some guy stops in the driving lane in front of the piñata store, and with a whole line of cars behind him, goes in to choose his piñata. He eventually carries out the largest piñata I have ever seen, puts it in his car and while all of the cars behind him begin honking in protest, he goes in to pay for the piñata. So we missed two lights for a piñata purchase.

And it’s not just exhausting – I literally have 2 or 3 bruises on my arms and knees from hitting the dash and the door of the car while we bump over the roads and the mountainous topes (speed bumps). I guess the real problem is that we’re cheap. We went to every Vivero in the district because the prices were just too different. We really needed to compare. We bought a 12-foot palm tree for $250 pesos (about $20) but another garden quoted us $2500 pesos. So I’m not exactly complaining – just realizing that we need to pace ourselves a bit and plan our routes each time we leave the house. And maybe wear kneepads and elbow pads.

In many ways I know that simple things are just more difficult here in Mexico. On the other hand, this week I have also experienced many things that are much easier:

For $10, the garden guy offered to deliver our plants to the house, and they arrived within an hour.
Now that I have a garden full of plants, I no longer have a laundry room (ie clothesline) so the laundry lady around the corner dried and folded 2 weeks’ worth of laundry for $4
I can buy individual eggs across the street in the mini super for 10 cents each when I run out
After all that driving nonsense, our car was filthy. By the time we came out of Home Depot our car was sparkling clean…. We tipped the guy a couple of bucks.

So as we bring this year to an end, we are both so grateful for this adventure and for the house we are slowly turning into a home. It is definitely not the home or the neighborhood we expected, but we are loving it and embracing it. I can’t believe I have a spot to sit in to read and pray and meditate that is filled with beautiful tropical flowers – not a petunia or geranium in sight. I own my own palm tree – 2 in fact. How cool is that! When we have everything in place, I’ll show you all the final product. IMG_20151229_124828

And now I wait for New Year’s Eve festivities to begin. Considering how many guys were selling fireworks on the road today I have a feeling it will be a long, loud and crazy night in the neighborhood.

Bring it on 2016!

A First Christmas

Posted on December 27, 2015 by Karen moves to Mexico

I am sitting in my yard listening to 2 or 3 different types of music wrestle with one another before wafting over my wall – neighbors are clapping and singing along and I really just have to laugh. In Canada the police would have been called long ago – here it is a typical Sunday family evening in the neighborhood.

We have made it through our first Mexican Christmas with some old traditions and many new. The final outcome was the same as it has always been …. family time playing games and laughing and eating until we can’t move. But the individual components looked quite different. Here’s the comparison:

OLD TRADITIONS	NEW TRADITIONS
CHRISTMAS EVE
Chinese Food pickup	Chicken Dinner Pickup
Candlelight service at church	Fireworks in the street (Thanks to Luis for this one)
Christmas carols	Posada at our door
Early to bed so Santa can come	Up until 3:30 because the neighbors were partying in the street – which in turn encouraged the chickens and dogs to party in the streets. These people have serious boom boxes and they do not hold back! They literally set up tables in the street for their families to join. And fireworks – there were a LOT of fireworks all night long.
CHRISTMAS DAY
Christmas breakfast with hashbrown casserole, sausages, fruit, pastry and quiche	Christmas breakfast with hashbrown casserole, sausages, fruit, pastry and egg burritos
Opening one million gifts	Opening a couple of gifts and using the money saved to buy gifts for a family less fortunate.
Hanging out assembling and playing with new stuff	Going to the orphanage to play with sweet children and help distribute their gifts
Eating candy from our stockings all day	Watching children smash pinatas and dive for candy
Board games – Upwords and Chicken Foot – while looking out at the cold frosty day	Board games – Upwords and Chicken Foot – in the yard under a palm tree
Eating Turkey dinner until we’re stuffed in our cozy dining room	Eating Turkey dinner until we’re stuffed in a garden under the stars
BOXING DAY
Leftovers for breakfast	Leftovers for breakfast
Tobogganing on the hill outside our house	Boogie Boarding at the beach
Eating the peanut brittle we got in our stocking	Eating the peanut brittle we bought from a vendor on the beach
Boxing day shopping sales	Taking gifts to a family that doesn’t have a lot
Eating Turkey leftovers	Eating chicken tostados served by this same family – a real sacrifice for them

So Christmas was exactly the same….. and completely different. We spent it together doing many of the things we normally do – but we did most of it outside with the loud noises of other families celebrating all around us. We received gifts from one another – and gave others away. We ate as much as possible – some traditional fare like Turkey and dressing but it was married with chilaquilies and tacos and tostados.

We did have a couple of new activities that I hope don’t become new traditions. Meigan had a nasty rash on her legs for a few days – we had tried Benadryl and hydrocortisone cream to no avail. So on Christmas Day we stopped at the Farmacia (drug store) to ask for something to try. They referred us next door to the doctor’s office. We were seen immediately and he gave Meg a prescription for some pills and a cream. He also gave her an injection. The consultation and the injection cost $70 pesos (about $5). The other meds cost around $10. It worked – her rash is significantly better today. Can you imagine trying to see a doc on Christmas day in Canada or the US? For $5? Within 5 minutes?

Unfortunately, as we pulled away from the doctor and headed across the street to the farmacia, Grant forgot to put on his seatbelt and the traffic police were hungry for a Christmas Day victim. Didn’t help that it was directly in front of the Fasten your Seatbelt sign. So we got a ticket and Grant had to give up his license until he went to the traffic ticket office on Boxing Day to pay his $116 peso fine – about $8. Seems to me a seatbelt ticket was $240 at home last time Grant got one. So even our transgressions fit within our new budget here.

Our family time is coming to a close here – Meigan heads home tomorrow. Brett and Luis have a few more days. It has been fun but I recognize we are on vacation – this is not real life yet. But we have had real life issues – medical needs, police confrontations, language shortfalls, and we are doing just fine. Now if I could just figure out what day garbage is picked up! Every night I take it out and every morning I bring it back in. Maybe Monday…..

Christmas Eve

Fireworks in the street

Posada coming down our street singing carols

CHRISTMAS DAY

Swanson Traditional Breakfast

Playing board games – I won Upwards but lost Chicken Foot!

Time at Manos de Amor – this was a pleasant surprise. We knew most of the children had left for the holidays but they came back for Christmas day to open gifts and we were happy to be invited.

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IMG_20151225_114030

IMG_20151225_113657

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BOXING DAY

Visiting friends and eating tostados in San Vicente

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Ready for Liftoff

Posted on December 18, 2015 by Karen moves to Mexico

We did it – we survived the last few weeks and we’re sitting at the airport waiting for our flight to be called. It’s been a crazy ride. Our main task was to get the house we’re building done – it’s our financial plan for this new life. It came down to the wire – we stopped working at 2:30 yesterday, appraiser came at 3:00. House is officially done. Except for all the little things that aren’t. But enough that we can breathe and head out. It wasn’t easy. Last week saw flat tires, computer erased reports, scratched hardwood that had just been laid and had to be relaid (3 times), big challenges at work, large bank deposit that ended up in the wrong account, and little sleep. We were so intent on getting it done that I actually used power tools…. twice…..

So we’re at the airport ready to go. Meigan is at the airport in Vancouver and Brett is on a bus from Guadalajara. By tonight the Swansons will be a family in our new home. A great start to a new life. As always Grant and I see it differently. I say we’re moving today. He says we’re “starting a transition”. He won’t see this as a move until his tools are with him. I guess we all have our attachments that define home. As long as I’m on a beach by tomorrow he can call it anything he wants. We will return to Canada sometime in January to finish up final house details, get taxes done, file year end business reports, etc. So maybe transitioning isn’t so far off.

The very final steps of this move were obvious – have some comfort Canadian food. So last night we met the Williams family for a quick supper of poutine. This morning a final Tim’s coffee. Now all is ready. And I know the suspense is killing you….. yes the pig made it! It seems kinda ridiculous but I just think we’ll need a friendly familiar face smiling at us while we sit in the garden.

A pig and some more hats

Merry Christmas friends! If I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye, we will be back in January and will do another round of goodbyes. My word for 2015 was JOY and although it has been a year of many ups and downs – as life always is – focusing on finding joy in the journey has truly made me grateful for every single moment. Can’t wait to see what 2016 holds for all of us. For me, it starts with guacamole.

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Karen Moves to Mexico

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