Is a hamster a Xmas gift?...and the new way to start the day

So here it is...3 days since Xmas Eve, the day our son arrived and the day the "holidays" officially started for me.  We're currently living in our "casita chica"..the little one bedroom apartment that we originally bought when we fell in love with Zihuatanejo 10 years ago.   And we have made room for Eric who never minds what the sleeping arrangements are as long as he can come for a tropical vacation during the middle of Vancouver's torrential rainfalls.  We're happy he can take this time in his life to come visit us....it won't always happen, but for now he's our link to family.  It's how we spend Xmas.  

After a seafood Xmas Eve dinner to welcome Eric back to his favorite Mexican hangout, we spent Xmas Day doing what we love best in Zihua, eating a great breakfast and heading to the beach for an ocean swim and checking out the hordes of Mexican's who have arrived to spend their holidays.  It really is an amazing transformation when the town suddenly fills with holiday makers from all over Mexico who have their favorite beaches, ramadas, hotels or campsites.  Our neighborhood finds itself the route for large tour buses who inch their way through the streets, carefully lifting the strings of "papeles picados" that decorate the colonia for Xmas. 

This year, we chose to hold a potluck Xmas at Casa Ceiba and the entire residence got in the spirit.  The night was a huge success and personally I felt like it was one of my best Xmas'es ever...why?

Well, I wisely chose to not cook but instead hired Monica to prepare 2 of her specialties...Chiles en Nogado and Chicken Mole.  I did a salad, and our good friends Dee and Mike brought ceviche.  After an evening of listening to the ballads of Juanito, we set up the buffet and continued to dine while Juanito serenaded us into a freestyle of salsa, twist and good old jive.  All along the edge of our pristine turquoise lit pool.   It was magical and so different than Xmas at home.  But that is where the differences began...

During clean up, our Mexican neighbour, Arlene, who is 10 came by to say "Feliz navidad" to "Meees Treesh" as she refers to me...in her newly learned English and Spanish style.   We exchanged pleasantries including finding out that she had been at a party so had been unable to attend our dinner.   But she suddenly ran off asking me to "just a moment..Mees treesh".  A moment later she arrived with my "present"...she said she had brought me my gift...a hamster in a cage with a gold bow attached.  I know I looked surprised and quickly came up with saying that it was indeed a wonderful gift, but I couldn't accept him due to Cori (thank goodness for our dog).  She thought a minute and said...."my mother bought him especially for you"...and now I don't know what to think.  


I know Arlene is a budding thespian,...she did an incredible solo rendition of "So this is Christmas" at the recent posada, and I know she loves acting...but if this was indeed true and her mother brought me a hamster.is it a gift? or is it a punishment for having a dog?  I just can't be sure.....

 

 

But the one thing I am sure of...is that there is a distinct divide between my generation's idea of breakfast and that of my son who is a very healthy, athletic man.   When I watch him prepare his green shakes..I can't help but think of the contents of my vegetable bins being treated similar to the once fashionable (before composting) garbage disposals of the past.   Have we become the modern version of garbage disposals if this is as he tells me the breakfast of the future...pureeed veggies and fruits with a little protein powder thrown in for good measure...and when in Mexico...you must do as the Mexicans do...puree a whole Jalapeno in each blender full..just to be really healthy.  He's a veggie machine and I am feeling more and more like "old school" Betty Crocker when I crave breakfasts things like French Toast or scrambled eggs.  Is his greeny brown liquid  really the breakfast of the future?   2013 here we come! 

The day the world didn't end....and I went to the Veterinarian for my back

Here it is....the day of Posada La Madera, the start of Xmas vacations, and only 3 days till the big day! 

 

 

 

 We've been entertained almost every night to the sounds of different choirs singing the traditional Christmas carols of home in Spanish....love the sounds in the crystal clear, warm night air!

 

 

 

We've seen the usual build up to Xmas happening here.  I've eaten special foods that are only available through the holiday season, including once again trying the beautifully presented barnacles called "percebes" at Chula Vida.   We've bought Cori his early Xmas present...his little collar with his name on it custom made while we ate.   We've marvelled at the ever increasing stocks of specialty foods that are now present in Commercial Mexicana...even the once unheard of Cranberry Sauce is here in droves. 

All over town, festive scenes are popping up.  We even attended a "Party like there's no tomorrow party" at the home of Gabi...and we all woke up to realize that your new life starts today!  Thank goodness it will remain a Mayan mystery. 


 And the Mexicans are here...the roads remind me a bit of bumper cars at the fair..as drivers who don't really know Zihuatanejo's road systems jockey for place in every roundabout....so far we've been lucky!


 Even here, I feel the same looming stressors based on expectations I have made about how this holiday season will go....we are trying something different this year.  The first "annual"...who knows?? Casa Ceiba potluck Xmas party on Dec. 25th.   And in a moment of glee and excitement, we have arranged for my favorite troubador, Juanito Zihua to perform for the first hour of our evening party.   So to say the least, I am excited and so happy to have Paul and his girls here for their first Xmas without Lynn, Paul's wife, Erin and Kate's Mom and our friend, who died only this past September after 20 year battle against breast cancer.    I have been imagining all the places to take them, things to show them, meals to prepare for them- planning in my head for the Xmas that might be.

And that's when my back decided to "give out"... For the past 10 days, I have been "nursing" a back ache that began insidiously and progressed to severe hip, pelvic pain.  I had Lalo, the local Huesero perform one of his mystical, magical manouevers and I hoped ever so faithfully it would work...but alas, yesterday morning I was brought to a complete halt unable to stand or walk without excruciating pain.  I knew I needed to see someone, but I have no confidence that the 2 local medical practitioners would be able to help me...so on the advice of Paty, owner of Zihuayoga studio, and our friends Carol and Peter...we headed off to see Dr. Victor Hugo Atala, Veterinarian and Chinese Medicine,Acupuncturist who specializes in yoga related back problems.  

We drove to Ixtapa, a location that many people only associate with high rise hotels, all inclusive vacations, a long beach or golf courses.... Hidden in the back ground of Ixtapa are treelined bye-ways, culdesacs, residential areas and a run down office of Dr. Atala.   He was a most pleasant man who laughingly told us we made the mistake all "gringos" make and used his veterinary clinic entrance where no less than 15 cats lolled around, a strange entrance to the clinic where my now completely seized up back was to be fixed.  

I will spare you the details of my experience that involved needles, injections, microsurgery, laser beams and magnets and a new prescription for Voltaren....and today...I can sit, stand, walk and move with a lot more ease.  No forward flexion, no lifting or bending, but I'm getting better and I'm now on course for the Xmas of my wishes....   And one blessing of staying home to rest is that I was able to see first hand one of the obscure condo. maintenance jobs needed in the tropics....the removal of coconuts from our palms...a safety and security step that makes my toes curl watching the most athletic and agile man scurry to the top, hold on with one arm and use a machete to cut off the heavy bunches of young coconuts.

The town is indeed alive with Xmas revellers and I want to enjoy the best, avoid the worst (garbage, sewage and overcrowding).   Now is the time to stock up as soon the local Commercial Mexicana will be emptied out....let the holidays begin. 
 The Mexicans are here !!!  

Twas the weeks before Xmas....and all through the town

One of the "misconceptions" people have about what life is like here is that there is "no stress"...I mean really, how can a life that begins most days with a yoga class, proceeds to preparing fresh squeezed tropical fruit juices or agua de coco(nuts), a fully walkable town, perfect ocean beaches for swimming, friendly neighbours, live music to enjoy and a waterfront walk or sunset drinks provoke stress??   It is true, life is almost idyllic if one can learn to look past the squalor, the lack of amenities, and the almost laughable cumbersome paperwork procedures in place for every transaction.  

And why not... I have time and I enjoy learning how life works here..so I observe.   The one thing I cannot look past are the faces of the locals. 

These faces have been waiting for us to arrive ... and they are counting on us to support their business endeavors.  And for me, this is stressful, because each year, it would seem that at this time, from mid-November until the tourists arrive just before Xmas, there are too few of us to support the number of vendors, restaurauteurs, tour operators, and various other locals who make a living catering to the needs of ex-pats and tourists.   It is hard to walk past the businesses that I've either never purchased a meal or an item from, in favor of spending my now reduced income to the local vendors or establishments that I have become faithful to.   They call me "amiga"...and I feel compelled to uphold their expectations. 

But I wonder if the ones I don't shop at or buy meals from will survive...will their families have a Xmas, will their homes be safe and their children be fed?   It's a heavy burden but one that I realize is part of this changing face of tourism.  As more and more of us buy casas, prepare our own meals, drive our own cars...we are changing the services that are needed.   It's the transition that is catching my Mexican friends and they haven't been as quick to adapt as what is needed.  

One of my observations each year at this time is that the town appears to be playing a waiting game.   It's not an "idle" time..it's a time that the locals rest up for and prepare for.  Streets are being cleaned up.  The main entry to Zihuatanejo from the airport has been beautified with newly planted palm trees and flowering shrubs.  The walkways are being painted, crosswalks are being marked and stores are stocking up.   Shopkeepers are displaying their new wares in the hopes that an attractive display will lure in shoppers yet to appear. 

This is the end of the "quiet time"....we are inhaling, ready to take on the busy frenzy of Navidad and "temporado alto"...the "High season"...about to begin.   

This week is the Fiesta of the Virgen of Guadalupe.  I've written every year about the festivities and have excitedly watched the parades and listened to the songs being chanted as the faithful Catholics hold processions along the streets of the town.   This year, I don't feel as compelled to see every "desfile"...I can stay home safe and secure and give Cori a hug because this is the time of year he fears the most.  It's the anniversary (5th) of his abandonment on the streets of Zihuatanejo and the near death experience he had dodging fireworks, cars and shoppers on the streets on his own, sick and frightened.  

  

Like the town, we too are getting ready, planning our Xmas visitors meals and what we will do.  We are stocking up, buying gifts or writing cards for a few of the locals who we want to give some Xmas cheer. We have some parties to attend and some experiences to share with friends. This week, we will move over to our other casita to make room for 4 friends who arrive to stay in our house.  Our son will join us in our smaller casita just before Xmas.    Twas the weeks before Xmas.......

Expecting the Unexpected...or how Carlos, the Aztec Stripper from Las Vegas and I became friends

So for those of you who have become readers of my modest attempts at describing life here in Zihuatanejo, I owe you an apology.  I have felt the burden that having decided to write a blog can engender when one becomes too busy with "life" to take time to pause, reflect and write.    But indeed, since mid-November, I've been "preoccupado"...that is, worrying about how I could possibly manage to accomplish what my Victoria friend Dawn and I set out to do.  

When we dreamed up our little project, aptly named "Sol Sisters", we had no idea how it would work.   We knew we had met a wonderful seamstress named Lety who wanted to take on the work, we knew we loved Mexican Oilcloth in it's myriad of colors and designs, and we knew our friends and aquaintances had requested certain products and we had a deadline of Xmas for many of them.   So when 2 of my Victoria friends arrived here on November 21st, my quiet seaside town life changed!  

Lois, a lovely new friend from Victoria was making her first trip to Zihuatanejo.   Lucky for us, she quickly embraced the spirit of this friendly town and decided to make friends of the Mexican people.   After a Thanksgiving dinner, cooked by our wonderful neighbour restaurateur Rufo, Lois was swamped by a rogue wave :) and lost her Maui Jim sunglasses in the sand of Playa la Ropa just offshore.....never did we think we would see them again, but amazingly Javier and his diving friends rescued them and Lois will always remember the little voyage they had on her first boogie boarding attempt in Zihuatanejo. 

Then we headed to the mountain village of Uruapan, the Hass Avocado capital of the world.   Successfully buying Lety her sewing machine parts, and buying the material necessary to create custom one of a kind barbeque covers for Canada, we then headed to the Cafe Trucha along Rio Cupatitzio to enjoy a new beverage treat....an Avocado drink blended with grapefruit and other fruit juices.   It was a taste treat extraordinaire!

Back in Zihua, Dawn and Lois enjoyed an evening with my "Mexican boyfriend" Juanito (boyfriend in the kindest and most innocent of terms) at Coconuts, and a day at Chula Vida after the most heavenly swim at La Barra.   Then sunsets to celebrate Lois's 60th and dinners along the waterfront....each day better than the last!  Did I mention how much fun it is having friends who love our little town.  

And that leads me to Carlos.   My friend Lety, our seamstress for Sol Sisters is planning to attend her nieces quinceanara in La Piedad, Michoacan.  The money she is earning sewing for us is making this possible.   Most of her family will be attending the grand event which coincides with Xmas, and a visit to her hometown to see her mother.   For Lety to speak to her brother in Las Vegas she would need to spend a lot of money using cell phone minutes.  Or she could come to my house and use Skype for free.  So after several failed attempts to reach Carlos, who works by night, sleeps by day,...at last we were in touch.  Carlos, a Mexican immigrant who now holds duel citizen ship in the US and Mexico is a male dance phenom in Las Vegas.   He wears an Aztec wig and has 4 separate costumes that show off his manly physique to all those who have visions of Mexican warriors having their way with them...so when carlos saw photos of our daughters --- his next question is when can he meet them and show them around Las Vegas?  This becomes all the more surprising when one knows that Lety, his favorite sister was a nun in her first life..... oh the journey's that families can take!

So today, my first day without visitors for 10 days, when I headed out to walk Cori on the beach, I encountered one more unexpected view...a fellow was throwing his beautiful cock rooster in the air and the idea of "teaching roosters to fly" came to mind.   Then on the way home, I encountered a couple of Mexican fisherman heading home from a morning catch of the current shore fish "Jurel"...and it reminded me yet again, to expect the unexpected...keep my eyes open and the magic will happen.

Tonight walking home along Paseo de la Boquita....the poinsettia (Noche Buenas) sales people from the state of Michoacan are in full residence until Xmas.  The little village of Pinata makers/sellers is setting up....and the town is taking a little pause, just like me...waiting for the visitors that are about to descend on Zihuatanejo!   

Oh, and I'm also still waiting for my friend Felix the basket salesman to bring in my custom made cushion....but like the town of Zihua..I have faith that the unexpected will happen...and that all will unfold as it should.   

It's a sweet life here in Zihuatanejo...but not for everyone

We have a favorite beach restaurant along the wide arc of sand that stretches from Playa Larga at the west end to Barra de Potosi at the eastern edge.  Along Playa Blanca is the cabana "Chula Vida"...and this sweet life is how I like to think of my time here.  I feel so blessed to be able to wake up in the morning and step outside into the warm morning air, listening to hummingbirds at my feeder as I read the paper.  After a cup of coffee, I head up to yoga at Hotel Irma where the terrace provides the perfect venue for an ever changing yoga practice.  

 After a breakfast with Gene, our days can be spent visiting friends, travelling to nearby places, relaxing at our pool and shopping cooking meals of fresh local ingredients.  The nights are spent outside with live music in the streets and the town coming to life when the air is cool enough to venture out and play ball sports, or simply sit at one of the local cafe's or lounge spots along the waterfront.   We are no longer "tourists" and we do enjoy a standard of life here that is very nice.  Although not extravagant with our spending, we rarely go without something we want or would like to do.   Life is "sweet"...  












But within a block of our home, the life of one of the women I spend a lot of my time with is not as simple.   I have a project this year, that my friend Dawn and I have named "Sol Sisters", for on many levels, the concept of "sol"..sun, alma, soul is what drives life.  And never having had a birth sister, I have yearned for sisterhood of friendships my entire life.  I came to know a local woman named Lety via my friend Monica and her mother in law Isabel a couple of years ago.  These woman all live in my community and are my friends.   Lety is our seamstress "sol Sister"  making our very popular and colorful Mexican oilcloth bags and barbeque covers and our hope is that by making our orders she will have an improved income and perhaps become self sufficient in the future.  I have a secondary goal of using any profit that might be realized to fund local projects in our community.  Women's projects as I see the lives of Mexican women to be difficult in many ways.   This project has taken up a lot of my time in this first month of living here as I build a system and skills for communicating our pre-made orders to my Spanish speaking seamstress and track expenses, products and design new potential products that my friends here are asking for.  Think yoga mat carriers, mens' beach bags and home IV nurse bags. 

This week Lety shared her reality with me.  Behind her ever present smile and willing work ethic, she is the sole breadwinner in her home.  She is responsible for every bill payment, every meal purchase, every ounce of home maintenance and every positive social interaction she has.  Her handsome, English speaking husband, although at one time employed as a tourguide, has fallen into a pattern of alcohol abuse and dysfunction that is straining her life to a near breaking point.   Each day she is engaged in her work while he is either laying in his room or out drinking with his friends.  He accuses her of inappropriate activity if she takes orders for sewing from male customers but is keen to ask her for money at every turn.   She is safe in that she feels she can counter any potential for physical abuse by the strong police actions against male domestic violence.   But there is little else she can do.  Mexico is not an easy country for women to leave marriages in.  She endures and tries not to complain and is hopeful that he will seek help at some time and begin healing from what she believes is a "medical problem"....

Is it any wonder that I recently learned that a beautiful young woman we know here has chosen a female life partner.  I don't believe every Mexican man is as troubled as Lety's husband, but I do believe that there are many women here who have lives of drudgery and are treated as the possessions of their husbands.  Bigamy and infedility are accepted here.  Somehow the women who are all beautiful, slim, perfectly groomed teens become the overweight, prematurely aged women we see in the town squares and markets.   The years spent at home raising children, providing all the work of raising a family have taken their toll on many.

Young women here are faced with limited choices.  The cost of education is out of the reach for many.  So we will continue to support our student hoping that by becoming educated she will be able to have a better life. 

This weekend we are treating Doraliz to her current dream of seeing the newly released  "Amenecer"...the Spanish version of Twilight Breaking Dawn.  I guess a little fantasy life romance is every girls dream at 16.    And for my husband Gene, this weekend marks the beginning of his 70'th year.   I promised I would give him the birthday of his dreams...and so far at least a portion of it has been spent on the couch too...but hey, isn't that what makes life sweet for a California dreamer! 

My perfect days, and the learning continues...

This half of our year's Mexican life has started off in some ways like so many others, a lot of work catching up and only a bit of play,...but then there was the 36 hour rain!!  I've always said that you can count on uninterrupted sunshine for the 6 months we are here, but this year has been a lesson in climate change (Or something!).   What it has taught me is that no matter where you are in the world, dull rainy weather is not fun!  And in Zihua, it can really rain, and it can be just as dull and uninspiring as it is in Victoria when a very large low pressure system rolls in and sits over the bay.    So when all the world is grey and wet, just like any rainy dull day at home, it's time to watch movies and cook food!  Luckily, both are possible here.  But unlike the dull rainy season at home in Victoria (which lasts approximately 8 months!)...it was over here in 36 hours and life is all good again.   So what makes life good here?   I ask myself that question still trying to identify that special magic that brings us back each year.  
This is my attempt to write about some of our favorite reasons for spending so much of our time here:

1. The people:  and they include both fellow ex-pats and Mexicans.  Some of my favorite people are Doraliz and her 2 sisters, Angela and Lilly who I believe do love us.   Of course, our annual ritual of bathing suit shopping in the mercado in order for them to come to our pool parties on Saturdays helps! 

Having our friends return from their lives in the North is great!  Each day we run into people we have become friends with because we share life in Mexico for several months each winter. It's great to see people looking healthy and well and returning with the same optimism as ever.   It was fun when on a trip out to Barra de Potosi, a little fishing village, seaside resort area south of Zihua, we ran into fellow Vancouver Islanders and Calgarians - women on a dog walk...just like the dog park at home!
2.  The ocean.   When you travel this far south in Mexico, the ocean is a whole different experience.  It is warm and soft and welcoming.  Swimming in the ocean is one of my greatest pleasures here.  Most days it is calm and benign here in the bay, but occasionally, big rollers move in in sets, and then it's time for all the local boys to come out and play in the surf.

3.  Yoga classes. My body and my mind missed yoga...and for 6 months of the year, I can attend yoga overlooking the bay in one of two studios.   Closest to our house is the open air terrace of Hotel Irma with an early morning class, that is attended by mainly locals.  Local ex-pats and local Mexicans.  I love this women's group...each has their own reason for being there, but all of us leave the class knowing that ultimately the class gave us what we were there to receive.  Twice now the teacher has caught me moving ahead in the postures, ahead of her direction.  In a wise, sage-like voice, she has cautioned me to "don't live in the future - stay in the present"....how did she know?   Then how can I not keep returning to Paty's Zihuayoga studio?   Above her restaurant on Playa La Ropa, in a beautiful zen like space, she has created a space for locals and visitors who flock there in increasing numbers as tourist season builds.  
4.  Living in a small town.  I love having familiar places and people who I recognize from year to year both in my own little neighborhood and in the wider city.  I have my favorite shops for fish, vegetables, fresh flowers and even my favorite vendors.   Felix from a small mountain pueblo jumped at my recent spur of the moment, streetside request for a chair cushion made from woven reeds.  Custom made to my specifications to be delivered to me on November 20th!   And I believe him.  


5.  The simplicity of  my life here.  My hairdresser and pedicurist live on my block...I may run into them at yoga class or while walking my dog and arrange my appointment on the spur of the moment.  I can count on the same fresh fruits and fish to be available, so that our diet is pretty much based on what do we want to shop for that day and that's what we'll eat.   Recently Sam's Club moved into Zihuatanejo and we've been encouraged by our property manager and her friend to go...but why?   I went and thought, well, I can do this for 6 months of the year in Canada at Costco, why do I want to buy in bulk and worry about storing/repacking/checking prices etc.   Clothing and footwear range from flipflops to sandals and from bathing suits, to pareos to shorts, blouses and skirts.  The lighter the better. 

6.  The utter ridiculousness of some institutions here, for instance banking.  Scotiabank made a huge deal of  opening a branch here to cater to international (Canadian/US) residents.  But here we are 4 years after the branch opened, and now none of the staff speak English, we line up in queues to gesticulate and attempt Spanish language banking between a 2" space in heavy duty glass walls.   Gene made the mistake of going to the bank without me and came back more determined than ever to begin to learn enough Spanish to cope here.  Cheques written here are routinely returned to us if an "i" is not dotted or a "t" crossed in exactly the way the teller feels it should be.  

7.  Everyone knows and loves our dog Cori...despite having to have endured his annual "haircut" of shame to avoid bringing pounds of sand into our home after his playing ball on the beach...he is still admired widely by Mexicans who ask me if he's "bravo", "macho" or  Just simply smile and point at how beautiful he is!  As I walk through town on our early morning walks, we routinely here calls of "Cori!!"....just like home, not everyone may know my name, but they do know his.

And it's fun living in a beautiful place where special events happen all throughout our season...like this weekend's "Globos Aerostaticos" display happening at 3 of the local beaches.  Hot air balloons, showing up, and giving people lift off rides to about 20' in the air.   Gene and I spent last evening enjoying the sunset from the gracious terrace at the Sunset Bar, Hotel Catalina...and this was our view!

Soon I expect friends to arrive and our project "Sol Sisters" is in full swing....and the much publicized "International Tiritas Festival" to happen!  But I must remember to not live in the future and enjoy the moment in "living the vida loca"!! 

We said "goobye" and they said "hola"...

I have lived 6 months of my life since my last post.  I guess life in Canada, as diverse and exciting and stressful and demanding and wonderful as it is just does not prompt me to write about it.   It was a wonderful summer because our middle daughter, Amy, married her life partner Patrick.  I am sure others say that their daughters weddings were the most beautiful wedding ever, but on every level, I truly do believe this to be true.  It was a country wedding of her dreams and Gene and I were lucky to have the time and ability to assist them with their vision.   But that was July,  and from a weather standpoint we were only just beginning to feel warm.   Luckily, the west coast of Canada smartened up and we were able to dragonboat, kayak, bike, hike and travel with friends and family.  Cori spent his days in the big garden trying to catch the elusive squirrels and deer.  But after a brief trip to the mountains for my 40th nursing school reunion, we hunkered down to the at times overwhelming chore of packing, planning and organizing 6 months away from our home in Victoria.  Our good luck extended for a 3rd year when our winter tenants (who have really become friends) arranged for their third winter living in our home.  We said our last goodbyes to friends, neighbours and left our cars in the capable hands of our adult children who for various reasons could benefit from them for the time we are not using them.   Kristen, if we'd had a third vehicle in Canada..you would've received it too!

Arriving here is a feast for the senses, on so many levels.  It is so amazing to be sitting outside at 10 p.m. in  a bathing suit and not feeling even the slightest of chills.    Humidity although great for the skin is not kind to my hair which becomes immediately as curly as my Mom once wished for -- "the Shirley Temple" curls of the early 1950's.   There is a real sense of coming home as the locals who know us all smile and say "hola" and "bienvenidos".  Rather than this being just a polite formality, I really have the sense it is sincere.   Our presence keeps this town's hope alive...hope that this season will be better than last.  

I always tell people who are newcomers to Mexico that it takes more than the customary 2 week vacation to become adjusted to this combination of third world squalor and paradise.  And it's knowing the people that bridges that gap of reacting to the at times awful display of lack of infrastructure and dirt...to becoming the person I want to be here.   I love the line from the movie "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel"..."It'll all be alright in the end, and if it's not allright, it's not the end".   This is tested on a daily basis in Mexico.   And it's the experiences of the extremes of beauty and horror that impact me in such a way that I want to write.  I want to reflect on what I'm seeing, doing, feeling and I've found my blog is the vehicle for this self-reflection.  I feel a committment to honesty in my words that has helped me to ground my thoughts.  If you like this it is great, but I need to do this for my own growth and development.

Within this our first week we have overcome a non-working vehicle, powerless airconditioners, lost cellular telephones, broken televisions, an epidemic of dead lightbulbs, and a 24 hour power failure.   Everyone understands...this is what life in a tropical climate with excessive humidity levels does to anything metal.    So each day we tackle one or two more little problems and soon "it will be alright in the end".

This year, by the lucky combination of a friendship and frequent sewing projects done by Lety and a visit from my friend Dawn, we are launching a small "cottage industry".  The Sol Sisters- Mexican Oilcloth products.  So right now my days are full of shopping for the supplies, measuring, documenting, doing the accounting for and using my Spanish in new ways to give direction to this project.   I'm "in love" with oilcloth.  I could spend hours standing in the material store checking and rechecking the endless patterns and combinations that appeal to me...its' just one more feast for my senses.

We made time to see our sponsored Nino's Adelante student Doraliz who was recovering from Dengue, the endemic fever of the Mexican coastline.   Today was her 16th birthday, although a big deal for Canadian and American teens,...this year was a simple event in her life after the 'quinceanara" of last year.   She is a beautiful young woman and we hope our presence in her life is making a difference.  The challenges for her are huge but with the support of the program and her family, perhaps she will have a better life than her parents...isn't that all part of the optimism we see here every day?   

Yoga class is back in my life.  New teachers, same places.  Same body and new challenges.   Love Yoga!!!

And we are here in time for Dia de los Muertos and our town is embracing the celebration with a renewed fervour this year.   Our Colonia is planning festivities at our local cemetery and in the meantime,...I'm trying to capture this spectacle which combines the beauty of Mexican art with the meaning of devotion to family even after death.    Week 2 is already in sight and is going to be a lot more like the Mexican life I love than our first week was.