Living a "twins" life....back home to Victoria

I'm sitting in the living room of our Victoria, British Columbia home - having arrived back to our "summer home" 2 days ago.  Our last week or so in Zihuatanejo was spent saying adios and hasta proximo ano to some of our favorite friends, and in some cases, almost family.  Each year it's becoming harder to leave. 

It's funny...after almost 6 months in this seaside village, which has endured such a hard year....saying goodbye to the people who we have come to call "our friends" is hard.   They wish us "que le vaya bien" and "via con dios"...and I wish them the same.  We know that for either of us, a stroke of ill fate or ill health can change this greatly rewarding dual life that we've come to lead.   And without us, and all the other seasonal regulars who call Mexico home during the winter months, their lives would be ever so different.

Adios to:  Vanessa...our property manager and friend who looks after our winter homes 12 months/year and has learned how to deal with the variety of gringos who call La ceiba and Casa Ceiba home.  And enjoyed a small sip of Mezcal at Santa Prisca courtesy of Raul her boss..

 to Doraliz, Lilly and Angela our beautiful Nino's Adelante student and her sisters who we love so much

 To my favorite musician Juanito who has entertained and charmed us with his beautiful voice and strings and his ever present graciousness...lucky Patricia who got to dance with him that afternoon at Santa Prisca

 To my neighborhood esthetician Lilly and to Maria my pedicurist  where a trip to the beauty salon is a rich immersion into the family life of Mexico and to the beautiful Isahrai and her fast growing daughter Ellery who have made Zihua their home.

 To my fabulous neighbor and friend Monica who has taken my idea of a cooking school in Zihuatanejo and has made it into one of the top "must do" activities for firsttimers and regulars too.

 To 2 of my favorite street vendors,  Felix from a small pueblo in the mountains who sells me and all my friends the best baskets and purses at a "special price"......may your smiles never stop.

 To Angelica, a hardworking woman from the mountains who works with her husband Juan at the resort Barra de Potosi and to whom I am committed to support each year...may you always be part of my days in Barra.

And to last night dinners at our neighborhood restaurant Rufo's with our good friends Monica, Iris and Bob, and Jimi and Judy Mamou...two ex-pats who have contributed so much to the music scene and life in Zihua.

With a group of my nursing friends, I once had my fortune told by a woman who predicted that my life would have a dual quality - she showed me my astrological chart and indeed it was "split in two".  Having been born a twin, at the time, I had that feeling like she knew more about me than I had shared...was she really in posession of some magical psychic power that gave her an insight into my life and future?  This year, our return to Victoria has really sharpened this sense that I am indeed living two lives.  I found myself thinking of the term "schizophrenic", but I have always hated it when others have referred to events or people as being "schizophrenic" as sadly, I know too many people who truly do live their lives with the real disease.

I refuse to use the term lightly, but I am experiencing all of the same disjointed thoughts, actions and sensory perceptions that the real illness must create.   I can't find my things, I am no longer sure what I own in what home and when I see my friends, many of whom have visited me in Mexico, I find that I am no longer sure which experience or conversation we had in which setting.   I have caught myself nearly saying "hola - Buenos dias" to the people I pass as I walked Cori enroute to Arbutus Cove this morning....would they hear me and if they did, would they believe that I am really not insane?   If Gene asks for "la cuenta por favor" the first time we go to a restaurant...it's entirely understandable after 6 months of repeating that phrase frequently.  

Our trip home allowed us to have a short visit with 2 of our 3 children and their partners.  |We met our daughter Amy and her fiance Patricks new pups, Yarrow and Laila.  We distributed our carefully chosen gifts to each of our daughters and their partners.   Seeing our children back on their home turf makes me feel better about leaving our other home.   We are hoping Eric will head to our home in Victoria next weekend....I'm stocking up on our favorite foods so we can be sure to have some special treats when our friends and family drop in.

And today I reflected on what I notice when I come back to this paradise which is our summer home.  Sensory perceptions that our family and friends in Mexico would notice if they saw Victoria for the first time.

1. The air smells like Xmas...pine, cedar and fir trees surround our home.
2. Cori has cold, pink feet here in Canada,...so unlike his hard dry black pads in Mexico.
3. Flowers in Canada are brave...it's chilly, in fact, it's downright cold when the sun is hiding behind the clouds which it frequently does...but somehow, daffodils, tulips, magnolias, rhododendrons, heather and dogwood are all showing their finest colors.   Not tropical, but ever so pretty and colorful.
4. The streets look like someone has taken a power washer and scrubbed all the roads and sidewalks,...it's so clean!!  but the streets are empty of people - when we walk the dog after dark, we are out alone.   Where is the street life we love in Mexico?

I think we are very lucky to have this duality in our lives...and our hope is to be able to do this for a very long time...so this summer....I'm not only going to be preparing for the wedding of our daughter, and travelling to a 40th nursing reunion with my good friends, and training and competing with my wonderful dragonboat team the "Gorge-us Gals" - ...I'm planning to focus on health and wellness and all the opportunities for fun that our summer home provides.   Hasta pronto Mexico...el Fin de Octubre is coming fast!