We finally move in!

We finally get our house tomorrow. Between Pennsylvania this summer, and the last month of temporary housing and travel, we are looking forward to a dresser!!! We have been living out of suitcases for much too long. Alex and Alan are itching for some toys to play with, and we are seriously looking forward to some good knives to cook with. Joe spent most of today working with Senor Cruz to finish getting the house ready. The owner has seriously gone above and beyond for us. He mowed the grass and cut down a bunch of overgrowth. It still needs some TLC, but it looks much better. He painted the entire kitchen, and repaired a bunch of other things that needed to be done. We are excited to get in the house. The place is HUGE. 4 bedrooms plus a covered glass mirador on the top floor. The yard is small but workable, and it has secured parking which was a plus for that neighborhood. The only negative so far is that it only has a washer, so hanging clothes for an entire year may be a challenge. At least the rainy season is almost over, so that is a plus. The house is very "Mexican", but is sparsely furnished, so it leaves us some room to "decorate".

Most of the houses that we looked at had been "decorated", so that is all well and good unless you have a 16 month old boy who would like nothing better than to see some glass break! The house we are currently in has every top shelf of everything covered with the nick nacks we moved. We also had to pay to have one broken window replaced when we discovered that the TV stand had wheels on it, and Alan shoved it backwards into the "Wall of glass". The window was the perfect height for the back of the TV to fit through the 24" x 24" space. He also broke the leg off of the clay lizard, but we managed to glue that back on ourselves. Other than that, some of the plants out back have been pruned and beaten slightly.

We have only been here three weeks, but have seemed to cover the place pretty good. Almost every time we go out somewhere, we see someone we know. Either their lives are as uneventful as ours, or we have met a lot of people in a short time. I am going to start teaching ESL (English as a Second Language) on Sept 9th. It should be a good way to meet the locals, and learn some Spanish as well. It is a volunteer thing, but I think it will be a great experience. I have never taught, and get a bit nervous in front of a lot of people, but if we never challenge ourselves then we will never know. Right now I am with another woman in a class of 20 students. She said that most times several of the other volunteers duck out fast, so I will likely end up with a class of my own, and am on the substitute list. It could be great if I can get a little help for the first few weeks, and then fall into my own class. All the other teachers are over 60, so how bad could I be right??! My only other option was to locate some art supplies and start painting abstract or Mexican landscapes, and selling them at the weekly markets. How bad could they be right??! That is about all the news for now, until later......

Pictures of Alex & Alan having helios (ice cream) on the plaza, and the new "long term" house. Chickens on the neighbors roof, the great view of the mountains (if you can overlook the laundry), and the other neighbors yard and street view from the balcony.

Mexican differences!!!!

OK! Yesterday we went to Costco here in Guadalajara to check out the selection. The store is huge, and they had a ton of selection. They give samples of food and such here just like in the states, however, they were giving samples of Tequila!!!! Lime and salt included! Joe and I had to have a sample, and it was quite good. They weren't even cheap about it, they gave you a pretty big taste! We couldn't believe it! Then we went to the mall across the street, and it was just a nice as any mall I have ever seen in the US, but people were walking around smoking!! It was weird. Then when we were leaving, we saw a machine that we thought was to validate your parking (because it was a secured lot). I took the ticket over and put it in, and it asked me for 10 pesos. Not knowing what to do (and I needed my ticket back to get the car out of the lot) I put in 10 pesos, took my ticket, and went back to the car. When we went to drive out of the lot, you had to put your ticket in the machine to get the arm to lift and let you out! Can you believe you could have a pay lot with NO attendants! What an idea. We could learn something from Mexico about this.

We also bought a moped scooter this weekend. As much as we have been driving our van on the coblestone roads, we were wanting something to get around quickly, and improve our parking. We took it out for a spin around town, and found out that we could all fit on the scooter. When in Mexico, so as the Mexicans. We got quite a few curious looks, bet we weren't sure if it was because we had well over 400 lbs of gringo on a single scooter, or if it was because the thing was so bright yellow, it blinded them momentarily. Either way, we all had a great time.

We move into our house next weekend, so we are busy taking Alex to school and back, and acquiring a few needed items for the house. Alex has not warmed up to school completely, but she did count to 6 in Spanish out of the blue. She said that God taught it to her, so she must have quite a teacher!

The pictures above are average traffic in Guadalajara, sharing the road with others ????, Alex and Mom on the new scooter, and Alex going to school. More to come......

Found a house

Apparently, the search is over for the casa. We have made a deal with a Mexican owner in San Antonio Tlayacapan to rent his home. His name is Cruz and his English is better than my Spanish, but I still took a Mexican friend I made named Manny to referee the negotiations.

Manny is a dentist (hence the good English) in Guadalajara that we met at the park in Ajijic last Friday afternoon. Cruz has agreed to paint the entire inside of the home by August 31 in order for us to move in on September 1. We will see how the manana/manana goes on this one. Manny has lived in San Antonio T. his whole life and says we can trust Cruz.

The home is pretty big and partially furnished, so we are on the look-out for any used stuff we can find. Yard sales are called bazaars here and there is no rhyme or reason to when or where they occur. Just have to get out and look for them. San Antonio T is a quiet, small town and I think all our neighbors are Mexican. All the town roads are cobblestone or dirt, but they have high speed internet that works 3/4 of the time. Go figure. We heard a rooster crowing from the "yard" next door when we were looking at the place.

In the neighborhood there are the standard mini-store, Abarrotes, that sells chips, drinks, 1 can of this, 1 can of that. There is a carniceria (butcher) a block away and numerous little shops in that area. Two blocks away is the town Plaza that has a grocery store with most things we will need, although it is about 1/2 the size of an American 7-11. The Plaza is peaceful and fills up in the late afternoon and evening with people eating outdoors, kids playing, an ice cream shop and numerous vendors selling food/trinkets/clothes or whatever they have that day.

The kids love to go to the plaza and play with the other kids. Hopefully, they can start talking to them pretty soon, although a lack of understanding English has not slowed Alex down from yapping the whole time she plays with the Mexican girls. The house is also a block from the lake, but no pier or malecon (boardwalk). The only thing we saw when we went to the lake on the street was a guy with a small fishing boat tying it up for the evening.

Alex has been in school 3 days now, and has not been loving it. She has cried when I drop her off, but the teachers say she had done well once I am gone. If we can make it through the next few weeks, things should go very well. I keep thinking what a gift it would be for her to speak Spanish.

We took our lives in our hands again and went to Guadalajara to visit the Sam's Club. It was really similar to the states. Just like everywhere, anything plastic or imported from China is expensive, but everything else is about the same. Think we will stick to the local grocer and the market.

Photos above are of a picture of a donkey one of the locals rode in to town on to eat at the restaurant that can be seen in the picture (zoom in on the picture and look for the guy in the hat sitting at one of the tables), Alex and Alan eating treats at the plaza in Ajijic, and tree pictures of the weekly market in Ajijic.

Alex goes to school/Walmart trip

Alex had her first day at school. 11 children in her preschool class. I think she is really going to love it. None of the children in the class speak any English, but most are girls, so that is a plus. It will be interesting to see how fast she learns the language compared to us old folks! I was the only parent who spoke English, and I struggled to follow as my Spanish is not good enough yet, and they speak very fast. I did have an "interpreter" there who told me most of what was going on. I did manage to introduce myself and Alex in Spanish. I wish I could go to class with her just for the language. I think she will do great. She got a Hello Kitty backpack and lunch box, so she is ready for action.

We are still looking for a rental house, and waiting on a few responses for houses we liked, but things move very slowly here in Mexico. We are looking forward to getting settled in a place long term after the summer in PA, and then the traveling and the temporary rental. A dresser is looking pretty good right now. The roads here are VERY bad. They told us they have cobblestone streets, but I have never seen streets like these. Apparently they never thought about filling in the cracks! So far our right side mirror on the van is "missing", and we managed to scratch the side door up pretty good because we failed to notice the boulder that was sticking out in the road while parking. Good thing we got the used van which now has 95,000 miles on it! Once we find our permanent place, we will be able to park the van and only drive occasionally. Most things are centrally located so we can walk almost everywhere. Joe is offering to buy me a moped to get around on. A lot of the locals are driving mopeds or 4 wheelers. The traffic laws are pretty much everyone for themselves, so they don't bother you unless you crash.

We went to Guadalajara to visit the Walmart, and were almost finished off by a bus! The Walmart had most things you could want. Pampers were $148 pesos($14 USD)for 46 size 5. I do believe that is cheaper than the US. I was tempted to try the local brand, but Joe cautioned against it. My good friend Deb gave me some Pampers cruisers diapers and I have been terribly spoiled by them. It is hard to go back from the Cadillac of diapers! Baby wipes are WAY expensive. I am going to check the bulk at Sam's. The big difference I found from US/Mexico Walmart is that they sell appliances and mattresses here. The food selection is smaller and they have all Mexican labels. Other than that, pretty much the same. They even have Great Value. A gallon of milk is cheaper here, and so is Cheddar cheese! Anything made in China or plastic seems to be more expensive. Almost double. Napkins are reasonable, but paper towels are expensive. We will figure out more as time goes by.

The above pictures are of Alexandra in her school uniform, Brandi and Alan at the park we frequent, and all of us in from of the church near the plaza we go to in San Antonio Tlayacapan.

The search continues for casa/Alex registered for school

We are still looking. We have looked at about 15 houses. All have something good or bad about them. We found one that we think we can live with, but the owners are fixing a few things and it could take over a week to finish. Thus the manana/manana may take longer than we have to wait, so that makes us a little nervous. We are also still looking at other options. Joe is working very hard to find the right place. It is hard to believe the variance between houses in the area.

Alex is registered in school. It is a bit expensive, but I think the Spanish she will learn there will be worth it. There are only 5-6 students in her class. The small private school has about 200 students total, and is preschool-high school. They will teach Spanish for half day, and English for other half. The uniforms are polo shirt and jeans for most days, and a jumpsuit for the sports days. I had to get her a physical for school, and it cost $15.00. The Dr did all the things you would do for a physical, and it took all of 20 minutes. Walked right in, talked with the doc, paid the money, and left. In the USA it would be at least a 20 min wait in the waiting room, and cost after insurance (if they even cover it), $20-$60. Go figure. Either way, she will be in school on Tuesday 8/19. I will post picture of the uniforms when I can get them. So far I am quite impressed with the medical services, and we will see how the school works out.

Last night we were at the Malecon in Chapala, and were walking around and checking out the sights. Alan walked up to a lady and grabbed her hand. Evidently she thought she grabbed her grandsons hand, but when she looked down and saw the blonde hair she about had a heart attack. All her family thought it was VERY funny, and they laughed about it for a very long time. We get a lot of head turns whenever we take the children out.

Here are a few pictures of the kids playing at the park with the Mexican kids, back yard cushion wars, and fun by the lake. More to come.....

The search for a casa

Ok, we are now on a full on hunt for a year long rental for a home. We have looked at 3 casas so far and only one is in the running. Not everything is as advertised with the homes. We looked at one that was called 3 bedrooms, but you have to go outside and up a small steep flight of stairs to the roof to get to the "third" bedroom. One thing is for sure, Mexicans live in 2 bedroom homes. A lot of them have a "casita" which is a small room on the outside of the home for grandma?

Other than that, we are surviving the food and finding out where to find things. The cobblestone streets are somewhat difficult to manage even with our stroller with big wheels. Joe and I are seriously wondering where they got all those rocks! It does cut down on the speed of traffic, and would not wash away with a big rainstorm. Alan would prefer to walk, but he gets so distracted by the sights or the stray dogs, that it is hard to get anywhere fast. It is surprising how many dogs are running around this place. They all seem friendly enough, and seem to all know where they are going.

We went for a walk last night at about 7 pm and had a great walk through the neighborhoods. The weather here is fantastic. It has not rained since we have been here even though it is the rainy season. It seems like the Mexican people really love the night. Even late they seem to just getting started. The street vendors don't start setting up on the plaza until 7 or 8pm. I am not sure how late they stay out since we generally get home by dark with the kids. Joe is loving the $1 beer you can get on any corner while we are out walking. While at the American Legion we saw the bartender was only about 16? No laws on who can sell beer here, but they do have signs about selling tobacco to minors. Not sure about that yet.

We are looking forward to getting settled in a longer term place, and Alex wants her toys out. So far they have had quite a time playing with the tie down straps, the empty cooler, and some buckets. They are also pickers of the fruit on the orange tree out in the yard. Joe and Alex juiced a bunch for breakfast yesterday, and it was great. We did eye an avacado tree next door, and are thinking of ways to make friends with the neighbors. I figure if it is hanging in the street, it should be fair game. We also have a mango tree in this yard, but it must be at the end of its cycle because there are only a few pieces of fruit left on it.

Until next time.......

The photos above are of one of the nicest homes we looked at, a standard kitchen, and a view of Lake Chapala from a mirador on one of the homes

We have arrived.....

Hola! As most of you know, we have moved to Mexico! I am still trying to figure out what we are trying to do with this, but I am sure it will be more evident as time goes by.

As you can guess, it was a VERY long drive. We drove to Houston from PA to stay with cousin Tom for a few nights and psyche ourselves up for the drive. We drove to Laredo, TX and stayed over night at a hotel before crossing into the unknown. Our first challenge was to get our temporary visa to stay in the country for 180 days. We crossed the border and paid our $3.00 to get over the bridge, and then it all started to fall apart. We got the green light, but didn't know we had to drive about 2 miles to get to the building that was only about 20 yards from us. After we finally got there, the whole process took about 2 hours. We got our paperwork and drove out of there. Alan's head was a bit sore from all the good luck he was passing, but didn't seem to mind too bad. We drove for about 6 hours and decided to stop at about 3:00pm. The kids were tired, and we found our hotel. The Las Palmas in Matehuala, Mexico. It reminded us of a hotel from the 1950's in Vegas or the Godfather movie. We were issued our key and remote control, and were pleasantly surprised at the size of the room. Even had a small playground that the kids loved. The pool was a bit cold for swimming, but Alex made the best of it. They had a Walmart supercenter there, and we walked around a bit as an educational trip. They actually had most of the stuff we had in the US with different labels. We found a little Cocina to eat at, and so far have survived the "revenge". All in all had a good nights sleep, and headed out early am to finish our drive.

Our final 6 hours took us into Chapala. The area is beautiful, and even different than I expected. VERY green and hilly. We found our temporary rental, and the local grocery for a few supplies. We practiced our spanish a bit on the locals, and found a place to have dinner. 4 beers, and 6 burritos for 10 dollars. We may have found our favorite spot. The biggest negative besides the fussing of the kids on the drive was that Alan lost his pacifier in the chaos of the unload, so he had to go to bed without it. I guess that is one way to cure an addiction. Cold turkey. I am hoping for a good nights sleep, and we are setting off to search the area for a long term rental tomorrow.

The above photos are, in some sort of order, us in PA at Dan's before we left, an example of fellow motorists on the highways of Mexico, Brandi and the kids at a self-made rest area, Alan and Alex in the driveway of our current home, and Brandi and Alan in front of a tree growing in the middle of the street in front of our current home in Ajijic.