home-sweet-mexico.com

I’m getting good at handling mosquito bites. If I only scratch them once, they go away in about an hour. The bites I can’t handle are the ones caused by these sneaky little flies, that are like the ones called whitesocks in Alaska. You don’t feel it when the fly is actually biting you, but later you feel this intense itchiness. Not only are the bites more itchy, they are very long lasting. They have little red spots in the middle and last for at least a week, sometimes two. Ug!

Ever since I moved to Mexico my mother has enjoyed having two Mother’s Days. Today, May 10th, is Mother’s Day in Mexico and people everywhere are making their moms feel really special. They are singing her Las Mañanitas, taking her out to eat, giving her flowers, keeping her home from work, giving her candy, buying tamales to eat at home together, giving her jewelery, hugging her, kissing her, singing her praises to others, getting drunk over her memory, driving hours to go home to visit her, taking flowers to her grave, hiring mariachis to sing at her door, calling the radio station and having the D.J. play a song for her, and many more things. Doesn’t that just give you the warm fuzzies?

As an author it is always wonderful to hear from people who are enjoying Mexico: The Trick is Living Here. Frankly, sometimes it’s a little scary knowing that people are using my book to help guide themselves through such a large life-change as working or retiring in Mexico. I wrote my book as honestly and practically as I could, but it’s still good to know from my actual readers that they have found it helpful.

I haven’t done this before, but I decided to publish a short email exchange which I had the privilege of conducting with Bob Brown a retiree in the U.S. who is just about to embark on an exciting adventure in Mexico. Later this year he will be traveling in order to choose the best place for himself to retire in Mexico. Here is what he wrote:

Julia:

… I am thrilled to have found out about you and the valuable information you are providing to those who are considering a move south of the border. This Fall I will be heading to Mexico on a fact finding mission. Approximately ten years ago I visited friends who had purchased a house in Ajijic, in Jalisco. I fell in love with Ajijic, Chapala, and Guadalajara. The area had everything I could possibly need or want to enjoy life to it’s fullest. I have never forgotten the beauty of the land, it’s people, the wonderful food, and the simplicity of life that everyone there seemed to cherish. I’ve recently retired and have decided it’s time to fulfill my dream. Thank you again for your technical support. I plan to finish this email and immediately begin reading your book.
Bob

Bob,
Thank you for your kind reply. I hope that this email finds you enjoying the book!

I always ask people permission to use their kind words about my book and web site to help promote them. Would you mind if I used what you wrote in the email? May I publish your name? I will NOT publish your email.

You are going to have a great time in Ajijic, though I think you’ll find that it has changed a lot. Enjoy the process of finding just the right place for you.

Sincerely, Julia

Julia:

I wouldn’t mind a bit….and yes, you may publish my name. I’ve enjoyed the ebook very much. I look forward to putting a lot of your helpful information to use soon. I understand that there has been quite a lot of development in the Ajijic / Lake Chapala area. Hopefully, not to it’s detriment. I plan to begin my search there and if that doesn’t suit, I have friends in Oaxaca and Merida. The exploration will be the best part.
Thanks again for everything.

Bob

So, Mr. Brown is off and running. This fall he’ll be enjoying the first stages of making his dream of retirement in Mexico come true. If you also dream of retirement in Mexico read about Mexico: The Trick is Living Here.

It’s cinco de Mayo. The funny thing is that in some towns in the U.S. there are funner events than in most places in Mexico. It’s good for the U.S. because for some reason we don’t do much for “May Day.” We need more fun in our country. Don’t you think?

The funny thing is that most people don’t know what cinco de mayo celebrates. It was when Mexican troops won a battle against French troops in 1862.

If you understand Spanish and want to learn more about it here are three randomly selected things about cinco de mayo:

http://www.turismopuebla.com/videos/video/GvhJXVb2GYc

http://www.univision.com/content/content.jhtml?cid=216675#x

http://www.lavisiononline.com/2007/el-cinco-de-mayo

In English:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Puebla

Note: These links are just for interest. I don’t endorse the contents in any way by placing them on my blog. If you know of better or more interesting sources of information on the subject, please comment in the easy form below.

Where ever you are for cinco de mayo, enjoy yourself and be safe.

Someone gave us a whole hand of green bananas hanging on a string. It was quite a gift since bananas have been up to 12 pesos a kilo. (Up from 5 a couple years ago and 8 just a couple weeks ago.) We hung them up in the kitchen and I’m enjoying watching how every day they change color. The yellow spreads upward from the ends, chasing the green up to the stems.

May 1st is worker’s day in Mexico and tomorrow people are taking a well deserved day off. So, if you are retired in Mexico, just relax; banks are closed, schools are closed, you name it is closed–it’s quiet out there.

SEP (the public education system) is giving students an unheard of 5 day weekend starting tomorrow. Since Thursday the 1st and Monday the 5th are holidays, they are canceling classes on Friday and calling it FREEDOM! So if you are traveling, take it easy and expect lots of traffic and delays. The great thing is that it’s a perfect weekend to stay home and enjoy your new home. Expect parades and fun events in your zocalo.

Here are some photos of one of Mexico’s best treats. One of the benefits when you retire in Mexico–that you can’t get anywhere eslse are these delicious tacos served hot and fast, called tacos al pastor. The thin strips of pork are seasoned and mounted on a spit. A pineapple is placed at the top. The cooked meat is sliced off directly into the tortilla by the experienced taquero (man who makes tacos). Finally, he quickly snicks off a slice of warm pineapple and it flies down into the taco forming in his left hand.

Next, he puts finely chopped onion and cilantro onto the taco.

He has to sharpen his knife regularly to keep it sharp.
The tacos are served with a variety of salsas so that you can put your favorite one(s) on. Many people from outside of Mexico forget to squeeze on the fresh lemon juice. This is the most important step, so don’t fail to try it.

Then you fold up the taco and hold all that delicious stuff inside.

We were watching the parrots (these ones called loros) eating from the seedpods from our neighbor’s Guamuchil tree (also called a Pinzan, and who knows how many other names it has). They are such interesting birds, with real characters. When we have our own house in Mexico some day I want one of these trees because there are ALWAYS birds visiting it. People can eat these too, but it’s not the seeds you eat. It’s the white spongy stuff that surrounds the seeds. Here are some pictures. Please don’t copy and paste them without permission.

May 10th is Mother’s Day in Mexico and it’s a very special day in Mexican families. If you are living in Mexico and want to give your mom a special treat, start thinking of ideas now. Many people in Mexico sing their mom Las Mañanitas on Mother’s Day. If you don’t know the song yet you can start studying now.

If you are planning to retire in Mexico, but aren’t quite retired yet, you’ll be glad to know that we are seeing a steady improvement in efficiency. With the increased use of computers, and a new generation of younger people working in official positions, things are getting easier to do–at least here in Morelos. A conversation that I overheard between one of my neighbors and my husband this morning provided evidence of both the efficiency and the newness of it. Our neighbor had gone to get the new license plates required in Morelos (which I wrote about in a previous blog entry) and had taken the entire morning off of work just in case it took as long as he expected. My husband saw him with the plates in hand and confirmed with him that it hadn’t taken long. He happily reported that it had only taken 30 minutes to get the plates.

If 30 minutes doesn’t sound like a short trip to you, compare it to 4 hours or to two trips! You’re going to love it when you retire in Mexico.