It’s a good thing there are lots of people out there that are good at keeping you occupied by blogging on a regular basis. Because if you had to rely on just me, I might get fired from my non-paying blogging duties. Don’t get my wrong, I love blogging but I not only need to feel the inspiration to blog, but also need to have the extra time to do so. I have had neither the last week, and I apologize, mostly because I have self imposed guilt over it (that I cannot figure out), and also because maybe you actually noticed and have been yearning for me to bitch about something! (ha ha not)
Lots of my friends are asking me how things are going since I’ve moved back north. I must be really good at adapting, really lucky, or actually really like where I’m living. I think it’s a combination of all of the above because I seem to be doing quite well.
In terms of the basics (housing, furniture, employment), I was pretty lucky. I was able to acquire & set up my apartment relatively easy which was a huge relief. I was able to get some down time in between all the running around to catch up with old friends and be a tourist in my own city (JJ & Marsha visit, Dee 1 day visit). I was able to acquire the job I wanted when I was ready to work, without having to apply to thousands of places and go on hundreds of interviews. So, for all of that, I am thankful because if it was difficult to do any of these, I may have been miserable and returned to Mexico already. (I know that some of you secretly wished this had happened, mostly for your own selfish reasons, and I thank you for that, because I miss being around you too! But alas, I seemed to have figured it out!)
How am I dealing with the weather? So far so good. When I arrived it was summer and I got to spend plenty of time out by the pool. Fall so far has been really beautiful with lots of sun and crisp air. Diesel loves running at the park and I love taking him out. In Cancun he didn’t have anywhere to run freely except the beach, and unfortunately, he didn’t get to run as often as he can now, since I didn’t have the beach as my back yard.
There have only been a few days of rain that I’ve had to deal with and I say, “So what!”. It rains, it’s part of life, and it helps clear out pollution so that’s a good thing. When it starts raining weeks at a time, I’ll come back and take my words back. Until then, things are ok. It is colder, and I do bitch about it whenever I get the chance. Mostly to my family because I know they wanted me back here and I like to make them feel like it’s their fault it’s cold out. Fact is, my blood is thinner and I feel it more than everyone else. Not to mention, I didn’t exactly move back with tons of warm jeans and sweaters. So I’ve had to fill in the blanks in terms of filling my closet with all things warmer.
That leads me to shopping for clothing. This has been interesting because I’ve struggled with fashion. I will always find a good deal on things so I’m not crying over having to spend money on clothes. What I’m crying about is what the hell is my style anyways???? Since I have to wear completely different clothes than what I’m use to, I don’t know what to buy or how to wear it or what. I’m use to dressing half naked and let me tell you, it’s a lot easier than having to worry about matching coats with shoes with outfits and belts and tights and boots, etc. Lordy. As a result I think I’ve bought some things that aren’t my style at all but had no clue because what do I know?
Shopping for groceries is a whole new topic as well because there are expensive places to shop and cheap places to shop. This has been a learning experience for me. I now know where to buy my vegetables and fruits at (the market by my house….always fresh fresh fresh and always cheap!), my bulk food items, and the rest of my groceries and beauty items.
It seems I have to go to 3 or 4 different locations which is no different from what I did in Cancun, but it took me a while to figure out WHICH ones to go to and as a result, I probably wasted a lot of money and a lot of time. I think I finally have it sorted out now though.
I’ve also probably gained about 10 pounds. I believe this is most certainly due to the fact that I’m finally around the foods I’ve missed so much and have over-indulged. Not to mention, there’s so much stuff out there I’ve wanted to try and HAVE. I think I finally have it out of my system although on the weekends I still like to have some Nibs and a bag of Ketchup Chips. I’ll let you know when I get sick of those (NEVER).
What do I miss? I miss my friends in Cancun. I miss the beach. Oh the beach the lovely beach. I promised myself that if I ever moved to Cancun, I would go to the beach every weekend. I kept pretty true to that promise and although I missed some weeks here and there, in general, my life revolved around that white sand and beautiful turquoise blue water. I also miss certain ways of life that I can’t really put into words and I miss speaking Spanglish and having people understand todo.
What don’t I miss? Go read the archives of Mexico Way. LOL. And that’s not the half of it. This is the point where I shut up.
What’s going on in my head? Generally I do a lot of comparing. I compare so many things that are silly to compare. I compare the toilets at my current employment to the toilets at my previous employment in Cancun. I mix things up like my password at my new work and type in my password at my old job (yet I don’t do this at home). I compare my car here to my car there (my ’98 Escort is a frickin luxury vehicle compared to my Chevy Monza 2000 in Cancun). I compare masses of people here to masses of people in Mexico. I compare the way people think. I bitch at the fact that it’s harder to be late for things here, than it is to be late for things there. I compare the fact that I probably look like an alcoholic to the people here (when I go out that is), and yet am totally on par with the drinking habits of people down there. So in general, I compare. I compare and I compare. And I’m not sure it will stop but in all honesty, I like comparing. It keeps me grounded, it reminds me that I’m a different person, and it makes me realize that what I’ve done is pretty frickin cool.
There are people out there that look at me, and talk to me, and have no idea where I’ve been, what I’ve gone through or what I’ve done. Even my friends here that know more about my life in Mexico can’t ever really know what it was really like. As a result, I feel like I am walking around with a big secret…..grinning in a way that makes people wonder what the heck it is I’m thinking about…..
......I like my secret and wouldn't change it for the world. Good & bad.
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