Author Archives: iamkaren23

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About iamkaren23

I am a Canadian writer currently living in Aguascalientes, Mexico. When Glad Becomes Sad was published in 2009. Alive Again was published in March of 2015. Both are self-help books. I am currently writing fiction. The first book in the trilogy introduces the reader to a troubled child. In the second book he is diagnosed as being bipolar in his late teenage years. The third and final book in the trilogy follows his struggles as an adult. Estimated publication date is the spring of 2026.
Nov21

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Happy Thanksgiving!

One of the reasons I live where I do here in Mexico is because I want to totally immerse myself in the Mexican lifestyle rather than in the gringo visiting Mexico lifestyle. In my neighborhood very little English is spoken so I have the opportunity to really focus on speaking Spanish. I don’t care what language you speak but it is customary to speak faster in your own native language. I often find myself saying to Mexicans the expression “mas despacio, por favor.”

I also practice speaking Spanish to my Uber drivers. But today I had a very different experience. My Uber driver was Mexican and spoke fluent English. Why? Because he lived in Seattle for sixteen years. Not often that I find a Washingtonian around here. He told me he used to go to Leavenworth and Wenatchee often. He misses Seattle but came back here to Aguascalientes to care for his parents during Covid. He hopes to someday return to Seattle.

I am helping a cafe owner with English. He is a musician and teaches here in Aguascalientes. However he also played with a group on a cruise ship for two months. He has once again been offered a job on another cruise ship so he really wants to practice his English. His wife speaks very little English and I will be doing inter-cambio with her. I really look forward to that because we will both have the opportunity to practice talking with native speakers.

Thursday is American Thanksgiving. I have fond memories of spending this holiday in Mazatlan and in Guadalajara with friends. This year I will be eating at Country Break with my Mexican friends. Hamburgers are on the menu rather than turkey. And that’s okay. I was talking to one of my Wenatchee friends on the phone and we decided we’re going to do a turkey dinner when I get back in the spring.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends. When we look around at all the chaos in the world today, we need to count our blessings for all that we have. And we definitely have a lot to be thankful for. Actually, every single day of our lives should be a day of Thanksgiving. And if you are celebrating the holiday with family, you are even more blessed.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Nov17

Revolution Day

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Revolution Day

I doubt that I’ll be alive thirty years from now but it sure would be interesting to read all the history books at that time. I always found American history far more interesting than Canadian history. And now that I spend so much time here in Mexico, I have become more familiar with this country’s history.

November 20th is an official government holiday and is known as Dia de la Revolucion or Revolution Day. It commemorates the beginning of the Mexican Revolution back in 1910.

Diaz was an army general who served as president from 1876-1911. That’s a thirty-five year term. It’s not surprising that Mexicans felt that they needed a change. Madero, a wealthy landowner, ran against Diaz in the 1910 presidential election. However Diaz jailed Madero.

Madero escaped from jail and on October 6, 1910 he issued the Plan of San Luis Potosi, declaring the results of the 1910 election fraudulent and nullified them. He declared himself the provisional president and encouraged Mexicans to rise up against Diaz on November 20, 1910.

One of the results from the Mexican Revolution was that many Mexicans came up north to live in the United States as legal immigrants. Over one million Mexicans, some undocumented, made their way across the border. It wasn’t until four years later that a border patrol was created.

In 1917, a new constitution put limits on the number of terms politicians could serve. It also introduced new labor laws that included abolishing child labor.

Yes, Mexico has its own colorful history.

Nov9

Reborujado

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Reborujado

This morning I took an Uber over to the Barrio de Salud where my friend Gloria lives. I first met Gloria three years ago. She is Mexican and had a small cafe where she sold Argentinian empanadas and it was only a 15 minute walk from where I lived. Last year she lived in Tulum and I never did get around to visiting her there. But Gloria is back in Aguascalientes and recently opened a small cafe called Reborujado.

First off, Gloria has an amazing professional coffee machine and makes lattes, cappuccinos and the best black coffee in Aguascalientes. For breakfast we feasted on tzatziki… a toasted bolillo with avocado and smothered in the best tzatziki I’ve eaten anywhere.

Gloria makes homemade pasta which I can hardly wait to try another time. Items such as molletes, avocado toast, empanadas, paninis, tortas as well as a variety of teas and smoothies are also available. I adore her empanadas and took some home with me to enjoy later.

If you live in Aguascalientes or are visiting here, I highly recommend that you visit Gloria at Reborujado. The address is La Luna 224 in Barrio de Salud. My feature photo is my friend Gloria and her daughter Romina.

Nov5

Read Listen Watch

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Read Listen Watch

It’s been an interesting week. The war is raging on in the Middle East and there’s lots of coverage in American politics, especially when it comes to Trump. Needless to say I’ve been reading, viewing videos and listening to podcasts.

Yesterday I took a break from all this and went on to YouTube to get my mind off all the craziness in our world. I found a delightful movie that brought back treasured childhood memories.

The movie was Heidi. It was the original film produced in 1937. It was also in black and white and starred Shirley Temple.

For a magical 90 minutes I was transported back in time. Back when children were children. When a snow globe was more fascinating than a videogame. When girls treasured porcelain dolls instead of hyped Barbies.

I admit that I do prefer jeans to dresses but I do remember a time when my mom and I would go downtown on a Saturday and dresses were obligatory. And I remember wearing dresses to school. But Heidi looked so adorable in all those cute little dresses!

It was heartwarming to see the relationship Heidi had with her grandfather and how he was completely transformed by her mere presence. I would have loved to have attended that church with them too.

And now back to reality. Adriana and I went out for a delicious lunch today. And yes it was birria. But I think I need a long walk now followed by some time with Duolingo.

Enjoy your Sunday!

Nov3

Day of the Dead 2023

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Day of the Dead 2023

Today Facebook reminded me that on this date in 2008 I taught my first deep water aquafit class. I’d been teaching shallow water for a while but the workout is very different. Fifteen years ago I’d never even heard of Day of the Dead. But it has become one of my favorite celebrations in Mexico.

Throughout the years I’ve gone to cemeteries in different cities and built alters with students. I’ve eaten pan de muerto and seen many parades. I’ve taken hundreds of photos and videos and have incredible memories of spending time with people from all around the world, not only local Mexicans.

Last night I decided to attend the parade here in Aguascalientes for the first time. I braved the crowds of thousands and secured a perfect viewing spot on Madero near the Plaza in Centro. I’ve been to parades in Mazatlan, Culiacan, Rosarito, Tlaquepaque, Guadalajara and Zapotlanejo. This is the first time I saw people climbing trees or sitting on awnings and rooftops, adults and children alike. There’s nothing like watching a parade up close rather than on TV.

The obligatory police escorts and marchers signaled the beginning of the parade. I admit it was a little daunting at first watching tanks roll by. But they were tanks with friendly faces very different from the ones I’ve seen on newscasts from the Middle East. There were also an amazing number of police doing crowd control.

The floats were awesome! Colorful catrinas and catrins were the highlights. Musicians and dancers entertained the crowds. The costumes were sensational. Children and adults alike vied to catch the treats being thrown out to onlookers.

I’m a people watcher and saw many a face-painted person on the streets that night. The costumes were also interesting and worn by adults as well as children. Hawkers walked by selling all kinds of treats. I have to tell you, the amount of sugar being consumed around me was staggering.

After the parade, spectacular fireworks lit up the sky, a perfect ending to this Mexican celebration.

Oct25

Buenas Tardes

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Buenas Tardes

Between following the world news, American politics and hurricane warnings here in Mexico, it’s been an eventful couple of weeks since I’ve been back. It’s peaceful here in Aguascalientes and I’m quite content to remain here for a while before venturing out to travel again.

Romina’s birthday party was fun and I enjoyed being with Gloria and her family again. Lunch with Lorraine and Victor at Country Break was a must. Joanne and I had breakfast at Palapa de Charly and caught up on seven months of activity. Other friends are starting to arrive in Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta as well.

I’m not one for routine but I do have a couple of things I do regularly. Every morning I say good morning to four friends on What’s App. We’ve been doing this for a while. Lorraine and Victor are here in Aguascalientes, Angie is in Pachuca and Adriana is in Guadalajara. We send each other GIFs and text as well.

I first met Lorraine and Victor two years ago through a mutual friend who no longer lives here. Lorraine is a few years older than me and spent part of her life in Chicago. She likes to speak English with me as she is Mexican and I’m one of her rare friends who speaks English. And she does not want to forget her English. Her son Victor is a few years younger than me and is also Mexican. They came to Aguascalientes from Mexico City a couple of years ago. Our usual meeting place is Country Break.

Angie and I met back in 2010 on a train ride up in the Copper Canyon. She is Mexican but was also an English teacher, also retired now. I’ve gotten to know her family and last year we were all together to celebrate New Years in Jilotzingo. Angie and I are planning to get together somewhere in Mexico in January this winter.

Adriana is a former student as well as an accountant. Never fond of grammar, she arranged for tamales and other food to be delivered to my classroom at just the right moment. Adriana also introduced me to the fine art of sucking candy through a straw. Occasionally we also send each other good night GIFs.

Another routine that is new to me this year is practicing Tai Chi at night before going to bed. It’s a great way to relax and I’m hoping that in time it will have the same effect as the Doozies that are not available down here.

Dia de Los Muertos, Day of the Dead, is coming up next week and I can hardly wait. It’s one of my favorite holidays here in Mexico and has quite a unique view of death and the spirit world. Partying in the cemetery is very different from the somber atmosphere in cemeteries in the USA and Canada. Creating alters and organizing parades are also characteristic of this holiday. I’ll likely write a post about it next week.

Tomorrow is my daughter’s eighth anniversary. Can’t believe it’s been eight years since we were all together in Punta Cana celebrating her wedding. Happy Anniversary Kimmy and Tarrant!

Oct18

Birria

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Birria

Birria has its roots in Jalisco and I was first introduced to it at a street market in Miravalle when I lived in Tlaquepaque years ago. Of course I had no idea that it was goat and by the time I found it what it was I was already hooked.

Birria is a stewed meat dish with a variety of seasonings including chili peppers. In some places lamb or beef is used rather than goat. In Wenatchee I found a place that had birria on the menu but it was beef. Staff there told me that goat wouldn’t readily be accepted by Washingtonians. I opted to wait until I got back to Mexico to find the real thing.

Two doors down from where I live in Aguascalientes, there is a small restaurant that specializes in birria. Today I picked up two tacos for lunch and they were awesome. I passed on the spicy pepper on the side, but did pour on the sauce and the onions along with a squirt of lime on top.

On the plus side goat meat is a healthier option than red meat. But not on the plus side is the amount of saturated fat in the sauce that accompanies the tacos. Everything in moderation is my belief.

Although birria is commonly served on festive occasions, there are an abundance of restaurants in Mexico where you can find birria on their daily menus. And of course there are always the restaurants that specialize and serve birria such as the one on the corner of my street.

Oct14

Back in AGS 2023

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Back in AGS 2023

A government shutdown was avoided so the air traffic controllers stayed on the job and I arrived as scheduled on Monday in Puerto Vallarta. I dodged Hurricane Lidia by a day and arrived in Aguascalientes by bus at 4 am on Tuesday. Raul, my landlord extraordinaire, picked me up and brought me home where I slept a good part of the day.

With all the craziness going on in the world today, it was comforting to come home to my familiar barrio of Las Flores. I’ve spent the last few days wandering around and renewing acquaintances. My neighbors are the same as last year and my Spanish got a workout. None of them speak English. Everyone remembers me and are very welcoming. I think I bought more stuff at my corner tienda than all the rest of his regular customers combined. I picked up food at a cocina and the lady was quite interested in hearing about my time up north. The lady at the candy store welcomed me back. Yes I’m still addicted to chocolate. I was at a gift shop today picking up a few things. I’m invited to a 5-year-old’s birthday party tomorrow. The lady at the gift shop asked me how my friends in Washington liked the things I’d bought for them when I left in March. And of course my friend Chui still has his potato chip operation only two doors down from where I live.

But yesterday was Friday the 13th and I’m glad that’s over with. I woke up to no internet. Thankfully it reappeared later in the day. But the real fiasco was at Telcel where my chip didn’t work in my new phone. AT&T insists the phone is unlocked and Telcel says it isn’t. So for the time being I’m carrying around two phones until I get it sorted out. A big thank you to Raul for coming with me and translating. The people at Telcel were having problems understanding him and he’s even Mexican. Raul has the patience of a saint as he kept changing the chips from phone to phone. So it appears that I am now using my old phone for Telcel and my new phone for everything else at the moment.

I’m going to end this post on a more somber note. Thank you to everyone who has been praying for my family and friends in Israel. Your texts are comforting and greatly appreciated. Here in Mexico planes are being sent to evacuate over 700 Mexicans from Israel. There is no escaping this horrible war. It has affected everyone everywhere. Unfortunately there is no end in sight and all we can do now is continue to pray.

Oct6

Last Post From Washington For A While

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Last Post From Washington For A While

This has been a very emotionally draining week. Every year it gets harder to say goodbye to friends for six months. This is my eighth year here and my close friends are my family. The ties grow stronger with every year that I’m here.

Steve came over on Monday and we reminisced a little about Mexico and how I wound up becoming a snowbird between Mexico and Washington state. Of course that first visit back in 2016 wound up stretching to four months instead of the intended two weeks. The snow chased me away that year.

Connie, Joyce and I went out for drinks on Tuesday. We taught fitness classes together in Leavenworth. Joyce moved to Wenatchee, I’m in East Wenatchee and Connie is still in Leavenworth. The three of us don’t see each other nearly as often as we used to.

Joanne and I went out for dinner on Tuesday. She is the reason why Cashmere was selected as a home to Spirit of America. Joanne corralled me as a volunteer at Apple Days for several years and this year at the 9/11 service. She wanted me at Octoberfest and Pioneer Days this coming weekend but I had to bow out as it’s my last weekend before I leave for Mexico. But Joanne already has other volunteer opportunities lined up for me when I return in April.

On Wednesday I bid a fond farewell to Lisa at Shears. But the good news is that she already has me in her appointment book for when I return in April. Flights booked and hair appointment made. Let’s get our priorities straight here.

Yesterday Linda and I got together one last time and we finished watching the last three episodes of The Lincoln Lawyer. Linda and I go back to our days of doing craft and play at VBS. And I even got her out to a couple of Tai Chi classes this year.

Tai Chi. Now this was a really gut-wrenching goodbye today. I have taught a lot of fitness classes, participated in a lot of fitness classes, but never before have met such an amazing group of people who are so positive and so encouraging. We show up long before class starts just to schmooze. We compare war stories about cataracts and other surgeries. Our fearless leader is eighty-nine years young and it was quite emotional as we hugged each other goodbye this afternoon. My Tai Chi buddies presented me with a farewell card, a Thanksgiving card and a vase of flowers. And of course we all hugged and I admit my eyes were welling with tears.

Other goodbyes were to places. Last trip into Leavenworth where the trees are beginning to change color. Last visit to Cashmere to see my tree, scarecrows and Halloween decorations. And I guess it’s really time to go because I picked up my annual Kinkade calendar. 2024 is coming fast.

This is my last post from East Wenatchee. I won’t be posting again until I get settled back in Aguascalientes.

Take are and remember…life is for the living, so live!

Sep30

Tedious Tasks

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Tedious Tasks

Just over a week left and so many last minute things to do.

For example, Crumbl Cookies opened up in Wenatchee last week and we just had to try them out. Yep. Made the mistake of looking at the website and was drooling. There are six flavors and we opted for a box of four to share including milk chocolate chip, pink velvet, brookie and banana cream pie. Cookie butter white chip and pumpkin cheesecake will be for next time.

Then there was the day Linda and I continued our binge watching of The Lincoln Lawyer. Only three episodes left and those are coming up on Wednesday afternoon. When I’m in Mexico I watch very little TV and it’s primarily in Spanish not in English.

Charlene and I finally got to the golf club for lunch again. It was a rainy day in Leavenworth but the view and the food are excellent. Somehow that wound up being a three hour lunch. But it will be our last one until I return in April.

And of course I had to visit my tree in Cashmere. The leaves are just starting to change color but I doubt that the red maple will be in its full fall glory before I leave next week. That’s okay. I have wonderful friends who visit my tree and send me pics when I’m in Mexico.

On a more serious note, I spent all day yesterday sorting through documents, packing up artwork, going through clothes, deciding on what jewelry to leave and what to take as well as bubble wrapping some breakables. One of my leave suitcases is fully packed. Yes, I now have two suitcases that I leave. The first year I came here all I left behind was a ski jacket. I’ve accumulated a lot more since 2016. And I travel with only one suitcase and a backpack.

Today’s projects include organizing passwords, online banking and buying travel health for Mexico. Next comes figuring out how to burn music to my laptop and back it up on a drive. Then I can leave the external disc drive and all the CDs behind. While I do adore Spotify, there are some things that just aren’t available. And they’re not on You Tube either.

Que tengas un buen fin de semana!