I was having lunch with Joanne and Carole one day. We were brainstorming about what to do that afternoon.
Joanne enjoys driving and we all enjoy exploring. We decided to venture out of the city and head north to the pueblo of Pabellon de Arteaga.
We had expected a small town. We were pleasantly surprised at how big and quaint it was. The main street through town was crowded with a variety of shops and businesses. There was even more than one Oxxo!
We all preferred the quaint old church compared with the big modern one.
Joanne and Carole opted to stay in the car while I wandered through the plaza across from the church. I snapped these two photos.
No idea what the second one is supposed to be other than it was kind of dilapidated. At one time a miniature train ran through there but the track was broken now.
When I come back next winter I plan on spending a few days walking the streets in Pabellon.
Yesterday morning I bundled up in leggings,a turtleneck and a fur-lined quilted vest. The occasion? Headed to the airport for a flight back to Washington? Or Canada? Nope. Just a one block walk to the lavenderia. It was a balmy 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Mexico—-the country of sunshine and heat. Not yesterday. We’ve actually been going through quite the cold spell. We even had pouring rain the other day. And last night’s overnight low hovered in the low 30s.
I’ve been drinking way too much coffee and cocoa to keep warm while I’m writing. Caffeine overload. I do switch to herbal tea at night though. And hot oatmeal in the morning has become the norm.
I’ve stopped asking Alexa for the daily forecast. Cold, cold and more cold. Can’t wait to get up to Culiacan in a couple of weeks to warm up.
I came across this quote the other day and it intrigued me.
Keeping busy is a wonderful defence mechanism for avoiding the things that really need your attention and avoiding feeling the things you really need to feel.
Everyone is curious as to when exactly I am leaving Mexico this year. I don’t know the answer to that at the moment. I haven’t even decided how I’m going to get to where I’m going. But I think I need to figure out where I’m going first.
Maybe I need to ponder that quote a little more and take a few things off my calendar this week. Is it really time to start thinking about where I’ll be about a month from now?
0ne of my writing friends challenged me to write a post about unusual things that have happened in my life throughout the years since I left Winnipeg. Interestingly enough, some of these do involve travel back to Winnipeg. This is a real challenge as I’m only supposed to choose one thing per year. Here goes!
2010. As if moving to Culiacan wasn’t unusual in itself, I’d have to say that the trip on El Chepe in the Copper Canyon stands out. I headed for the bus station in Culiacan and looked up at the departures on the board. A bus to Mazatlan in a half hour, a bus to Los Mochis in twenty minutes. Hmmmm. Los Mochis. Sure. Why not? When I got there I was in a taxi where by some miracle the driver spoke English. I asked him what there was to do in the area. He told me about the train. He took me to a hotel that had a travel agent. She arranged a package for me and the next morning I was on the train. And I really must add that it was on this trip that I met Angie and her family. We are still great friends and I spent this past New Years holiday with them all in Tlalnepantla, Jilotzingo and Pachuca.
2011. Definitely my escape from Irapuato to Tlaquepaque. A school had flown me down to Mexico from Canada but never lived up to their end of the bargain. I wasn’t interested in working more hours for less money. They never came through with renewing my work visa or providing a health plan. I received a phone call on a Saturday night from a school in Tlaquepaque with a job offer. I packed up my suitcase and Sunday morning I was on a bus headed for Guadalajara. I started at the new school Monday morning.
2012. Knee surgery number one. Terrified. My mother had died having knee replacement surgery. I returned to Winnipeg and rented a room in the lower level of a duplex. Of course there were steps to get into the house which meant walker to cane and back to walker for the first little while. And my walker didn’t fit through the bathroom door. And the laundry room was in the basement. Not conducive to recovering from knee surgery. But I did it and headed back to Guadalajara in the fall.
2013. Back to Winnipeg for knee surgery number two. This time I lucked out and was able to rent a house that had been completely renovated for a handicapped individual. Wheelchair ramp at the front door, walk in shower with a bench, lots of room to maneuver a walker…. I was in heaven! And recovery time was much faster. Soon I was on my way back to Mexico.
2014. I discovered that teaching Business English was a lot more lucrative than teaching ESL. I ventured into areas of Guadalajara that were new to me as I taught on site. I taught in high security buildings for private companies and government offices, as well as in places such as Fedex.
2015. I had just moved to Mazatlan when I found myself on a plane to Toronto to meet up with a group en route to Punta Cana for my daughter’s wedding. Kimmy wanted a destination wedding and chose the Dominican. It was quite the trek for me but as all moms know, you do anything for your kids. It was a beautiful wedding and I have wonderful memories, but in all honesty I was very happy to return home to Mexico.
2016. I had a leading role in a murder mystery dinner theater and was winding down my teaching career with a handful of private students when a friend I’d met in Mazatlan invited me to come to Leavenworth, Washington for a visit. I thought it was the prison place until I realized Kansas was home to that one. So off I went for two weeks, only I wound up staying for four months. One morning I got up and there was this white stuff on the ground. I hightailed it back to Mazatlan.
2017. I had this really strong gut feeling that I wanted to be with my son on Mother’s Day. I’m glad I did. That’s the last time I was in Winnipeg and I haven’t seen Kyle since. I certainly hope Canada can get it’s act together so that I can go to Winnipeg this summer.
2018. My granddaughter Madeline was born. On my way back to Leavenworth I flew up to Canada first to see her. My daughter now has a daughter of her own. I remember holding Madeline for the first time. Exciting and emotional. It was really hard to leave and I cried all the way from Belleville to Toronto on the train.
2019. This was the year I discovered Aguascalientes. I arrived in January after spending three months in San Ciro de Acosta. I had a list of museums and art galleries and visited them all. But there was still more to explore and I came back in October to spend the winter. Besides, Las Flores was beginning to feel like home. I am very comfortable in my room on Begonias and Raul is the most amazing landlord ever.
2020. March already? I was anxious to go to Winnipeg to see Kyle. Oh oh. Covid arrived. My six months in Aguascalientes turned into eleven when I sought asylum and was given an extra six months as I chose to stay in Mexico to ride out the pandemic. What I never told my kids was that when Covid first hit and people were panicking and packing airports and dealing with canceled flights, I’d been in bed with the flu for a few days. Who knows? It may have even been Covid. There was no testing being done back then. I finally made it to Leavenworth in September when I was able to secure health coverage that included Covid.
2021. My 180 days in the USA are almost up and the CDC issued a Level 4 Do Not Travel To Canada advisory. I retained an attorney and once again sought asylum. It was granted and I remained in Washington for twelve months instead of the usual six.
2022. It’s early yet. I’ll have to wait and see what unusual thing wins this year, not that there haven’t been a few that are definitely in the running already.
And now for the far from usual but the one thing that spans the more than decade since I left Winnipeg. That first year in Mexico when I worked at Senda, Juan and I taught together and became good friends. He wanted to improve his English and I desperately needed to learn Spanish. Juan’s wife Lucila used to pick us up from school and drive me home. At the time their son Juan Carlos was a year old. To make a long story short, they adopted me. This was huge to me. Coming to a foreign country solo, my own kids back in Canada, I now had family again. Juan and Lucila now have four sons and I am the proud abuelita of four amazing grandsons. Can’t wait to hug them all later this month when I go to Culiacan.
I have hundreds of readers and followers all over the world. Obviously most of you I have never met in person. I’m gratified that you enjoy my posts, and I often read blogs from people I’ve never met either.
I seldom post photos of myself. I also usually take terrible selfies, but I thought I’d share this one that I took just the other day. It’s tolerable. This is me.
Like many of you, I love coffee. Actually I more than love it. It’s mandatory if I’m ever to reach a state of consciousness in the morning. It goes without saying that it must be high octane. Decaf just doesn’t quite do it for me.
Another day, another natural disaster. This time it was an earthquake in Oklahoma. Centered around Medford and registered as a 4.5, tremors were felt in several other states as well. This is starting off to be quite a year for weather.
Today is Groundhog Day up north. Wonder if the little guy will see his shadow. Will there be another six weeks of winter? I hope not. I’m headed up north next month.
Here in Mexico today is tamale day. Whoever found the baby in the rosca on Kings Day provides the tamales. I was in Pachuca for that one. Thank goodness I didn’t find the baby or I would be headed back there and it’s a long commute.
I’ll leave you with one of my favorite quotes that has also been added to my list of mantras.
There is no such thing as a typical week for me here in Aguascalientes, or for that matter anywhere I live. I do not thrive on routine. To me the word “routine” is a four letter word, along with the word “normal”, neither of which can be used to describe my life.
My characters are still talking to me so I’ve been doing a lot of writing, sometimes at 4 am. I do prefer to write during the day, but after experiencing writer’s block for several months, I’m extremely grateful for writing time regardless of the hour.
I did my usual morning run to the lavenderia. The day varies as I’ve grown quite accustomed to sipping that first cup of coffee and lounging around in bed checking emails and playing Candy Crush before I head out. But when I get close to running out of clean clothes, I brave the cold 40 degree mornings and go to the lavenderia. My reward is to pick up my clothes a few hours later, clean and neatly folded and ready to be put away.
I had a four hour fitness training on Zoom the other day from Washington. It was great to connect with everyone again and I’m looking forward to teaching again when I get back.
Joanne and I hit Costco the other day and here are two of my treasures……cheddar cheese and everything bagel. No idea how many steps we got in, but it was quite a few.
Joanne and I go for some pretty wild drives and have seen some really interesting areas in this city where I’m guessing most gringas don’t venture to. But we do!😜
Went for a haircut the other day. Last one with Paulina until I come back in the fall. Delighted to find a stylist here who actually knows how to layer hair like they do in the USA. And I also enjoy the banter all in Spanish.
I went to the park with Gloria and her daughter Romina. Gloria moves to Tulum next week. I will miss our intercambios and, of course, her delicious empenadas.
A project I’ve been working on this winter is condensing eleven plus years of notes on Spanish grammar and vocabulary into one notebook. And I’m almost done! It’s been a tedious task and I’m grateful to Gloria, Raul and Pedro for their help with grammar. I really understand why my students struggle with learning a second language.
I introduced my friend Carole to Country Break. We had a delightful lunch and I picked up a salad to take home. This amazing salad lasts at least three days and has become a staple in my fridge.
As I write this I’m eating a bowl of pozole and listening to Voodoo Lounge. They don’t go together? In my world they do. I know I’m in Mexico because it’s pozole. And I’ve been a fan of The Rolling Stones for decades.
But as I listen to The Rolling Stones I’m magically beamed back to a hot August night in 1994 mildly buzzed as the smell of pot wafts through the stands of the old Winnipeg stadium. Down below Mick Jagger is strutting his stuff across the stage just as he did back in the 60s when I was a teenager.
Amazing how music can make you travel back in time like it was just yesterday.
So how is your 2022 going? I actually am beginning to wonder why we were all so eager to slam the door on 2021.
With the advent of Omni, I find myself no closer to going back to Canada than I did last year. I have way too many friends now struggling with family crises. I’ve had a few small blips on the radar screen myself this month.
But, ever the optimist, I’m looking forward to the future. February will be a bittersweet month as it’s countdown time until I head up north. It kind of feels like 2020 again when I didn’t know where I was going or how I was getting there.
My playlist for meditation time today will include Matt Redman and Josh Groban in addition to the usual Pachelbel. Lots to contemplate. Lots of people in my life who need prayer.
I was talking to a friend the other day who asked me why I keep returning to Mexico and what my favorite things about this country are. He asked about places and food specifically. So I will delve into those two first.
Places. There are so many beautiful places in this country. I took a spectacular train trip up the Copper Canyon my first winter in Mexico. We stopped in several areas with amazing views and old churches.
The old churches here in Mexico fascinate me. When I lived in Guadalajara, Isaias and I traveled on the weekends to many small towns in the state of Jalisco. And every one of them had a church adjacent to the main plaza, town square. Here in Aguascalientes I have visited several churches as well. And I have always checked out churches in the various places where I’ve lived in Mexico.
I’ve lived in a few very different places. Three small towns I’ve lived in include Irapuato, Rosarito and San Ciro de Acosta. They’re good for shorter stays. Mazatlan was too touristy although the malecon, beach and sunsets are magnificent. Culiacan is definitely not at the top of my list as a single female although I go back often to visit my Mexican family. Guadalajara is an exciting city and there was a time when I thought I might stay there. This is my third year in Aguascalientes and I enjoy the tranquility here.
I’ve stopped looking for that perfect place to settle down in. Instead I’ve learned to appreciate the things each has to offer from museums to art galleries to beaches to mountains and everything in between. I’ve climbed pyramids, explored a silver mine and gone on tequila tours. I’ve visited zoos and amusement parks. It’s been an amazing eleven plus years.
Moving on to food. The award for the best churros definitely goes to Tlaquepaque. The best tamales are in Sinaloa. I actually thought the tortas were the best too. I think Aguascalientes takes the prize for enchiladas. Pizza…definitely Guadalajara, as well as Chinese food and chicken mole. Aguascalientes also has the best gorditas. I discovered the delicious pastes in Pachuca this winter. It’s also a fallacy that all Mexican food is spicy.
However my very favorite thing about Mexico is the people and the culture. I love walking down the street when complete strangers greet me with “Buenos Dias.” I love buying something at a tienda and saying gracias and the vendor says “no, gracias a ti!” I love getting off a bus and the driver says “que tengas un buen dia.” I could go on and on. The rest of North America should take a lesson from this.
And there is always a mañana, another bus, another train. Stress doesn’t exist the same way it does in the USA or Canada.
Can you ever truly leave the past behind without it coming back to haunt you? It was a distant memory until….wham! It hit me in the face again.
Joanne and I were talking about that just the other day. I confided a teenage memory to her, something that at the time drove me up the wall. It was unbelievable how just as the situation had settled down in my life, something happened to revive it. But that was decades ago.
I actually hadn’t thought about that time in ages. The memory was triggered by something one of my friends is currently going through. And I can so identify with it.
I came home and was checking out my Facebook groups. OMG!!!! There’s a whole article in one of them dealing with that exact memory I had shared with Joanne. Now there are literally shivers running up and down my spine.
Sorry readers. I’m not sharing the memory with you. It borders on the illegal. But I needed to vent so this blog is as good a place as any. I mean, what are the chances of all this resurfacing in 2022?
At least geographically I’m thousands of miles away and I haven’t been in contact with the others involved since 1971. That’s a lot of years ago. But honestly, at this minute it feels like yesterday.
So I wonder, do you ever really close the door on the past?
Wednesday, Hump Day and January is more than half over. This week is shaping up to be a lot better than last weekend was.
I watched the two Mamma Mia movies, in Spanish of course. I love the music. The one time I saw Mamma Mia live was at the Concert Hall in Winnipeg. My daughter was with me and I recall that she introduced me to steamers during intermission.
I’ve been in writing mode and my character in crisis is finally settling down. This means less tears for me and a much improved mood. Can’t wait to head up north in March and get my hands on a laptop. I love my tablet, but it isn’t the greatest for writing.
Despite the fact that schools are closed here, it’s been quiet at the park. I enjoy the quiet as I can focus more on my Spanish grammar. I’m consolidating three notebooks I’ve compiled over the years into one and want to make sure I don’t leave out anything.
Sharon and I went out for lunch yesterday and I was delighted to find some decent pizza. However nothing compares with the woodfired pizza in Tlaquepaque. That was the best!
Speaking of Tlaquepaque, I’m planning on heading there next month to visit with friends. Other than the airport, it’s been three years since I’ve spent any time there.
Thanks to social media, this has also been the week of reconnecting with friends who I lived with over the years here in Mexico. They’re now in Bali, Australia, Texas and Maine.
My friend who makes the most amazing empenadas is in Tulum and I’m going through withdrawal. Hope she gets back soon.
Time to put on some 80s music and dive back into my writing.
It’s been a crazy weekend so far, a real roller coaster ride. And I’m trying to get off of it. But it’s a tough struggle.
It started on Friday when I read something on Facebook. And then I made the mistake of reading the obituaries in my hometown newspaper. And if that wasn’t enough, I received malas noticias from a friend here in Mexico. The icing on the cake is the crisis one of my characters is going through, and I can’t get it out of my head.
Time to clear my head. Time for a long walk, by myself. Hoping I don’t bump into anyone because I just don’t feel like talking right now.
Some people call me homeless because I keep moving around. But this woman is truly homeless and she doesn’t move at all. No, she’s camped out on a boulevard on a busy street here in Las Flores.
I walked by a travel agency and saw this interesting poster. I’m thinking it was an old one, before Covid.
Luckily the only person I had to talk to was the server at Country Break. And yes, I ordered a burger to go along with my “comfort food.”
I think the walk helped. Duolingo is calling. Today’s story is a cheesy one about a secret place. I wonder what Junior will be up to today….
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