On a Mexican radio

Spring Break '09

2009-04-15T16:46:00.004-05:00

It's been almost a year and a half since my last post on this blog. Since then we've moved, I've survived another horrible pregnancy, my family survived another pregnancy, I had another sweet baby girl, and survived months of her being super sick. Lucy, the new sweet baby, is doing much better, as am I and the rest of the family, so we are embarking on another trip - albeit not as extended nor exotic as the last trip. But I'm really looking forward to it. I've posted our itinerary on the left, although that is really just my itinerary. Jed flies from Sacramento to Toronto and then spends some time in Minnesota, Utah and Chicago before he and I meet up in New York for our trip to Ireland. Zoe and Lucy will only be in California and Utah, well, until our road trip home. That is going to be my favorite part because driving cross country with two small children is always a raging party.

So early tomorrow morning we, all four of us, will be enjoying the comfort of a seven hour flight to Cali for my brother's wedding. Should be really fun! I'll post some pictures...

Cheers to another long trip!

Adios, Mexico!

2007-12-13T18:09:00.000-06:00

To tie up a few loose ends...

2007-12-13T17:33:00.000-06:00

First, I'm only bringing souvenirs back for a few people. I don't like people giving me junk and I don't want to give people junk, so unless I found something I think is perfect for you, I won't bring you something back. Don't be offended. I'm sparing you from having to receive a gift with false gratitude and from feeling like you have to wear it or display it on your bookshelf whenever I come to your house.

Second, thank you so very, very much to everyone who has kept in touch with me during this trip, especially with my sparse internet and phone service. And especially during the holiday seasons when everyone is incredibly busy. I've had some hard times here and the emails you've sent and posts you've made on this blog have been a tremendous support. Plus it's nice to know I'm not forgotten...I've certainly not forgotten any of you.

Third, a lot of the people we met in Mexico don't have computers, but to those of you who do and may be reading this, I'd like to express a very sincere thank you. The kindness we've received during our stay in Mexico means so much to us and will never be forgotten. Remember to look us up if you are ever in Chicago!

Finally, I'm about to finish posting about the time we spent in California before we traveled to Mexico. We spent almost a week staying with our great friends, the Lipmans. I'll posted the Cali posts in chronological order so they'll at the beginning of this blog.

Here are a few pictures of our last place in Sayulita...

(An iguana chillin' in the "Green Iguana Sanctuary" tree a couple houses down.)

(Geri and Larry relaxing on the balcony.)

(Jed and Zoe relaxing on the balcony.)

(Sunset view from the balcony.)

Observations

2007-12-13T08:00:00.000-06:00

A few observations and lessons learned:

- Roosters crow all day and all night long, not just in the morning. And they hang out in trees.

- Giant flying cockroaches really do exist.

- With the exception of ice cream, which is more like custard, desserts in Mexico are bland.

- Some people, actually most people (residents and visitors), in Mexico could do everyone a favor by not letting their dogs roam, or at least cleaning up after! Especially on the beach!!! I think I've seen two dogs on a leash this entire trip. Bless their owners! And dogs should be spayed or neutered or whatever it is.

- Driving in Mexico is like driving in Chicago minus the traffic regulations, traffic signs and left hand turning lanes (they are on the right there). Passing on curvy mountain roads at break-neck speed should be illegal. The many little crosses on the side of the roads should be adequate reminder of why this law should exist.

- Not all purified water is equal.

- "Around the corner," "starts at 7:00pm," "down a ways," etc. is very is relative, and sometimes completely inaccurate.

- Always agree with taxi drivers on the cost of your ride before you get into their car. And be thankful you've done this when your taxi driver stops to get directions from other drivers and pedestrians, and makes your very, very late to church.

- Listening to someone speak fluent Spanish but without a trace of a Spanish accent is hilarious. :)

- Mexicans like living in the jungle. They like it so much that they line their patios, yards, and the inside of their houses with very large plants. Sometimes they even paint the walls in their house like the jungle so that you can't really tell when you step in and when you step out. There must be trees and plants everywhere.

- French fries and ketchup are very different in Mexico than what we are used to in the states. I prefer the kind in the states.

- "Celebrities" vacation in Mexico.

- Only an idiot would move to Mexico and not learn Spanish.

- If you're not the kind of person who "will eat anything" make sure to find out what's being served before you dig in. For example, I prefer not to eat cow tongue and intestines.

- Mexicans do not abide by the keep-a-bible-distance-between-you-and-your-dance-partner rule. You'd be lucky to wedge a piece of cling wrap between them when they dance. And they manage to stay glued together throughout a lot of fast paced movement, and they can do it holding drinks and flan.

- Grocery stores in Mexico do not refrigerate eggs.

- Mexico has the BEST coconut yogurt; it's like dessert. If you're ever in Mexico and want to try it, LaLa is the brand.

- With the exceptions of air conditioning and a washing machine, I can happily live with a lot less than I'm used to.

Our last night in Mexico

2007-12-12T23:00:00.002-06:00

I really can't believe we are going home tomorrow. I don't have mixed emotions about going back, I'm excited. I'm giddy with excitement. I'm also very relieved and I will be even more so when we finally land on US soil. Mexico has been an amazing adventure, but I'm exhausted. Two months really isn't that long of a time, but I feel like I've been here a lot longer...about six months. I'd do it again, but with a few changes that I think would make a huge difference.

Tonight was our last night in Mexico, and aside from my growing need to get back to the states, it's great timing. For the past 12 days Mexico has been celebrating their main virgin (k- that sounds kind of funny) the Virgin de Guadalupe. Here she is on Wikipedia if you're interested. To celebrate Guadalupe there have been small parades every night, along with bands, street food and fireworks. The fireworks go off randomly throughout the day and night, of course. Tonight was the final and main night of celebration. There was a bigger parade with more horses, bands, dancers and floats. Plus hundreds of people, loads of food, and a TON of fireworks.

After spending a crazy, stormy day out on the ocean in a little boat clinging to Zoe and Geri wondering why in the world I agreed to take myself and my daughter out in the ocean after I nearly died out there less than a week ago, and starting to wonder if Jed made a mistake marrying me instead someone more adventurous, I felt obligated to join in the festivities for Guadalupe. I'd been perfectly happy to stay home and pack, but everyone else wanted to go out, so we found a restaurant overlooking the plaza to eat dinner. Here are some pictures I took during dinner.

You can't really tell in this picture, but the float couldn't turn because the red car was parked too close to the corner. This stopped the parade until a bunch of guys picked up the car and moved it out of the way. It was kind of funny.

Later in the night crowds of people gathered around these horses to see them dance. I've never seen "dancing horses" before - they were pretty amazing.

Two hours after I took this picture this plaza and the streets around it were so full of people that there was standing room only.

Geri and Larry at dinner.

Me, Z and Jed.

My surf bum

2007-12-12T17:57:00.000-06:00

Here are a few pictures of Jed and his surf instructor Carlos surfing in La Lancha...

Yummy

2007-12-11T22:55:00.000-06:00

Have you ever seen a piña colada this big?!

Sunday picnic

2007-12-11T16:42:00.000-06:00

Last Sunday we remembered the hour time difference between Sayulita and PV right before we got to church, so we were very late and just had the cab driver turn around and take us to a bus stop so we could go home. This Sunday we made it to most of the first meeting. The Ixtapa building is new and beautiful.

After church we drove to La Lancha, near La Cruz Huanacaxtle, to have a picnic on the beach. We had to hike a little bit to get to the beach, but it was worth it - the sand and water were beautiful.

Fish tacos

2007-12-11T16:00:00.001-06:00

A week ago we moved to a new place in Sayulita. It is by far the nicest place we've stay during this trip. It's almost completely insect free! I love it!!! We also have a/c, an oven and stove that work, a microwave, ceiling fans that work, hot water, plenty of space and a fantastic maid! I love her! She does our laundry for us! Hallelujah!

My mother-in-law, Geri, and my father-in-law, Larry, joined us here last Wednesday. It's been wonderful to have them here. Zoe loves, loves spending time with Geri, and I'm slowing regaining my sanity. I'm turning back into a happy mommy.

Saturday night Zulma came over to make fish tacos and ceviche, which were fantastic as usual. We finally convinced her to sit and eat with us. We've also been trying to convince her to come visit us in the U.S., but she thinks she'll "die from the cold", even if she comes during the summer. :)

The beach in Sayulita

2007-12-11T15:00:00.000-06:00

The beach in Sayulita is different from any other beach we've been to on our trip. There are a lot of people, mainly gringos, and a lot of dogs. If you read Jed's post on Sayulita, you can probably envision the beach here.

It's harder to take Zoe to because she follows any dog she can around until it either scares her or plays with her, and there are always a bunch of "street dogs" on the beach. Street dogs are not the best animal for your toddler to hang around with. Aside from the dogs, I actually like this beach. All of the surfers, swimmers, beach bums, music, peddlers, and restaurants makes the beach come to life. Here are some pictures taken at the beach...

If I look a bit traumatized in the photo above, it's because I was - I am. Last week I almost died while I was in the ocean (I'm completely serious), although I'm still too freaked out about it to blog about it right now. My father-in-law took this picture right after it happened, while I was telling Jed about it. Jed said I've got bragging rights about my "battle scars" and I guess I should have taken pictures of my leg all bloodied up, but that wasn't really something I was thinking about at the time.

My birthday...

2007-12-11T13:00:00.000-06:00

Celebrating my birthday here was different, mostly because it didn't really seem like my birthday; there was no snow, no Christmas lights, no cake, no friends. I was pretty sick and our plans didn't go as we expected, but overall it was a nice day.

I decided I wanted to go to the beach and a brunch restaurant I really like in San Pancho. For what seemed like the second time during our trip, it was overcast. But it was still pretty hot. The beach was fun, although we didn't get to stay there very long because Zoe started having a hard time.

So we went to brunch and I ate some fantastic chilaquiles. Zulma taught me how to make them, and when I get back I'll make them for anyone who wants to try them.

I was feeling so sick that we went home right after brunch to take naps. Then we made one more attempt at a birthday celebration and went to a restaurant on the beach for dinner. Zoe was surprisingly good, and so was the food. We had a great time.

And, Emily, here's me and my piña...

One our way home Jed had to stop at an internet cafe to find out how to get to church the next day, so Zoe and I walked around Sayulita. I met a Mexican guy who was familiar with Chicago, and it was so fun to hear someone name streets and describes places from my home!

Sayulita

2007-12-10T11:00:00.000-06:00

From Bucerias we moved to Sayulita, and stayed in a place that was cleaner and newer than any other place we'd stayed. It was also much, much nicer than any of the other "houses" around it, so we kind of stood out as gringos. We were without a microwave, washer and dryer, hot water, and a/c, but it was nice and roomy! We also had a little yard for Z to play in, and access to the roof. I tried laying out up there on my birthday, but I kept having to flick spiders off of me, so I went back inside. I was also weird to be hanging out in my swimming suit with construction workers one lot over and a lady hanging her laundry to dry right next door. She was so close I could've stepped from my roof to hers and helped her out.

(Jed and Zoe, with her "crazy hair", in the yard.)

The place was nice, but the insects were not. I was more bothered by the insects there than anywhere else we've been. But I guess that's what you get when you are living in the middle of the jungle. Having geckos everywhere was kind of fun, but they always caught me by surprise.

(Jed emptying a coconut he cracked open.)

The caretaker of the place, Zulma, is the sweetest, coolest woman. She'd come over to make sure things were okay, or teach us how to cook something authentic, and we'd always end up hanging out for awhile. She seemed to get a kick out of my annoyance with the cucarachas. One night we went over to her place and chatted while Zoe played her dogs and chickens - it was fun and relaxing.

(Zulma and Jed making some awesome fish tacos.)

Sayulita is also where Zoe starting showing her computer genius potential.

Bucerias

2007-12-09T15:28:00.000-06:00

Fantastic news - I have high speed internet now and I'm typing on my Mac, so no more funky punctuation. And now I get to play catch-up. I know it's lame in the blogosphere to post multiple posts a day, but oh well, I will be doing it anyway. I'm hoping to get be completely caught up journaling our time in Mexico before we leave this coming Thursday. So here I go...

A couple weeks ago we were staying in Bucerias, a town just north of Nuevo Vallarta. It wasn't really a week full of excitement and fun (we all got sick - if you ever want to know how a Mexican pharmacist made me cry, just ask - Jed finally got his computer to work, etc.), so most of the pictures I took during that week aren't worth sharing. But since Zoe's rash was healing pretty quickly we did get to go to the beach a couple of times. Here are some picture taken during our time in Bucerias...

These pictures were taken during a walk we took after church on the Sunday we were there.

Zoe loves putting sand in her hair. She does it every time we get on a beach.

Note that I'm still in my Sunday dress, which I made. Kind of. A week before we left on this trip, I got the crazy idea to sew a dress to wear here. It wouldn't have been such a nutty idea if I'd ever sewn clothing before, which I hadn't. Thanks to a lot of help from my patient friend Carrie, I (we) finished the dress just time. Actually, I did some hand sewing in Ajijic, but I've worn it to church every Sunday. The dress is very fitting for Mexico, and super comfy (I could be pregnant and you'd never know). Thanks, Carrie!

You can't really tell, but these kids were running around either completely naked or with just their underwear on. Looks like being clueless to the rest of the world and having no inhibitions is a lot of fun.

. . .

Some random photos of our time in Bucerias...

Zoe enjoying dinner (we found out the next day it gave her an amoeba - yay) and Jed getting ready to shell and cook shrimp he got from a street vendor.

Except for being covered in food, this is how Zoe always was in Bucerias...covered in sweat and humidity.

More of Zoe on the go at the beach.

Beach playlist

2007-12-06T21:48:00.000-06:00

This time last year I had my Sarah McLachlan Wintersong album on repeat in my car, on my computer, and in my stereo. Right now the heat, humidity and sound of waves crashing on the beach make Christmas seem so far away. Here's what's on my iPod now (quite a few of them were on my playlist when I came to Mexico two and half years ago):

L'abandon – Celine Dion (If you want to feel like you're swinging in a hammock between two palm trees watching the sun set, listen to this.)
The Golden Age - Beck
Guess I’m Doing Fine – Beck
D’yer M’aker – Led Zeppelin
Goodnight and Go - Imogen Heap
Hit ‘em Up Style (Oops!) – Blu Cantrell
Down Under (acoustic version) - Men at Work
1000 Miles - Blake Lewis
Across the Universe of Time - Hayley Westenra
America – Bree Sharp
Bubbly - Colbie Calaitt
The Little Things - Colbie Calaitt
Golden Touch - Razorlight
You Know I’m No Good – Amy Winehouse
Bouncing Off Clouds – Tori Amos
A Sorta Fairytale – Tori Amos
Jamaica Inn – Tori Amos
Hoochie Woman – Tori Amos
They – Jen
Crush – Jennifer Paige
Walking with a Ghost – Tegan and Sara
Shadow of Love - Celine Dion
You Know My Name - Chris Cornell
Mexico – James Taylor
Listen Up! – The Gossip
TKO – Le Tigre
Ella – Monty
Starlight – Muse
Don’t Let Go – Pacha Massive
Bad Moon Rising – CCR
Caribbean Blue – Enya
Extraordinary Machine – Fiona Apple
Look After You – The Fray
Holding Out for a Hero – Frou Frou
Can’t Get You Out of My Head – Kylie Minogue
Burn Rubber – Gap Band
Réquiem – Jump Little Children
Cherry Lips – Garbage
La Tortura – Shakira
Shiny Toy Guns - Le Disko
Good Foot – Justin Timberlake and Timbaland
Dare - Gorillaz
Girl and the Sea – The Presets
Ruby Blue – Roisin Murphy
Mas Que Nada – Sergio Mendes and the Black Eyed Peas

Thank you!

2007-12-01T16:53:00.000-06:00

Thank you everyone for all of the birthday emails, Myspace, Facebook and ecards! Just like Thanksgiving, I didn't realize it was my birthday until someone reminded me. I guess being 28 is that exciting. *smiley face that I can't get to show up* I got an early birthday email yesterday *thanks Em... I will send you a picture of me and my birthday pina colada!*. Sorry about the punctuation...I'm typing on a crazy Spanish keyboard in an internet cafe, which happens to be closing in 5 min. I've got great timing.

I have some fun pictures to post and stories to tell. I think the next place we're staying has internet.

Thanks again, and loves...

Fiesta!

2007-11-24T14:45:00.000-06:00

Mexicans know how to party. When we were in Guayabitos last week hundreds of people were there vacationing for Mexican Revolution Day. The streets and beach were loud and covered with people. It was insane. As we were leaving town that night we saw groups of people hauling coolers, towels, floating tubes and other gear to the beach...it was already dark! When we arrived there at 7:00 the next morning to go fishing there were already, or still, a lot of people in the water.

In Mexico there are no public safety laws, or none that are obeyed as far as I can tell. There were a ton of boats floating in the water with the swimmers. They would weave around the heads bobbing up and down to get to the beach to dock. People were skiing and driving wave runners around the swimmers, too.

(A marlin brought in by one of the fishing boats.)

I thought this was funny - a boat for the sole purpose of having a party. I'm not exactly sure what you do on the Party Boat - maybe dance to the loud music that blares over the speakers (or just stand around listening to it - as shown in the picture), but it seemed like people were having a great time. Maybe there was one of these on board...

Ocean fishing

2007-11-24T13:46:00.000-06:00

Last Monday Jed and I went fishing in the ocean. Given my fear of large bodies of water and sharks, I'm still shocked that I did it. I spent the entire night before debating whether or not I should go, but I'm so glad I went because I had a wonderful time.

While we were out we saw manta rays jumping, which they only do to get the needle fish off. It was amazing - I had no idea they jumped, and high too! When I was talking to a guy on the beach about it he said he and his fishing buddies were out a few days before and there were some manta rays swimming around them that were bigger than their boat. Incredible!

We also saw a pod of dolphins that swam so close to the boat I could almost touch them, and a bunch of sea turtles that were huge! There were a lot of dead blowfish flowing around all puffed up. The boat captain told us they get stuck in the shrimping nets and die, which is sad. Oddly, we saw several butterflies. I have no idea what they were doing flying above the ocean 30 miles away from land. I kept thinking that one would stop on our boat to rest, but it never happened. It baffled me. We also watched a lot of birds fish, and they were having a lot better luck than we were. The big fish would herd lots of small fish up to the surface of the water to feed and the birds would take advantage of having food practically handed to them.

Jed caught one small dorado (aka mahi-mahi) on our way back, about 5 miles from the shore, but it was a beautiful fish. I kept waiting until we caught a fish to take pictures, so sadly, these are the best I took. Next time I'm going to take some more and shoot some video footage. And next time I want to catch a marlin or sailfish!

Our captain, Enrique, filleted the durado on the spot.

Our friend DeDe who watched Zoe for the five hours we were gone fishing. Zoe loves DeDe!

Gratitude

2007-11-22T22:00:00.002-06:00

Things I am grateful for today:

- My little family - my sweet, darling daughter with her little wet kisses and my incredible, adventurous husband with his endless love and patience.

- My other families - the one I was born in to and the one I married in to. I feel very lucky and blessed to be a part of both.

- My friends - for loving me even though I'm quirky and dramatic sometimes. And especially the ones who can appreciate my need for modern conveniences.

- Modern conveniences.

- The kindness and hospitality of the great people we've met here. We had Thanksgiving dinner with some friends we met a an RV park in Guayabitos.

- The beach!

(Lo de Marcos)

- The guy at the music store who gave us a discount for being American instead of charging us more.

- Being me and having my life.

- Being an American.

- Butt Paste and various other diaper creams.

- Disposable diapers.

- My good health and abilities, and the same of those I know and love.

- Computers and a little thing called the Internet.

- Good news - Jed just announced that Zoe may be (knock on wood) recovering from her intestinal dilemma.

- He also announced that an online Apple store just opened up in Mexico!

- Wet-wipes and sanitizing gel

- Target, I love you!

- My education and the opportunity to be educated. My love for learning and those who helped cultivate it.

- Music. Yesterday I was totally depressed, listened to some music and felt so much better!

- Clothes that fit perfectly and make you feel good even when you feel fat.

- My faith and church.

- How beautiful Mexico and the ocean is.

- Books

- Naps

- Clean water

- Toothbrushes and paste.

- Sam's Club - Two days ago I went into PV with one of the owners of the place we are staying right now. When we walked into Sam's Club I almost started to cry. Everything was still in Spanish and there were huge whole octopus and uncooked crab for sale in the frozen food section, but it felt so good to be somewhere that resembled something I know.

- Contacts and glasses

I think I could go one forever. I feel very grateful right now, in spite of my stressful times in Mexico. I know being here has reminded to be conscious of and grateful for things that I, and most of the people I know in the states, take for granted.

Happy Thanksgiving! And Happy Birthday to Mom and Sarah! Love you both!

Loves to all!

Highlights from a visit to a Mexican doctor

2007-11-22T08:20:00.002-06:00

It seems I spoke too soon in my last post. I feel like fate kicked me in the teeth (don't laugh, it's been a horrible week). Thankfully we are in Bucerias right now, which is a little more like normal civilization. The beach in Lo de Marcos is stunning , but in my opinion and from my experience, the town is lacking. And we had miserable luck there. It all started last Thursday afternoon, right after I posted my last post. Three things happened at once:

(This is the busiest we ever saw the beach.)

First, and by far the least of our problems, the headache that has been coming on since morning turned into a full blown migraine accompanied by some pretty bad nausea and a bit of trembling. Hours later I realized I had heat exhaustion (it's was as hot and humid as Hades). I couldn't eat and couldn't really move or do anything. I took a load of pain killer and sleeping meds and went to bed when Zoe did. I didn't sleep much that night, but when I woke up I was functioning, but stupid enough to eat breakfast, and eat it at a restaurant with windows but no AC (NOBODY has AC there), but it was the only restaurant open (Lo de Marcos is the smallest town I've ever stayed in). After breakfast I spent an embarrassingly long amount of time in their bathroom so sick I was sure fainting was inevitable, which horrified me because the bathroom was about 103 degrees, dimly lit, 3'x3', dingy and the toilet didn't have a seat (nobody has toilet seats here, which aggravates me to no end) and I had no idea where I'd land in that disgusting hole of a bathroom if I did. I lived, and didn't pass out. I went home and focused on coping with the two other problems that had taken the relief of getting out of Ajijic from me.

The second problem was that Jed's computer stopped working, which doesn't sound horrible, but it was. Jed's business and contract work doesn't get done without his computer. It stopped working right after we'd paid for wireless internet. It's existence in Lo de Marcos was pleasantly surprising, but turned out to be useless. I'm sure Jed will post about his plight on his blog, so I'll only say that it's been an expensive, extremely inconvenient mess trying to get his computer functioning. We were at a lose for information that was vital to us getting around and getting things done, ETC, too. Jed ended up buying another Mac in Puerto Vallarta yesterday, which is a blog worthy event by itself. With no computer Zoe hasn't been able to watch any shows when there is nothing else to do, and my contact with the outside world and blogging has obviously stopped. I'm happy to feel connected again! And Zoe is happily singing along with The Letter Factory as I type. (By the way, The Letter Factory played a big role in teaching Zoe the names of all the letters and their sounds. That and a lot of practise, which is a great way to distract her at restaurants, stores, church, etc. I highly recommend it.)

(Some kids surfing behind a boat just off of the beach.)

The third problem has caused me a lot more stress than the other two. Let me start by saying that a week and a half ago Zoe woke up in the middle of the night with a fever, which went away after a couple doses of children's Motrin. Her diarrhea that started right after the fever has been plaguing us all since then. On that Thursday afternoon Zoe came in from the beach (just after Jed told me his computer wasn't working) and I saw that she had by far the worst diaper rash I've ever seen. It showed up so fast! It was so painful to her that every diaper change had her thrashing around in tears and me close to bursting into tears myself. It was so sad to watch her hobble around trying to walk. She could hardly move. We did all of the normal rash remedies that we could think of (wash, air dry, ointment, no ointment, etc), but nothing worked.

Friday morning it had gotten worse and we all went into town looking for some oil so Jed could give her a blessing. (Jake and Sarah - can you believe we forgot it!?!) We didn't find any, but when we got back Jed gave her a blessing anyway. At this point the large sores in the rash started weeping. Poor thing! We decided that if the rash didn't get noticeably better by Saturday morning I'd either book a flight back to the states or take our chances with a doctor here. Meanwhile she still had diarrhea a few times a day, which hurt her even more. I was very stressed out and heading back to the states sounded better and better every minute.

Saturday the rash had gotten worse and I found an open internet cafe (a lot less common than a closed internet cafe here in Mexico) and did some research, which validated my concern. We'd planned on taking a day trip to San Poncho and decided we'd look for a doctor to take Zoe to there. It made no sense to me even at the time since San Poncho is about the size of Lo de Marcos, but it was supposed to be nicer and we could get there on a collectivo. (Collectivos are big vans that are like large cabs, but you have to stop to pick up and drop people off wherever the random place they are or want to go. Cabs are rare in the small towns. Big commuting buses and collectivos are how we got around most of the time.) The manager of the restaurant we ate brunch at told us the doctors in San Poncho were are a waste of time and recommended a couple doctors in a few different towns.

(Riding in the collectivo to the doctor's in La Peñita. It was hot and humid (surprise) and the breeze coming through the open windows was a heavenly. Zoe loved catching the wind in her mouth.:)

We went to the doctor in the closest town we could, La Peñita, and to my surprise, it was a good recommendation. It was a bit odd, but for the most part, a successful visit. When we walked into the doctor's office, it was air conditioned!!! It lifted our spirits quite a bit! We asked the receptionist (who didn't speak English) for the doctor who was recommended to us, but he wasn't their. She asked what the problem was, we told her our daughter has a rash, then she jumped up and went outside to talk to a man who was talking to someone inside of a big truck. At this point I went to bathroom where I was pleasantly surprised to find a seat on the toilet! When I got back everyone was gone. I found everyone in an office (computer, desk and books)/exam room. Zoe was naked, crying and sprawled out on a cover less, old exam table while a very well kept and very young man in jeans and a polo shirt, the same man by the truck, was talking with Jed and fishing a sucker of a jar. He gave the sucker to Zoe and she was perfect the rest of the visit.

The doctor (I assume that's what he was, although his diploma wasn't displayed on the wall like four other doctor's were) quickly examined Zoe and said that the humidity, the ocean and sand probably caused the rash and then got some cream from the on site pharmacy for her. He didn't seem to think the diarrhea was a problem and said to keep her out of water and sand, and to let her go diaper less as much as possible, especially when she goes to the bathroom. He gave us a prescription for some special soap that he didn't have and directions, then sent us on our way. The cost of the entire visit (including the cream) was $432.50 peso (approx. $43 US dollars). Jed said it worth the AC alone. :) From there we went to another pharmacy to get the soap, which cost about a dollar, then walked around Le Penita happy and hopeful. But no more beach, pool or ocean for Zoe. She was the happiest she's been on this trip when she was playing in the sand or the ocean. We felt so bad for her.

(Two of the few pictures I have of Zoe on the beach.)

By the next morning, the rash had improved significantly! We all felt so much better about the situation, except for the diarrhea, which only got uglier when Zoe wasn't wearing a diaper. Especially since we didn't have a washer or dryer. I got to hand wash everything in the kitchen sink and then hang things on a rusty old drying rack provided by the place we were staying. It usually took things two days to dry because of the humidity.

Right now, I am healthy, Jed's computer works, and all but the big sores on Zoe's bottom have healed. We are doing better, but the diarrhea has me very concerned and very close to insanity. It's been a week and half. I am so sick of it and I'm sure Zoe is too. I'm fairly certain she has some sort of intestinal bug, but I'm not sure that a doctor here would think it's a big deal since who knows what's normal for a Mexican child.

(A dead blowfish that washed up onto the beach.)

Whew. Things always seem to be so complicated and stressful here. I don't think we are doing this quite right, or maybe that's the point, either way we are certainly learning. Our goal was to avoid being tourists and try to "reside" in a variety of towns as much as we can for being nonresident gringos. Quite honestly, I would never moved to any place like any of the ones we've stayed. Although Ajijic had more conveniences than Lo de Marcos and here in Bucerias. I can wash my own dishes without a dishwasher, wash laundry without a washer and dryer, heat bottles in hot water instead of a microwave, get by without an oven or AC or decent water, but I don't like it. Call me an America snob or high maintenance, but I wouldn't move here without living a higher standard of living than we currently are. I need a washer and dryer!

Lo de Marcos is heaven!

2007-11-15T12:49:00.001-06:00

Woohoo! We're in Lo de Marcos and I LOVE IT! Yesterday was insane - a four hour bus ride that Zoe slept 10 minutes of, which were the last ten minutes we were on the bus, of course. We got dumped off on the side of the main road in a some town. It was hilarious. We had a pack'n' play, a guitar, four pieces of luggage, a stroller, and a bunch of little bags with toys, food, Jed's computer, etc. in them. Zoe was asleep on Jed shoulder and we were all scampering around with dust flying everywhere as the bus guy helped us, and all of our stuff, off of the bus and into a cab (some of our luggage went on the roof)! People were looking at us wide eyed and puzzled. :) Probably wondering why on earth this gringo family got off there and where the heck are they going! heehee

The 15 minute cab ride to Lo de Marcos was so exciting! The landscape was breathtaking, and I was absolutely giddy! Right after we put our stuff in our bungalow, Jed went to get the keys, and Zoe and I walked straight to the beach (about a 45 second walk)! It was amazing! And almost completely deserted. It's like we have our own private beach! Zoe got right to playing in the sand - throwing it around, putting in down my back, burying herself...she was in heaven. And so was I! So am I!

It's hot and humid here. It's also very small. It makes Ajijic look like a thriving metropolis! I just realized that I left the pictures I took of the beach in my camera at home (I'm at an internet cafe), and I to get Zoe home for her nap, but I will post pictures as soon as I get a chance!

Yay...the beach!

Leaving Ajijic

2007-11-13T18:14:00.000-06:00

Tomorrow we are taking a bus to Guadalajara, then from Guadalajara to Lo de Marcos. I'm very excited! Hopefully the ride will go smoothly. I'm a bit concerned because last night Zoe woke up with a fever (I knew I'd need the thermometer I brought!) and she hasn't been willing to eat or drink much in the last 24 hours. Thank heavens I brought a bottle of Motrin!!!

I've decided that in order for me live in Ajijic, or even visit, I need to live in a new construction, with a garage, a car, a yard (no garden...I'm sick of feeling like I'm walking through the jungle) and a pool...in a gated community (I've added because this afternoon we found out that one of our friend's house was broken into on Sunday by a drug addict and now there is this whole mess with the addict, the dealer and "dirty" police).

I've adjusted as best as I can to everything I listed on my Adjusting to Ajijic post. The only thing that I've changed my mind about is our maid - I really like her! And I'm not sick anymore! :)

I don't have time to post the last bunch of Ajijic pictures I want to post, but I will get them up as soon as we get to Lo de Marcos.

Goodbye, Ajijic!

Missionaries

2007-11-11T14:53:00.000-06:00

Friday we had the missionaries over for lunch/dinner (they eat one meal in the afternoon instead lunch and dinner). Jed took them to a nice restaurant here and let them pick out anything they wanted, and then brought all the food back home. They both got steak and potatoes, and Jed got a couple dishes for the table. It was a ton of food, but the elders ate every bite. They only get $40.00 a month for food and other personal products, so the meat was a treat.

It was fun to have them over again (they came over Wednesday and Thursday, too). We figured out that Elder Thedell knows a few of my relatives - what a coincidence!

Elder Garcia was very happy about his fries.

Elder Thedell and Elder Garcia.

A beautiful day!

2007-11-09T13:25:00.000-06:00

This morning my sweet husband volunteered to watched Zoe so I could go the the Art Expo in Chapala, which I'd really been looking forward to.

Laureano Martinez Guzman and Marina Castro Lopez create these beautiful Catrinas. Here I am with Laureano. I fell in love with these Catrinas and I wanted to get a few of them, but they are expensive and very fragile, so I only got one. It is a woman in a fitted red and black dress with a big hat and flowers. They wrapped it up and put it in a box so I can get it back to the states in one piece (hopefully), so I will post a picture of it when I finally get it home and unwrap it. She will definitely be on display next Halloween.

The pictures don't show how amazing the Catrinas are, but below are a couple other Catrinas that I loved. I love the full skirts on their dresses. I didn't get the one with the cream skirt because the animals on her have a lot of tiny parts that I'm sure would be in tiny pieces if I tried to take her home. I loved the one in the black dress, but I couldn't do the gun thing. I hope to add some Catrinas like these to my collection eventually.

Our next door neighbors, Barbara and Brian, have been so good do us during our stay. Barbara collects beautiful ceramic balls that are made by an artist from Jalisco (the state we are in). When I first saw them at her house (she has baskets full of them), I decided I would get some for my parents, who I think would appreciate the artistry. Barbara knows the artist well, and had him reserve some for me. Unfortunately, I was only able to get one due to limited suitcase space and the fragility of the ball, but the artist gave me a great deal and autographed it for me. Thanks Barbara! I will post a picture of it after I've given it to my parents (it too is packed up for travel). Here I am with Barbara.

This is Martin Ibarra, the ceramic maestro.

I had a chance to walk up and down the pier on Lake Chapala while I was at the expo. The sun felt so good!

What to do?

2007-11-08T21:32:00.000-06:00

Zoe has been such a joy and such a challenge for me here in Mexico. She has done great with all of the changes and new boundaries, but every day brings the same question, "what are we going to do all day?" Jed works most of the day and there is not much for me and Zoe to do here in Ajijic by ourselves, which has been really hard for us - especially me. I'm so used to being busy and keeping Zoe busy all day, and having to do the same few things over and over is hard!

Today the missionaries stopped by and Zoe got so excited that she ran laps around the room while they were here. We miss our friends, we miss our stuff, and we miss the city.

Most of the people we told about this trip assumed we are taking an extended vacation. I can promise that this not a vacation. It's actually been very hard for me. I have decent and bad days. Mostly I feel pretty helpless here. Overall it's been an enlightening experience, but right now I'd like to vacation in Chicago. :) Althought I've had a handful of great experiences, I'm pretty sure I won't ever move to Ajijic. Maybe I will live somewhere else in Mexico, but I will a) never do it with a toddler, and b) take Spanish lessons and stay long enough to become fluent. Living somewhere when you can't speak the language is just stupid. I'm starting to mess up when I speak English, and my head is swimming with Spanish words that I've heard so many times, but I can't remember what they mean!

Another thing that is hard for me is feeling safe. I'm a bit confused about the what the situation is here in Ajijic, which doesn't help my insecurity. Most people that I've talked to say it's safe, but every time I read the newspaper or the monthly lakeside review for the English speakers, I find articles like, "Travel Safety Tips for Women" and "The Fear of Rape Must be Primal". Don't you feel all warm and fuzzy now?

One of the article talks about Mexico having a "macho culture" and understanding the general roles and behavioral codes for women. Fine, I understand I am not in America, but I get whistled at and called to when I go out by myself and I don't like it. And that creepy look, yep, I get that too. I think it's because I'm probably 1 of 2 American women under the age of 55 in the city, and the other one (I met her at brunch the other day) is already dating a native.

I don't consider myself completely gutless or naive - I've lived in Chicago and have had experiences and could tell stories that would make my mother cry, but this is different. I don't know, I just don't like it. And I don't feel safe here.

On a more brighter note, the weather could not be any more perfect!

. . .

Some of my upcoming posts will include:

- pictures of the house we are staying in (as requested)
- pictures of me (as requested)
- pictures of the market
- some great video footage of Zoe doing aerobics with me

Hugs and kisses to all of you...I miss you!

Fiestas de la Virgen del Rosario (with video)

2007-11-07T11:06:00.000-06:00

All of the fireworks and cannons discussed in one of my previous posts, and shown on Jed's video, were in celebration of the Virgin del Rosario. Along with all the cannons, fireworks, and Mexican marching bands playing all day, there was a parade, a lighting ceremony, carnival like festivities and a concert.

Here are some pictures from the parade.

Virgin del Rosario...

After the parade past by, the street was flooded with people who followed it around the town.

After all of the people came the fireworks guys - very noisy!

We walked over to the plaza where the festivities would take place when the parade ended, also where we found these guys chillin'.

After the plaza we went to dinner. Zoe is just like me, all she needs is a pina colada (virgin) to be happy!

From dinner we headed back to the plaza where we ate fresh sugar cane, flan, and boiled peanuts (in the shell). Zoe made a little friend named Alexandra who is so adorable. Alexandra's mom and I chased them around the plaza for almost two hours. The girls were so cute! But they wouldn't hold still long enough for us to get a good picture. These pictures make it look like it was Friday night smack down, but they were really just playing.

Here's Alexandra. We couldn't get her to smile, but she has the most beautiful smile with huge dimples!

Here's some video footage of the night...

Imminent victory!

2007-11-05T22:00:00.000-06:00

I am humming a happy tune. Today the pest control people came and sprayed the place! Hallelujah! I can't help but smile each time I pass by a spider with it's legs curled in, motionless and dead. Especially since right after the pest people walked out of the door I found another black widow. Oh, don't worry, Jed tracked them down and had them come back to spray it. I shouldn't gloat too much since there are still plenty of live spiders around and other than the ant I just found in the toilet that I can only guess walked itself into and couldn't get out, I have yet to see any other dead insects. I just flicked a big ant off of the arm of my chair. I wonder how far a bug has to go flying through the air and fall to die?

Too bad it's taken this long get the place sprayed. I've gotten so accustomed to them that I don't usually kill them unless they are poisonous or directly in my path, and then sometimes I just kill them with my hands. Which is caused by being numb and lazy, or by instinct - either way it's not pretty.

You know, I haven't seen as many cockroaches in the house as I have outside, but they seem to be dying everywhere. I always see them on the sidewalks, lying on their backs, kicking like crazy until they just stop - dead. Maybe it's the season (bless mother nature) or maybe they get flipped onto their backs and after enough kicking decide to just kick the bucket. Who knows? But they are dead!

But I will continue to pray that we will not get get harmed by insects, or anything else, on this trip!!!

I promise that my next post will not be about bugs, and will have lots of pictures!

Crazy!

2007-10-31T12:07:00.000-05:00

Last night I took two Excedrin PM to help me sleep through the night. I woke up once to some horrible moaning (I thought someone dropped a couple of bodies in the garden), which turned out to be some stupid cats. Then at around 5:00am I woke up to this: noise pollution. Watch the whole video that Jed took from our roof and you'll get a little taste of what we are experiencing today.

It would have been fun if it weren't so dang early in the morning. It was almost just as annoying to me an hour ago when I was trying to enjoy a massage. Poor me, I know. :) But, seriously, I see no good reason to shoot off cannons and fireworks, ring a bazillion bells and send a band tromping around the city before the break of dawn.

On our way to to breakfast we ran into to the Mexican marching band, and one of the completely drunk bums that was following them around dancing gave me a hug.

It's been a bizarre morning.

No Halloween

2007-10-30T14:20:00.000-05:00

I love Halloween - it's one of my favorite holidays (rivals with Christmas), but I don't like it because I like to get scared. What I love about Halloween are the colors, the costumes, the family and friends, the food, the trick or treaters and the parties. I consider it a fun holiday and celebrate it for tradition, not for the particulars surrounding it's birth.

Well, when I got here last week I found out that Mexicans do not celebrate Halloween, at least not like we do. Which I don't think is common knowledge in the US since everyone I talked to about it before I came assured me that we'd definitely be able to celebrate Halloween while we're here. What Mexico does celebrate is Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) on Nov. 1-2. Nov. 1 is All Saints Day and Nov. 2 is All Souls Day. From what I've gathered, the Day of the Dead is a joyous holiday to the Mexican people. It's a time to remember and celebrate the dead. I think it's interesting that the Mexicans celebrate death, whereas we tend to celebrate our fear of death or fear itself.

To celebrate the Day of the Dead, the families here make alters at the graves of their deceased loved ones which they adorn with flowers, candles and crosses. They put the favorite foods, drinks, and a picture of the deceased on their alters. They let the kids run around, play music, drink, eat food and pretty much have a party in the cemetery. I imagine it wouldn't take long for the police to show up if such festivities took place in the US. :) But I think it sounds like a good way to celebrate the dead.

Above is a picture of the Catrina, a traditional figure of the Day of the Dead. I first saw a beautiful version of it at our neighbor's house, and thought it would be kind of fun to add to my collection of Halloween decorations. While I was waiting to pick up dinner from a Mexican restaurant the other night, I asked the owner about it. Somehow between the owners broken English and the 20 Spanish words that I understand, I found out that the Catrina is someone who will help you get to hell. The owner's wife said she doesn't like the Catrina and it creeps her out. Interesting. I wonder what she would think of some of the crazy things people to do to celebrate Halloween in the US.

So this year we'll be celebrating Dia de los Muertos instead of Halloween. Well, as much as we can for not actually knowing anyone buried in any of the cemeteries here. :)

Insomnia and spiders

2007-10-27T22:09:00.000-05:00

You're probably wondering how I've managed to publish more posts in one week here than a month or two on my normal blog. It's because I can't sleep here. I hate nights. I have such a hard time falling and staying asleep in places I don't feel 100% safe. Sometimes I have this problem back at home, but I'm not staying up worrying about one of us being kidnapped, the noises in the house, what in the world I'm going to do everyday for the next three weeks, what could be on the floor when I get up to go to the bathroom, keeping the bugs away from Zoe...

Speaking of bugs, they are everywhere! Ugh! At first I was just a bit freaked out. Now I'm a nice mix of paranoid, mad and annoyed. The ants have joined the fun too. Not that spiders, cockroaches, flies, and mosquitoes all over the place aren't enough. Especially at night when it's like feeding time. Thank goodness I haven't encountered any scorpions, but I did see a black widow on our walk to Chapala.

Anyhow, I will spare you from the growing collection of pictures I've taken of these pests, but they are everywhere! Especially this one kind of teeny, hairy spider - they're jumpers. I feel like I'm playing a game with them when I try to kill them. They hop around like little frogs. And they are always crawling in Zoe's diaper stack - it's so annoying. I'm OCD about shaking things out. And I always look where I'm about to sit. I'm pretty much on constant patrol. Poor Zoe is probably already traumatized from me shrieking and leaping at her from across the room whenever she sticks her hands under the couch or behind a piece of furniture. I know I need to relax a bit, but I promise you, if you were here, you'd be a on your guard too.

While I was standing in the shower this morning I counted seven spiders, and I was only facing one direction.

Somehow Jed seems to go throughout each day completely unaware of the bugs.

. . .

So now Jed and Zoe are asleep and I'm awake waiting for the Nytol I took to kick in. Nytol is the strongest thing they'd give me at the Farmacia (I guess other sleeping aids can be considered recreational drugs) and I'm really wishing I would have brought somethings with me that is worth taking. Bummer. I thought you could get anything in Mexico.

Our walk to Chapala

2007-10-27T16:15:00.000-05:00

Today we took a walk to Chapala to get a guitar for Jed. It was quite a walk - we both have blisters. We don't know how far it was, but we were walking, and pushing Z in her stroller, for close to two hours at a pretty good pace. We took a bus back, which was like riding a roller coaster!

I took a few pictures on our way:

A little house on the hill.

You can't really tell from this picture, but there are these really cool, tall cactuses growing on the side of this cliff.

If you order pizza for delivery from Domino's in Mexico...

This picture doesn't do this guy justice, but he was two inches long. We found him waiting for us when we got home. Jed wouldn't let me kill it because it wasn't in the house. Can somebody tell me one good thing a cockroach does?

The fruits of our labor...

Cute

2007-10-27T16:11:00.000-05:00

Zoe loves glasses of any kind. Here she is playing with my sunglasses. She's such a cutie! She's always making us laugh!

Then, of course, Elmo gets a turn.

What a helper!

2007-10-27T16:07:00.000-05:00

Yesterday Zoe found a washcloth and helped Socorro, the maid, clean.

Photo shoot at the taco stand

2007-10-25T15:29:00.000-05:00

Last night we stopped by the taco stand down the street from us for dinner. I had my camera with me so I could take a picture of the cobblestone streets. I don't usually take it with me since nothing screams tourist like a camera, but there weren't many people around - at first.

I was looking through some of the pictures I'd taken while I was sitting at the table at the taco stand, when out of nowhere this cute little kid appeared above my shoulder. He got really excited (I have no idea what he was saying) and pointed at the digital screen on my camera. So I took a picture of him (the first picture below) and he started jumping up and down and laughing. Then he grabbed a few of his friends and had me take pictures of them. It turned into a full blown photo shoot. The boys would pose, I would take a picture and they would run over to me and go crazy looking at it. It was so much fun! Here are some of the pictures I took:

The boy's little sister. Isn't she beautiful!

Our tacos - so good!!!

Things I love about Ajijic

2007-10-24T09:34:00.002-05:00

Here are ten things that I love about Mexico so far:

Mexican food is tasty!!!
The people are so friendly! Especially the expatriates who really go out of their way to help you out. Our next door neighbors, friends of the owner of the house we're staying in, have had us over to their home a few times already, taken us shopping, given us a tour of the city, given us great tips and told us to call or come over whenever for whatever. Just today they brought us some Mexican bacon. It's supposed to be fantastic.
It's beautiful!
The weather is always perfect.
Diet Dr. Pepper tastes a lot better in Mexico. Or maybe because I'm in Mexico.
The resident lizard. He's always hanging out on top of this desk.

The Mexican people get very excited and friendly when Jed speaks Spanish with them (I hardly know any Spanish), and they love helping us learn more. They are very sweet and love Zoe. They always say she is so bonita!
Every Wednesday is the open market. It's so much fun!
Mexican food is so tasty!
You can get anything on the streets. People walk or drive around selling baked goods, gas, knife sharpening services, water, tacos (yummy!) etc. Jed was thrilled when we ran into the knife sharpening guy. He had him come over to our house. Sounds a little creepy, but it worked out fine.

Adjusting to Ajijic

2007-10-24T09:10:00.000-05:00

We've been in Ajijic, Mexico for two days now. Right now I'm really glad we won't be here longer than three weeks. I think the coast will be easier. Although the first several months I lived in Chicago I thought I'd died and gone to hell, and now I love it. I've learned to adjust and bloom where I'm planted much better since then. We'll see. I'm still glad we're here, but I'm sure I'll feel a lot better once I get used to it here. Here are ten things that will take some getting used to (I'll add some pictures to this list soon):

Whatever is making me sick. I'd only been in Mexico for a day when I started having problems. I wasn't expecting it this early on because all I ate the first day was a muffin from Starbucks at the Guadalajara airport, tea and toast at our Canadian neighbors house, then American packaged food for lunch, and food from a nice restaurant for dinner. I'm guessing dinner was the problem.
The roads and most sidewalks are cobblestone. An infant could get brain damage from a stroller ride pretty quickly. Luckily Zoe is bigger and thinks it hilarious.
The bad water. I knew about this before, but I didn't realize how inconvenient it would be. We use filtered water out of a jug (like people have in offices in the states), but filling up a glass of water to take upstairs to brush my teeth with is already getting old. Poor Zoe gets car wash style showers instead of fun baths because I can't get her to stop drinking bath water.
Bugs. In one day I've killed almost three dozens spiders (I had nightmares about them last night), a few mosquitoes, one very large cockroach and a variety of bugs that were already dead when I found them. I know some bugs are good, but killing them makes me feel better at this point.
The maid. I am a bit concerned about her housing keeping abilities. When we got here the house smelled like cats and everything seemed dirty. I'm not really sure what she does besides water the garden and wipe down some furniture. She was here for three hours yesterday and except smelling a strange chemical and seeing water all over patio/garden, I can't tell a single difference. The owner of the house recommends we don't have the maid do dishes because Mexican maids will only use cold water. I've also heard not to let maids do laundry because they don't always use detergent. When I asked the maid if she cooks, she laughed and said, "a mi casa." Dang! Now I have to do everything myself! :)
The cost of food and household products. Yesterday we spent 920.89 pesos (almost $100) for a few bags of the basics. Maybe we shopped at the wrong store, but I was pretty surprised at how much things cost.
Cleaning fruits and veggies. I'm lazy enough as it is in the kitchen. Taking time to wash: apply a special fruit and vegetable cleaner, scrub, let the cleaner sit and then rinse and dry, is absolutely annoying. But supposedly the fruits and veggies are a lot better for you.
Not having much for Zoe to play with. I brought some books, paper and crayons, and a few toys, but that doesn't keep her attention for very long.
I don't really feel that safe here. Jed is convinced that it's a lot safer here than in Chicago, but I'm not.
I can't speak Spanish. Although, I can understand more than I thought I could.

I wonder how I'll feel about these things in a few weeks.

San Francisco

2007-10-21T16:55:00.000-05:00

Saturday we all went to San Francisco. The weather was perfect! We went to the piers and ate clam chowder in bread bowls.

Alcatraz

Me and Jed at the K-dock.

Jed and Zoe checking out the sea lions at the K-dock.

Zoe found a life size Elmo on at Pier 39. She was in heaven, until we had to leave.

And, of course, a stop at Citizen Cakes! Yum!