If you read my last post, I hope it didn’t come off as too negative. I certainly didn’t mean it that way, but I think one of my sisters put it best when she responded “that sounds really difficult - especially with the language difference”. And to be truthful, I think that’s just what it is. We are in a new situation that will take a bit to get used to…and I’m finally fully understanding that the only way to get used to something new is time, and going through the same situations over and over until it becomes a bit more familiar. So this post is to say…

It’s getting a bit easier!

Even though we’ve been here for 22 weeks total, it’s really only been 9 weeks from February - April of last year, 7 weeks from November until Christmas, and then only 6 weeks so far this year, since the beginning of January. We’ve stayed in different homes each time and have only really started to “settle in” over the last couple of weeks. If I think of it that way, the feeling of not quite having a routine makes a bit more sense.

But really and truly, it is feeling more familiar. I’ve driven Amir to and from school successfully quite a few times without using my GPS. There’s an understanding of what comes next on the road as I drive and I know when to turn (but that isn’t to say I may have still gotten lost once or twice!) ;)

We’ve hung out with some of the parents of Amir’s classmates, which was fun. Honestly, just being able to recognize people during pick-up and drop-off and to be able to say hello and have memories in common makes me feel a bit more included.

I guess I’m starting to realize that the building of new “memories” is a big thing for me - and probably the key to feeling like I’m in a familiar place. When I consider this, it’s actually kind of funny to me because I have the WORST memory of anyone I know! To think that I’m relying on memories just feels strange.

If I think it through a bit more, for me, it’s the feeling of a place. I can barely tell you any specific things that have happened in my life - but I can tell you how I felt. The places that feel the most comfortable are the places where I have “good” memories. Maybe that’s how it is for everyone - but I don’t think so because I know many people that can rattle off pretty specific details. :) Even when I think of long friendships that I have, there are very few memories of actual events, but I can tell you that every person has made me feel welcome, warm, and loved…so that’s something!

And I’m starting to feel the same here. We have a few “old haunts” at this point. We’ve been to Parque La Plancha quite a few times - it’s a huge new park that was built in Mérida to rival Central Park in New York City. I think they’re very different, but it is beautiful! It’s one of the first places we visited on our first trip here and I remember feeling like it was such a nice family night - I do pretty vividly remember that our son wanted to join a free Zumba class and he loved “dancing” his way through the park. We came back months later with a new friend and Amir loved running through the fountain show! (It’s allowed.) :) He rode home soaked, tired, and happy.

We’ve been to a couple of restaurants a few times and have some favorites. We frequent the library and often stop at our local fruit stand and gelato shops….so they all have good feelings to me too.

This past week, however, all of our plans were curtailed by the flu, or something similar, but either way we spent 7 days at home, watching tv, taking temperatures, giving meds, and counting the minutes until bedtime. It was ok for the first few days, but I started to feel very cooped up towards the end! It did give me lots of time to think about our time here, though.

I think I’ve been waiting until we have a “perfect” few days, weeks, months (I don’t know the timeline in my head exactly) to see if I actually enjoy being in Mexico.

When I was laying in bed, taking a nap and trying to rest so that I got better too, it hit me. We were doing it. This is it. This is living in Mexico. I keep waiting for this perfection where we have everything “ figured out”…where Amir is signed up for his activities, where I have a regular weekly routine that isn’t thrown off, where we have scheduled playdates..so I can see if I “like it”.

But this it.

It’s unexpected sicknesses and canceled appointments. It’s warm days, getting fruit around the corner, and doctors coming to the house for appointments. It’s date nights and drives to school and having Amir always call out “hey that’s the goggle store” when we pass Decathalon Sports. (We bought him a pair there one of the first weeks we were here and he has apparently never forgotten it!) It’s stumbling through Spanish, big hugs at school drop-offs, and being amazed by really old architecture. It’s lattes at the coffee shop, sourdough at the bakery, and oranges from the guy on the street. It’s hot days, cooler nights, and always trying to figure out the right temperature to put the AC on.

Over the past few months, I’ve been waiting to see what it’s like to live here and I think I wasn’t actually “living” here.

It is still a little confusing. We all slip every once in while and say “oh yeah, we have that at home” - really meaning in our storage unit. So I can’t say it feels like home yet, but I don’t think it actually should at this point. It does feel comfortable though and that seems like a big step!

I will say that I do miss some things - like driving to the beach in ten minutes, the quiet after a snowstorm, and I KNOW I will always miss crisp Fall air and the changing leaves….I think a Fall trip back to the States might have to be in the cards!

But this it. We’re doing it. Imperfectly…or maybe perfectly, I guess. And I can finally say, I like living here. I think we all do.

It’s Getting a Bit Easier.

Living the Expat Life.