Thursday, December 31, 2009

Retrospect 2009


**2009 in Retrospect**

This years highlights were….
 uh....Mexico's pig flu epidemic, completing my first year in a foreign country in one piece, renewing old friendships and making new ones, the engagement of two of my sisters, bringing a new guy on in the shop, the support from my family, ** i'm gonna be an auntie***, having the opportunity to share our immigration story on Change.org, spending the best time at Cervantino with great friends, Moosecake and Little One finally fitting in at school and bringing home amazing grades, moving out of our crappy little house into a perfect one, taking part in some amazing tattoo expos, and throwing our shop's 1st anniversary with  a great turnout!

Last year,

I gained…… a new profession, a little more patience and an infatuation with blogging.

I lost…… my desire to go back, our home in the States, and my grandfather... who taught me the hard knocks, whether he intended to or not.

I stopped…… smoking, being afraid of trying new things, making excuses for other people and myself, allowing others to tell me whats “right” or “wrong”, giving a shit what others think.(most of the time.)

I started…..taking a little initiative with tattooing, sketching more, taking better care of my health and communicating in spanish regardless of how stupid i sound.

I was hugely satisfied by….. building the relationship between Moosecake and I.

I was embarrassed that.... AGAIN, I got tipsy and hubby had to carry me to the hotel,  and the food here STILL "gets"  me.

And frustrated by…..  my intolerance of other people and their shit in general, thinking that i have to please everyone, and that I can get very mean when I argue with my husband.

Once again, I…… pissed many people off , still swear like a damn sailor, and failed to discover a way to handle someone who continually pissed me off.
Once again, I did not…..wear a bikini, or even a bathing suit at the beach, feel sexy, really try to excercise, give everyone my all,  and tell my mom how much i appreciate all that she has done for me.

The biggest physical difference between me last December and me this January is…not much really, red hair and more tattoos.

The biggest psychological/emotional difference…..I've come to realize that not I,  you,  nor my husband can control everything, coming to terms with my emotions and realizing that it's okay to miss home and what we had together,

Why did I spend even two minutes…….worrying about what others say or think about me, wishing I was or looked like someone else,being angry over things out of my control.

I should have spent more time……enjoying the little things I take for granted.

My biggest regret from 2009 is……. not attending my grandpa's funeral. :(
Next year I am going to………attempt to do everything that i've ever wanted., tattoo with mas huevos, truly live every day in expectation that it could be the last, be more tolerant of others limitations .... some people are just slow..., help others who are going through the same journey that i am .... and speak Spanish.




This last year went by fast.  It's kinda nice to look at my life in retrospect... with the idea that I also have the opportunity to leave it all behind. In 2010, I have the opportunity to start again and create my life how I want it, how it should have been. I get to help my kids pursue their new lives here in Mexico and accomplish what they envision. This next year will be amazing. There will be new opportunities and experiences, doors will open and close, but we have the chance to mold our next year as we see fit. We get to change our priorities and become closer as a family. I've really enjoyed reading all of your blogs and found many inspiring throughout this last year. Thank you all. I wish everyone success, love and happiness this new year....

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Uninfected and ready to party.

Good news.

It's been 6 days, and the sancudo lost .

I do not have dengue.



With the heavy fear lifted, I feel free...fully capable to enjoy the holidays at maximum capacity. Bottle of tequila+ tamales, here i come! Dear old hubby's dad came via camion to pick up the kiddos before Christmas and have some quality time with the grandchildren. Right after the kids' school musical, they were off to San Pancho to make their nacimientos and prepare tamales. We took the guys from our shops out to dinner at La Tequila last night and tried huevos de hormigas....which, surprisingly, werent all that bad!  A few bars later, and a run in with a few clients, we finished the night pretty late... thus the short blog. 

Nevertheless, I'm excited to be spending this Christmas here in Mexico. While it saddens me to be far away from my dear family in the States, I feel blessed to have my closest ones near, happy and in good health. Last year, it was a bit strange to experience foreign customs whilestill missing your home. This year, I'm excited to be part of new traditions and actually understand what the heck is going on, as well as bring some of our food to the table. Tamales and ponche will be accompanied by mashed potatoes, stuffing,yams, turkey, pumpkin pie, and anything else I can fit on the table.What could be better?
 
I hope all of you hug your loved ones exra tight this Xmas, cuz they are ultimately the greatest gift of all, and have a very chill and safe Christmas.

XOXO.

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Bah humbug.


Damn. I got bit by the damn dengue mosquito today. (i know from the white spots)

It takes about a week to find out if you have dengue or not.

So the next 4-6 days are going to be taken in suspense......

this Christmas might suck.

Boo. :(

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Let's Try that Again.

Okay. so maybe I was a bit tee-off yesterday. (not so hot doc news in da morning followed by random bs is not a valid excuse for my behavior.) I hope I did not discourage any of you from attending this bookfair. I do want to add that the Feria Internacional del Libro here in Guadalajara was overall amazing. The convention was packed all week long.

The FIL para Niños was even better. The kids went with their class and there were tons and tons of book, activities, plays, and massive security. Romeo & Juliet was one of the child plays, as well as other titles. Storytime, painting, reading mats, and newsreporting were just a few of the activities available for kids. In fact, they had quite a few per age group. We walked away with a couple books per kid, some great, some  ~eeeehhhh. As long as they read, right?  Little One walked away with "El Hijo del Santo y Xico", a comic from HellBoy (I know, I know, but it made him happy), and my childhood favorite, "Donde Viven Los Monstrous" or Where the Wild Things Are.

 I was so proud of him. I loved that book. Even better, I heard they've made it into a movie. Not a crappy modern version, like Cat in the Hat, but a beautiful rendition.  I can't wait for it to come to Mexico, because it will def. be one I will take my kids to.

Moosecake ended up with a few interesting books. To help her learn spanish and read something she would like, we kinda gave her free reign to pick what she would like. She found "Ghostgirl" and some other funny book. We also bought, "Quiubole", a gi-normous book on every topic a girl could possibly have a question on... sex, internet, kissing, clothes, money, boys, etc. The good thing about this book is that it is VERY informative, including topics such as child sexual/abuse and who might do it and numbers all over the country to call for help. There was even a section on tattoos and piercings.... this was the buy or no buy factor. We don't want something that pushes riduculous ideas, but something that is still conservative. And this book passed. In fact, it talks about piercings and tattoos, hygiene and doing what you want vs what is cool. And if you're trying to rebel, dumb idea. Your grandma prolly did the same thing years before. Haha. This book is neutral. Common sense. I liked it.

Hubby found a comic book, "The Darkness", that he really likes, and an oil painting book, and I walked away with a Thai and Mediterrean cookbook. (promises to post a few recipes!) Our best find was actually a book for Moosecake. The book cover itself drew our attention.

This was a great book for my little Moosecake. It's about a little girl, half white, half mexican, who loves yoga, her puppy, and only understands one side of her culture. Her Irish grandma is funny, has her whole house Navajo, has tons of stories and takes her shopping and what not.  She doesn't really understand the other side and why the Mexican grandma has differents smells in her home , has shrines , only speaks spanish, and other odd things. She doesn't understand that BOTH of those cultures make who she is. She takes off  to Tijuana, to find her fathers family and reconnect with her dad's cultura. Moosecake loved this book and it was a nice way to show that she isn't the only one discovering a whole new side to her family, but that she can still hold on to what she loves from the other side.

Isn't that we're all hoping for?

Monday, December 7, 2009

Feria Internacional del Libro 2009


Es Internacional y es Aqui.

Actually, it wasn't.

Los Angeles, my beloved and hated hometown, was the featured guest this year at the Feria Internacional de Libro here in Guadalajara. It was here for about a week; every type of book, from every country, for every taste, and a huge area just for children. The entire convention center was filled, from poetry, textbooks, childrens books and activites, comics, cookbooks and more. Not only that, but LA was the featured guest. The cultura that makes us, or even more so, our spouses, who are really american, with that mexican flair, be on display for all to admire instead of criticize. The fair began on Monday and my kids' school visited Thursday. I met up with them later in the day, to pull little Moosecake out of class, and take her to find some history on HER special cultura. After dealing with security for a good while, (they had a kids area with strict security, so it was a good thing.)Moosecake and I jetted for the exhibition area which was decked out with a Monte Carlo and a few lowrider bikes..... and there we were disappointed. Two stands, and not as many books as I had expected. I picked up a book and had a question... excited that I might be able to speak english,  but could find no one. Turns out, the Americans had taken off. Yesterday.

I was butt hurt.

Could this be a sign that my allegiance could be changing?Am I more beaner that I thought?

and then I got pissed.

Los Angeles and the United States was the featured guest in the largest book fair in all of Mexico. They had their seminars, their cultura lectures, they were the stars. Stars, indeed. That they only stayed for three days and then left someone else to man their booths. Wtf?

I always hear my hubby talking with his clients. Random things, of course, but somehow the United States comes up quite a bit. Clients portray, like a lot of Mexicans here, a distrust and dislike for America.  And... I always get irritated.

Again, now I can see why. I know this sounds harsh, but isn't this always how it works out? The United States (in general) says  and  promises something and never follows through? Gosh, I still have a little anger at the repeated bullshit and backwards laws with Immigration... but it doesn't stop there. I'm ashamed. The general idea towards Americans is that we're "presumido"... stuck up. snobby. elite. And apparently, too good to hold up our end of the bargain at a freakin' book fair.

I know when I first moved here, I did  might have had a little animosity and frustration trying to get things done. It is difficult to get the ball rolling sometimes. But I don't want to be that person. I don't want to represent the supposed "bad" about the United States. I've met amazing Americans down here with such genuine hearts, that I don't want the general perceptions from Mexico to be constantly harping down on them, their families, or mine.
Argh.

Maybe I'm the only one noticing it.


Saturday, December 5, 2009

Day to Give Thanks....

Yes. I'm back. After two weeks, a few bottles of wine, lots of hard work, and an early Thanksgiving with my family (and finding out that I'm gonna be an auntie!!!) , I am back in Me-ji-co.


Thirty minutes after arriving in GDL, my sister and her fiance, from San Diego, came down for the official Day of Thanks. It was quite hectic travelling to Tlaquepaque and Tonala for some shopping, to the town of Tequila, for a few shots and a tour, and finally, to the pueblo magico town of Tapalpa, for some "rock" climbing and borrego tacos. Yum! All of this to give my sis and her man a taste of Mexico (outside Tijuana!) in the few days that they were here.

(Moosecake wanted an authentic photo, where we pretended not to notice the camara!)

we had a great time and were really glad that Katie and Darren were able to come out and hang out for a bit. Time to relax and get back into the groove of things. I'm sure I'll have something to bitch about tomorrow. Ciao!

About Me

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I've been living in Mexico now for about a two years with my hubby and 2 kids. Not exactly by choice, but we're here nonetheless. Luckily, I live with quite a few of the accomodations that i was used to in the states. In spite of those convienences, we also have a water tank with asbestos, outdated electricity, massive amounts of dust, caterpillars that burn your skin, and thousands of windshield washers on every street corner. My kiddos and I are learning to speak spanish and adjust to life away from our family and friends in the States.

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