• 28Jul

  Some of us love our new life in Mexico

  decisionmaking, worries 17 Comments
  “Pick up after your dog” sign in Mazatlán

  “Pick up after your dog” sign in Bellingham, WA (with bags provided)

  I’ve heard stories of a number of people who moved to Mexico and decided to move back to the US before their first year was up. Some are firsthand stories of people known to our friends and family. The stories were told to us in a loving but cautionary way by people who were worried the same thing would happen to us. They didn’t want to see us disillusioned or hurt, either emotionally or financially.

  We’ve been here almost a year now, and I can truly say that we are both very happy with our decision to move. We love the community, the house, the neighborhood, and the weather. I could go on and on - and I have, actually, as this blog is witness.

  Without going into details, I have heard lately of a number of people who have moved back or are planning on moving back to the US. It’s made me think about why we were successful and try to figure out what we might have done differently than they did.

  • We had traveled in Mexico extensively
  • My son and his wife live in Mexico and were a great source of information and ideas
  • We made a really solid “must have” list for our new community
  • We worked through our control issues with regard to litter, barking dogs, etc
  • We have taken it slow, not joining every organization just to fill time
  • We really like spending time with each other
  • We are committed to learning the language
  • We had thought about the challenges facing us ahead of time (vegetarian food/the language)
  • We helped each other get through bad patches instead of escalating frustration

  That’s a few of the things I think we did right. Here are some observations about some things unsatisfied folks maybe could have done better:

  • Think ahead about how you will deal with aggravations like barking dogs, litter and no-show repairmen. Have strategies ready. You need to be honest with yourself to do this.
  • Settle in a home that fits your lifestyle. If you like to walk, make it easy on yourself, don’t buy on the top of a hill.
  • Surround yourself with people who bring out the good in you, and who make you feel positive.
  • Think about whether your move is all about one thing (i.e. you can live here for less money)
  • Think about whether you are you open minded? Accepting? Positive? Flexible?
  • Think about whether you want to adapt to the culture. Will you be unhappy if you can’t find a store open during siesta or your favorite food item?
  • Do you like to settle disputes with a lawsuit? Probably Mexico isn’t a good fit for you.

  We’re here for the long haul. Are you? Or no? I’d love to hear why.

• 27Jul

  Eating Close to Home

  food, random 19 Comments

  

  Gas costs a lot. Refrigeration costs a lot. Loading and unloading do, too. So it makes a lot of sense - even in just financial terms - to eat food that is grown locally. A lot of people are beginning to question our desire for out of season foods - why eat strawberries in January in Seattle when they’ll be fresh in May? Especially if they’ll have to be shipped from South America? How good can they taste after travelling for weeks?

  I just finished reading Barbara Kingsolver’s book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. She and her family set out to prove to themselves that they could eat from within 100 miles of home - with only a few exceptions. (Olive oil and flour for example) They grew a huge garden, raised chickens and turkeys, and bought the rest of their meat from local farmers. No more asparagus in winter for them!

  I love buying produce here. But I am struggling to figure out what the seasons are for produce. Mangos and avocados I know - I see the trees around here and can watch the fruit ripening.

  Being in a new climate has raised hell with my preconceptions of seasons. When are Mexican strawberries locally available? How can I do my part in buying locally grown produce without the basic schedule in my new environment? I haven’t had any luck Googling, so I will need to talk to the fruteria owners and read whatever labels I can find. Even in our mercado you will see apples with stickers from Washington State!

  I know Mexico values the US market for their produce, but the whole transporation issue means that it won’t be the last time tomatoes or jalapenos or cilantro are suspected when illness strikes.

  When food is being transported a long way, varieties are selected based on how well the produce travels and how uniform its shape is. This isn’t a new concept. I remember that my father (a food consultant) was interviewed in 1974 lamenting the loss of taste in tomatoes which were being bred for their square shape and thick skins.

  In the US, the Slow Food movement, the Locavore movement, and the proliferation of farmer’s markets and organic produce create a support network for people who would like to eat good, tasty food that grew nearby. Heirloom varieties are sought after for their taste and their seeds that grow true to the parent.

  Here in Mexico, we can buy from our local fruteria or mercado whenever possible. I occasionally see organic produce in the supermarket, but unfortunately it usually looks pretty unappetizing. Until I figure out the harvest schedule in our area Paul and I plan on driving into the countryside occasionally where you’ll see heaps of watermelons or other produce being sold from a stand or back of a truck.

  How else can we buy the best produce? How can we understand the use of pesticides in an individual crop? Is there a movement here brewing that will reduce the use of pesticides and even maybe embrace organic growing? Do any readers have sources they can share with information that would help me sort this out?

• 26Jul

  Rejas or Bars or Protections, whatever you call them

  maz odds + ends 9 Comments

  
  In most of Mexico, bars on the windows are a fact of life. I love them! What a sense of freedom there is to be able to have any and all windows in your house open whenever you want!

  In the summertime here in Mazatlán, it is hot and muggy. The thing that saves us is air movement. We get some from the ceiling fans but we really count on the breeze we get through our open windows and doors, too.

  Before we got the iron door made for our master bath we had to always prop the door open with a brick and remember to close it when we left the house. And there was no opportunity to catch a through-breeze during most of the year when we sleep with our windows open. Here’s a picture of it, below….it has obscure glass that can open separately from the door. (The picture is taken from the patio outside)

  Some protections are plain, and some are fancy. I love this one, don’t you?

  Here’s a close-up of the bit at the top. The house is about a half block from the ocean - you can see the salt air has done a number on it!

  
  Some are classic, like the one below. See the shutter behind the bars? Those of us with houses right on the sidewalk in Centro really appreciate the privacy. Paul and I will get them for our house someday.

  Some are kind of plain-Jane but nice:

  Some don’t protect anything anymore!

  
  And some are more beautiful and elegant than you can imagine. I love the curl at the top so much!

  

  I love being able to be upstairs, or taking a nap, or able to leave the house and have our house stay fresh and cool. (okay, not exactly cool, but…) They are perfectly suited to the climate and lifestyle here.

  And we can’t forget how nice it is for a dog to sit and be able to say hello to everyone who walks by!

• 24Jul

  Happy Dogs

  dogs 13 Comments

  What dog doesn’t look happy when they are face down in their food dish? It hasn’t always been that way for us - both our dogs were off and on picky eaters most of their lives. Henry had been known to not eat for more than a day for no reason that we could discern.

  When we moved here the dogs had been eating a fancy designer expensive dog food. I liked that it was more real nutrition and that they produced smaller stools. I figured that their bodies were actually absorbing more of the food due to less filler.

  Lucy - like many floppy eared dogs - has had problems for most of her almost nine years with fungal infections in her ears, especially when the seasons change. She also had bad dandruff and chewed her feet almost compulsively.

  A few months ago she was really in a bad way so we took her to the vet. After examining her, he recommended an elimination diet - just rice and tuna or salmon to start with. He also sold us her usual ear medicine and some shampoo.

  So, we changed the dogs over to this new diet, which now consists of tuna, rice, frozen peas and chicken all mixed together. Being a vegetarian I don’t like to mess around with cooking chicken so I bought chicken breasts (quite inexpensively) at Sam’s Club to add to the food.

  Both dogs are now enthusiastic eaters. They eat it up and then check each other’s dish, just in case. They lick the little pieces of rice off the floor. Lucy’s skin has cleared up beautifully, she only licks her feet once in a while, and I can keep her ears under control with cleaning every week.

  I like the fact that they are eating without a lot of fillers and unknown additives. It is a bit expensive but no more so than the fancy food…and I am happier knowing that I am taking good care of our best friends!

  Oh, and the treats that we give them now in place of store-bought dog cookies? Carrots!

• 22Jul

  Yin and Yang

  maz odds + ends, travel 5 Comments
  Erica and Owen on Lake Whatcom

  I knew that ten months separation from the US meant there would be some culture shock for me during my trip North. A few observations:

  Driving was almost boring. I clicked away at the XM Radio in my rental and waited and waited for people to wake up and drive! Merging is a little practiced art in Washington. People don’t just GO when it’s their turn. Turn signals were blinking everywhere I looked.

  The car culture was a bit of a shock, too. I am used to walking a lot…just to live my normal life. In the US people seem to go for walks, not just walk. Big parking lots, ample parking, and SO MANY new cars seem unusual to me now. I’d sort of forgotten about how much drive through fast food there is.

  I was in my element shopping, though. I have struggled here in Mazatlán to find the kind of clothes I want, and have had a hard time figuring out my size. Clothes are expensive here, too. So I had fun going to stores like Macy’s where I knew my size and knew the sale racks would be behind the other merchandise. The end of season sales really helped me out and I got lots of loose shirts and dresses - among other things.

  Pay phones are hard to find anymore. The only place I saw them was at the rest area or a convenience store.

  Comics…the newspapers have comics! And the Sunday paper has ads for everything you could possibly want (but probably don’t need.)

  People speak English. Obvious, I know. But I am so used to translating menus and thinking ahead about what I will say I felt kind of lazy.

  Headphones are on nearly every head. Not just kids. Not just little white earbuds…but every kind of large and small headphone you can imagine. The spectrum of what they are listening to is probably as varied as the types of headphones. NPR? Music? Books? Podcasts? Is it just the fad or are they saying “don’t bother me?”

  Credit, everywhere. Pretty much every store I went to offered me a discount if I would apply for their credit card. And when I said I lived out of the country, they thought I meant Canada!

  Some things cost a lot. Restaurant food. A glass of wine. Parking downtown. Gas (around $4.40/gal) A cup of coffee.

  Some things are less expensive. Clothing. English books. Hair clips. A set of outdoor furniture at Fred Meyer with 6 chairs, a table, cushions, and an umbrella for under $250. In Mazatlan it would be at least $1,200 dollars!

  What did I bring back? Different things than I thought I would. Books, Clothing, Seeds, Tea, Casement window hardware, French door hardware, Yarn, Aloe Vera, Vitamins, Last season’s Dog Whisperer on DVD, Dog toys, and Dog tags with our Maz information.

  What didn’t I buy? Peanut butter. (too heavy) Frontline Plus for the dogs (no time to go to a different pet store) A WII Fit (decided it was too frivolous)

  What had I forgotten? That it is stunningly beautiful there in the summer. There were lovely sunsets, sunny days in the 70’s, and nice cool nights perfect for sleeping.

  It was a great week, but I am glad to be home!

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