My Week

In my last post I made mention of perhaps being swindled by repair men but I have been spared!  I now have a working fridge WOO HOO!

Last Sunday I went to my husband´s ball game and met the fate of being hit in the leg with the baseball which left a very huge bruise.

I´m glad to announce that I am way ahead of schedule for Christmas.  Usually I don´t start decorating until the second week of December and every year I say next year I am going to be ready to decorate way earlier Since Thanksgiving isn´t celebrated here in Mexico I haven´t been busy prepàring for guests and making food so I´ve been able to focus a little more on other things.  For example...

I pulled out all of my pictures and finally fixed my huge frame that holds 1 8x10, 2 5x7, and 12 4x6. It took me longer than usual because the frame was badly molded from the humidity so I had to doctor it up and clean, clean, clean it up.  

The house is still coming together. Here are a few of my peeves as of late.

1) Every morning I have to go outside and pick up 5-7 doggie dumplings in my front yard.  Ever since we finished remodling the front yard is still wide open and with a lot of rock and sand where the doggie´s love to take a dump.  It´s driving me crazy because I don´t even have dogs Plus, I can´t let one day pass without picking up the dumplings or else I can´t leave my front door open to let in the breeze because all I get is an ugly stench.

2) All the traffic uses my yard to turn around.  I know it´s not a big deal but after a while it gets annoying because they almost make it up to my front window.

Ok, I´m done venting for now.  That pretty much sums up my week, I hope to start sharing pictures but can never seem to come prepared to the ciber.

I have an idea of setting up a desk at home to have a working area. However, I have run out of tables and need to buy a new one which I hope will serve as both table and side table whenever needed.  We´ll see but that is the plan.

Well, tootlz for now, its dark here and so I´m off for some pan con leche para cenar.

Swindled?

I´m taking my fellow blogger Contessa´s advice and am going to throw myself into this by posting about daily life here at home in Nayarit.  This place is truly like "Peyton´s Place," but more of that later.

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Today was the 2^nd time I made tortillas by hand, or as they say here in Mexico “tortie” (pronounced: tor-tea-e).  The 1^st time I tried, the tortillas came out a little burned but I think I’m starting to get the hang of it because today I didn’t burn them.  It’s not too difficult to make tortillas there is simply several things one must be aware of because if one is amiss then your tortillas suffer the consequences.  Making tortillas is an art into itself and I will go into how they are made in more detail later.  For now I will simply tell you that I’m tackling the task of tortiando daily.

Earlier today two men were driving down the street announcing that they repair refrigerators, stoves & washing machines.  We asked them to stop because the fridge my suegra (mother-in-law) gave us isn’t cooling as it should.  Reluctantly, my suegra called them over.  I say reluctantly because in the past other people have paraded down the street announcing their handy work capabilities and end up swindling my suegra out of her money leaving her only with broken appliances.

We told the two men that we had a fridge that needed fixing but weren’t very trusting because we have been swindled in the past.  They assured us that they were honest men who live in Tepic and work the surrounding ranches repairing old appliances.  After about 15 minutes of discussion, we (B, my suegra and I) agreed to let them fix the fridge.  We also had them unclog the stove (also given to us by my suegra) because one of the burners wasn’t working.  They fixed both (supposedly) and charged us $800 pesos; $750 for the fridge and $50 for the stove. 

We plugged the fridge in and it seems as if it is cooling more but only time will tell whether or not we too have been swindled.

Wish us luck!

-Trinidad

Home at Last

Ok, Ok, I´m sorry for being away so long.

I made it. I am in 5 de Mayo Nayarit and have tons to share but no time!! We´ve had renovations at the house, and I barely got unpacked a few days ago.  Things have been crazy and today is the first day I´ve tried "El Ciber" at the ranch.  I have to say it hasn´t been bad at all, the connection that is.

This is a short hello, but please bare with me as I get settled in at home.  I think I will create my posts at home and then come in to the ciber all ready to just cut and paste.

On to top of getting settled in I wrangled with a 102 temperature for three days until finally I went to see a doctor and got a shot which took away my fever within hours.  You know how they do things down here in Mexico ha ha.

Well, like I said please bear with me and I hope to post again soon.

"Surprise!"

The cousins and my Mom nealing at the bottom right

"Surprise!" was what I heard as I walked into the door of my aunt's house.

"No guys he's not here yet, it's just me" was my response.  Cousin Londa said "No this is for you!"

Tear.

As I stood there it all began to sink in that I wasn't actually there for my cousin's surprise birthday party but a surprise going away party for me. 

They got me good.

I was so emotional I needed a cocktail fast to simmer the nerves down.  My family began to give me hugs one by one, some I hadn't seen in a while so I was very glad they could make it.

The day before the party I told my mom I planned on making up little cards with all my new contact info so that I could pass them out at my cousin's surprise party.  She thought it was a good idea since the whole family was going to be there.  It is so funny how it all worked out that I had thought to make the contact cards and ended up passing them out at my own surprise party.

My family is awsome. 

I still haven't started packing but will get to it soon. 

Tootlz for now.

My One Way Ticket

A one way ticket...for anybody, can feel threatening when it is purchased without the intent of a return.

I have finally purchased my one way ticket and things are starting to feel FINAL. 

This move to Nayarit has been almost two years in the making and to be honest I have often felt that it would never arrive.

My situation has always felt somewhat like a dream that I wasn't really living.  It was hard to be married for one year and then have to be separated for two.  This was a hard and long journey for both my husband and I am so glad and thankful that it has all come to an end - the separation, not the marriage.

So much change lies ahead for me and I know I will be struggling to adapt.  It is true what is said about change and the unknown.  Both are not usually welcomed with open arms.  I believe to truly be successful in my transition I will have to embrace both with my eyes wide open.  Does that make sense?

Back when I started this blog, I had no idea I would be meeting such wonderful, intelligent people.  Thank you for your comments and posts, they have helped me to see this experience in a new positive light.

On Sunday Oct. 2nd I will make the title of this blog a reality and not just a dream.

Oh and did I mention I'm very excited? 

Because I am, even if it is to delve into those dreadful things in life like change and the unknown.

My $5 Coffees

Ok, so I am guilty of enjoying the rediculousness of Peet's $5 coffees.  I can't help it, lately I've gotten much better at taking my own coffee to work and staying away from the coffee mania of Peet's in the morning but not today. 

I woke up rather early to take a family member to the bart station, 6am to be exact, and thus had a ton of time to spare before getting to work.  My solution...I headed to Peet's coffee shop near my work and orded myself a large white mocha with whole milk and whip cream.  Mmmmm. 

Since I've been back, between the bagels with cream cheese and coffees I think I've gained about 10-15 pounds.  YIKES! It's ok because I am 99% sure I will lose it all once I move down to Nayarit. 

As I passed the time in the coffee shop with the much older crowd (which is why I like going to Peet's) I wrote my nephew in boot camp a 5 page letter.  After finishing, I sat outside on one of the benches and longed for some company.  I got to thinking after about 20 minutes how much better I would be enjoying myself sitting on my new patio in good 'ol 5 de Mayo drinking a 5 cent coffee instead of a 5 dollar coffee.

My mother-in-law and I often bond over coffee, it is something we have in common if not anything else we always manage to agree when it's time for café.

Sitting outside that coffee shop made me realize this as everybody walked by me with not so much as a single "hello" much less a "good morning." A realization that my $5 coffees are just that and nothing more. 

All in due time.... for now I wish you all a good morning.

Still Here!

After receiving a concerned email from a dear friend, I decided to write this post to let everybody know I am still alive and kickin'!

I have been a terrible blogger and do apologize. 

I have encountered a couple of obstacles to blogging.  One, my home computer is dying on me.  It is a fight to get my laptop booted up and am in the process of getting it replaced as I have had it for over 7 years and wouldn't mind seeing something new.  However I have yet to take the plunge at getting a new one.

Also, I have been working 7 days a week.  Crazy right? I know.  I figure that I don't have kids or a husband at home that need tending to and so I should be able to manage the schedule.  My last day of work is Sept. 30th and until then I will be working every day except for the Monday holiday in September.

I am on very good terms with my employers and we have a mutual care for one another.  I am on a mission to complete a project at work before I leave plus I don't mind the extra cash.  I will sometimes get online at work but most of the time my project takes me away from my office and thus away from my computer.

Don't give up on me as I should be getting a working laptop soon.  Also, I have recently found out that a new "cyber" has opened up in Nayarit where I will be moving.  So keeping the blog functioning shouldn't be too difficult even though I believe the connection is via satelite.  We'll see how that goes as I hear they are not very reliable.

Tootlz for now, I will be checking in soon!

Credencial del Elector

On this last trip to Nayarit we made but one trip to Tepic and I convinced B that we should go get our "Credencial del Elector" which is one of the most important Mexican ID's in Mexico as it is the one used to vote.  I have been itching to get some sort of identification in Mexico so that I could open my own bank account and do other things.

I had tried several other times to get this identification and was told I needed this and that to go here and there when all the time all I needed to get the Credencial del Elector is the following:

1. My Birth Ceriticate (the two originals issued by the Mexican Consulate in San Francisco)
2. 2 witnesses that know you with valid Credenciales del Elector (1 of the witnesses IDs had to be from the county of Tepic)
3. A proof of residence - ie an electricity bill

I have noticed that anytime you try to do most any kind of paperwork you are always asked for a "recibo de luz" or light bill.  So now I am always armed with an electric bill when conducting business.

It turned out we had perfect timing for getting these IDs because as soon as B went into the bank they told him that he needed to get a new one because his was now expired.  In Mexico I believe they use a series number noted on the ID.  Once your series number is retired you have to get the ID renewed.

For item #2 I wasn't able to use B because he didn't have a valid ID so I only had my mother-in-law who could sign as a witness.  On the street in front of a Bancomer Bank she asked an innocent bystander if they would sign as a witness for me even though they didn't know me.  The first person she asked consented, all I remember about her is that her name was Rosario and she was from the San Blas area.  After the agent took her information she was on her way and I heartily thanked her.

The agent filled out all of my paperwork and took my photo.  At the very end of the process I was asked to sign my name and not thinking I signed my name as I normally would in the states.  I forgot that the name I would be using in Mexico would be the name on my Mexican birth certificate not my husbands name that I had taken in the states.  Hmmm I caught it after reviewing the paperwork and asked the agent to change it.  His response was that it didn't matter if my signature didn't match the printed name on the ID but that I had to sign my name exactly as I had signed it on the ID.

I was like really? How weired is that going to be? He insisted that I need not worry about it, but I know this is going to really bother me everytime I take it out for something.  I also wonder if I will have any problems.  Well I guess only time will tell.  The ID was ready for pick up on August 3rd and will remain at that office until I go in person to pick it up.  They will hold it for 2 years and then it will be recycled if it is not picked up. 

Even though my name is wrong on the ID I was happy I existed on paper in Mexico.  I guess I felt like I was officially moving.  Now all I need to work on is getting an address.  I joke and call our house number 3 1/2, but that's another story for another time. 

Tootlz for now.

My Dual Citizenship

An article came out in our local paper which mentioned resident parents wanting to get dual citizenship for their kids so that they could reap of one of the benefits of easy travel to and from Mexico.  I must say that being able to go around the long line of tourists flying into Puerto Vallarta would be a definite plus for me.

When I was 17 years old, my father told me he wanted me to get dual citizenship so that later on when he was gone I could inherit his properties (without having to jump through hoops) in Zacatecas.  Even though now I think this most likely will not happen (a whole other story), I am glad we took the time to get my dual citizenship.

Getting the dual citizenship proved to be somewhat cumbersome in that it took many phone calls to the Mexican consulate in San Francisco to get an appointment.  If I remember correctly, we made one visit to the Consulate but trying to get that appointment took almost a year. 

When my application was submitted I was 17 and by the time I got an appointment to process all the documentation, I was 18.  The woman we spoke to on the phone said that I was passed the age to claim my right to dual citizenship. 

Apparently the children of a Mexican citizen have to be under 18 years of age for their parents to claim the dual citizenship for their kids.  We explained to the woman that the paperwork was submitted before I turned 18 and it was their fault we didn't get an appointment for so long.

Finally we were given an appointment where we had to bring copies of my parents and two witnesses' birth certificates and identification cards.  Also I had to be accompanied to my appointment by my parents and the two witnesses.  Trying to arrange for this was a little difficult in that everybody we knew worked and the appointment was during the day plus we had to travel to the city. 

After the appointment the Mexican Consulate provided me with a temporary "Mexican birth certificate" until the originals arrived in the mail.  I paid for two originals and sure enough within a matter of two weeks I had them in my hands.

I am happy we made the effort to get it done because now I am finally reaping the benefits.  Mind you I never thought it would be because I would be living in Mexico.

After 10 long years of being tucked away in a filing cabinet, I will finally be putting those Mexican birth certificates to use.

Casita Update

B and I have decided that the first order of business once I move down to Nayarit is installing the electricity.

We would really like to paint the bedrooms and the walls that do not have exposed brick.  However, we plan on changing all of the electricity outlets in the bedrooms and should really wait until we can seal all of the holes where the old outlets are now.  The color in my bedroom reminds of Thousand Island dressing and does not complement the bobeda cielings at all!  The picture below is from my February visit. You can see how we closed the exsisting doorways when we added on to the house and opened up new a doorway behind where I took this picture.  Also, you can see the existing electrical wires that run up on top.  I don't know why but for some reason in Mexico they run the wires right smack in the middle of the walls and have outlets really high up.  My piano is now the new construction of the house as is the sofa and TV.  On this last visit I took curtain rods and switched out the tree branches that were being used as curtain rods ha ha.

B bought this paint at a really cheap price and thought he made out like a bandit, until he painted the walls with the paint.  The paint was so cheap that you could still see the cement underneath and after a while the paint began to peel off.  He was so mad!

You see that gap under the door?

After many reminders to B that I wanted to hang up all the stuff I had brought down to Mexico, we got to work on figuring out where we wanted everything as I didn't want them to get ruined on the floor while I was away.  It took so much work to get those things up on the walls because the walls aren't like those here in the states, they are made out of solid concete, brick and block.  Making a hole meant pulling out the drill (special for making holes in concrete), then using a dowel, and finally inserting the screw.  After all was said and done I had little piles of dust everywhere.  No wonder why B wasn't looking forward to the task.

I havn't told  B yet but I think we erred on how high to hang everything.  Looking at it now, they seem a little too high.  I also thought that maybe they look high because we don't have that much furniture in the house.  I don't know but I don't think I like where they are hmmm. 

The black frame on the wall is actually for several pictures
the cardboard inside just needs to be turned over; a task I will
tackle when I go down for good.

This is where the dining table is going to be...
I know the bathroom is not in the greatest place but we did what we could

The bathroom - still not quite finished but getting there

And last but not least.  Do you remember my Garage Sale Find?  Yep, I ended up painting the mirror a silver color, I wanted to do more with the color but didn't have time.  The cabinet I bought online was cheap and darling but the we were unable to screw it to the wall because the back of the cabinet is a cheap particle board.  I guess you get what you pay for.  I also think the cabinet ended up really high too but no chance I'm changing it now, I think I'm going to opt for a basket to put all my toilet paper in on top of the toilet.  Maybe that will make the gap look less ugly, not to mention hide those braces.  Oh well, I guess it doesn't look all bad.  I'm really liking the glass shelf I picked up at Ross, it comes in handy for the toothpaste. 

After going through my photos I realized that I didn't even take pictures of the sidewalk and patio B poured for the side and back of the house.  Right now he is working on covering the patio so we can sit outside when it rains.

All in all it's coming along little by little. 

 

Rats v. Iguanas

During my last stay in Nayarit, I had several unwanted visitors in my home.

Everyday I would sweep the house. As many of you already know, when you live in the country the floor gets full of dirt and dust very quickly.  About every other day I would find what looked to me like droppings, but I could not figure out what animal the droppings were from.

I ended up picking one up to start analyzing it and honestly it just looked like a doo doo about half an inch in size.  So I mosied on over to my mother-in-law's which is a jump and a skip away to see if she could tell me what it was.

"Es de Rana" was here response.  What? De Rana?

She said it was frog poop.  Hmm until now I never thought frogs had excrement that big.  I thought it was from a rat.  I always complain to B that the doors are way too high and that little critters can easily get under the door but he swears that once we put the tile down in the house the gap will get significantly smaller.  Until then however, I have big gaps under my doors.

It's rainy season in Nayarit and when it rains it pours.  It always seems so dramatic when it rains because it comes down so hard, not to mention the lightening and thunder sounds like it hits right beside you.  I think the rain is what brings the animals out of their homes. 

This is not the case for the family dog Muñeca.  She is terrified of any big noises and scampers into the house to hide under a bed.  She doesn't like to be anywhere else other than under a bed.  The only thing is she is not allowed in the house and so we always have to take her outside.  There are several other rooms she can go into but I think she just likes that the bed is right on top of her head so it feels safer.

She is a very good girl in that she can be inside the house for a whole night and morning and she will not use the bathroom.  We often don't know when Muñeca is under the bed because she is so quiet so she ends up spending the night with us.  One time she scared the heck out of me as I woke up to the bed moving up and down with nobody in the room other than me.  I finally got the guts to look under the bed, it was Muñeca wagging her tail like crazy which was making the bed move like crazy.

One day not long after a storm hit, I saw my sister-in-law with a broom looking on at our dog Muñeca.  I walked over to see what was going on only to see she had a present.  An iguana.  Apparently La Muñeca was in the house and my neice told her mom that she had gotten inside but that it was ok because she was trying to get an iguana.  Funny as it may seem my in-laws are scared of the things and La Muñeca knows this, so she went in the house to take care of the situation.

Muñeca was so proud of her kill that she woulnd't let me take it from her right away.  Finally I was able to get the iguana to dispose of it.  My in-laws looked at me in horror as I picked it up by the tail.  It's funny how iguanas, snakes, mice and frogs don't bother me much but put a cockaroach in front of me and I am gone. 

So what's the conclusion to this story.  I will take iguanas over mice anyday, even though they both stink.  Why?  Because I know La Muñeca will take 'em out should one just happen to get in the house!

Getting to Our Final Destination

For some reason neither B nor I slept well through the early morning.  Perhaps it was because we both new we had  a somewhat long journey ahead of us.

I had spent $200, half of what I thought it would cost me to reach the border from my house.  Lil 'Emma did very well with her highway mileage considering she is a big 5.0 8 cylinder engine from 1995.  I had no complaints from her and out of sheer nervousness never turned on the A/C.  To be honest there was really no need considering I did most of the travelling at night and so a quick roll down of the window was all that was needed.

B and I woke up bright and early and headed toward an address provided to us by the man that was to help get our truck legalized.  We arrived at a business address and inquired inside for the man, a woman sitting inside a nice air-conditioned office said he would arrive shortly.  Sure enough within 15 minutes he pulled up in a white Ford pick-up.  He quickly got out of the truck all smiles and greeted us with "buenos dias."  After some small talk this man, Carlos, said that we would need to unload all of our belongings for the legalization appointment.  We knew this beforehand which was part of our reason for doing business with him as we knew we could unload our stuff at the business office while we waited for the truck to be legalized.  We had no reason to distrust Carlos because a family member had already legalized a truck with him and recommended him to us.

After unloading Emma we decided to take care of some business in downtown San Luis and Carlos offered to drive us to el centro as he too was headed in that direction.  After we took care of business we sat in the town's plaza under the shade of a tree and talked a bit.  We decided that we wanted to have a nice cold beer, or in my case cocktail.  We asked one of the locals where we could go but didn't have any luck and in fact were looked at like we were crazy.  I guess it may have been too early, that or nobody goes for a cocktail around there.  We ended up walking around looking for a place which turned out to be not so good of an idea as the day was starting to really heat up.  All of the places we found were ugly little bars that didn't look very inviting for a lady.

Finally we decided to just go in a Chinese restaurant to get anything cold to drink because we were exausted.  The restaurant sold beer! So we ordered two and we ended up having a good time as we talked with an old woman who was our waitress.  We had a very interesting talk with her and then went on our way back to Carlos' office.  We must have waited another 3 hours sitting on the floor because the office wasn't for clients but truck drivers that picked up and dropped off cargo.  Finally we saw Carlos pulling up in the truck and when he got out he had all the paperwork in hand.  We were so happy, after 7 long hours we were able to get on our way. 

We left San Luis at about 4pm and travelled through out the Sonoron desert all the while with the A/C on.  Even though she is 16 years old, 'lil Emma blew out ice cold air.  Were able to make it to Hermosillo by 10pm.  Here we stayed at a hotel where we showered and went to bed.  We were both out as soon as we hit the pillow.  The night before we didn't get any sleep because were were worried about getting the truck legalized. 

We woke up again bright and early to get on the road again.  As we passed Guaymas, I thought of a fellow blogger Brenda, and silently said a hello to her.  By the time we reached Los Mochis Sinaloa, we were hungry and so we stopped to eat at a little restaurant which served seafood.  I ordered a shrimp cocktail and B ordered a shirmp salad.  We ended up switching because I absolutely loved the shrimp salad!  I regret not pulling out my camera more often on this trip.  They had made it look so elegant on the plate.

Once in Sinaloa we knew that we were not far from home and we began relaxing.  We had already been through 2 checkpoints of which we simply told the officers we had not paid any fees previously because we were told that we did not have to declare anything.  They waved us on each time.  Again we reached another city, Mazatlan, where I knew another fellow blogger, Nancy, I said another silent hello. 

I was rather excited passing Mazatlan because I knew we only had two more hours to go!  By the time we came to Nayarit we went through all of the pesos we pulled out in San Luis.  The casetas or toll's that we paid for using the autopistas (nice freeways) really added up.  We thought it was funny that the most expensive autopistas were in Nayarit! 

My husband likes to joke around and when we made it to the second toll booth in Nayarit he asked the woman a question.  "We are coming all the way from Sonora, why is it that Nayarit's toll's are the most expensive?"  She gave him a coy look and you could tell she didn't know what to say. She just smiled and said "It's because Nayarit is one of the more beautiful states!" We all laughed and he said "I'm just kidding Miss, I am from here, near San Blas."

We knew we were home.

Once we reached El Crucero de San Blas, we both sighed, relieved that we had made it.  We looked at each other and I told him "no more...we are too old for this."



Getting to San Luis, AZ

So much energy, time, and thought went into this last trip down to Nayarit that I think I may be mentally exhausted from it all.   The day before I embarked on my journey down South, I planned to load the truck and cover it with a tarp so that the next day after arriving home from work I simply had to take a shower and get behind the wheel. 

Packing the truck was a 3 hour event.  Getting everything up on the truck wasn't difficult but arranging it all so as to minimize breaking things was cumbersome.  Also, I had things brought to me at the last minute that I literarally threw on top of the pile which kind of annoyed me as I was already stressed out with the loading and packing. 

After everything was loaded I began to cover the truck and start tying it down.  I had some help, but I could tell the help didn't really know what he was doing.  It took him about an hour to get the tarp tied down.  The truck was visually weighed down and looked like I was going to be hauling a heavy load.  I didn't take many pictures and now regret not having any visuals.

The next day I got home and ate a quick meal, jumped in the shower, and gathered last of my stuff.  I kissed my tearful mom goodbye and assured her that I would be ok and jumped in the truck.  My first stop was to get a full tank of gas as I forgot to do that the day before.  After filling the tank I merged onto the freeway where I was met with minimal traffic as it was about 4:30pm. 

All was going smoothly until I got a 1/4 tank into my drive,  in the shadow of the truck I could see that the tarp was flapping in the wind a bit.  About 5 minutes later I saw that a large portion of the tarp was flapping in the wind and I thought darn it! I knew that it was going to come undone because the person that tied it for me didn't seem like he knew what he was doing. 

I stopped at the next rest stop and hopped down from the truck, circled around to the back where the tarp was flapping and sure enough the rope had come undone and was lying in a heap next to the back tire.  Ooohh what to do, what to do?  Well I was going to give it my best shot at tying that sucker down, that was all I could do.  As I was tying it down all I kept thinking of was the long drive ahead and how I needed to be sure the tarp wasn't going to come untied again.  Also, I was trying hard to scan my surroundings as there were many semi-trucks parked and people parked to use the bathrooms.  Out of the corner of my eye I spotted a trucker watching me as I was tying down the tarp, and I tried to determine if he was threat.  I looked rather like a crazy lady, wind blowing through my hair, on my knees and floundering to make ties in the rope so I wondered if he was contemplating coming over to help me or something else.  I think I was just paranoid.

After about 20 minutes of tying ropes and checking other knots, I was ready to be on my way.  I had to use the bathroom but decided I should just get going and that I would go when I stopped to get gas.  I merged back on the freeway and looked over in the shadow of the truck to see if the tarp was going to hold.  It looked ok but from this point forward I was never confident that the tarp would hold.  I was so concious of it that I stopped again shortly after stopping at the rest area to check on it because I thought it may have loosened.  I regretted pulling off the road as I pulled off on an exit that is seldom used and I immediately felt my heart pounding as I jumped out of the truck to check the ropes.  My surroundings included an old farmhouse and what looked like miles of fields.  I remember thinking why the heck did I use this exit?  Again I was just paranoid I guess, or very cautious.  Once again I plopped back in the driver's seat and merged back onto the freeway. 

It was smooth sailing to my first stop for gas.  I had planned on stopping further on my route but made a last minute decision to stop before the sun went down to check on the tarp.  After pumping gas I made a quick restroom visit and got back behind the wheel.  I have to say travelling by yourself is no picnic, I think I watch too much Forensic Files because everytime I stopped I felt like someone was out to get me. 

After my stop I got back on the road and sailed through Los Angeles and made it close to Indio before having to stop for gas again.  It was close to midnight when I reached the gas station,  I don't recall the name of the town but I just remember there being several Indian Casinos.  Again I hadn't picked an ideal place to fill up.  When I pulled into the gas station it was off the freeway a ways and a train was passing by ever so slowly off to the side.  All I kept thinking of was that somebody would jump off one of the freight trains and walk on over to the gas station.  Everytime I stopped I phoned my mom to tell her where I was stopping for gas.  This particular time I stood on the phone with her until I got back on the freeway because nobody was at this gas station but me. 

I was nearing the end of my journey and knew I had about 3 hours left to go.  I wasn't too tired at this point just more nervous as I was getting closer to the border.  About an hour after I left the gas station I started going through the Arizona desert and it was very dark.  It seemed like I was the only one on the road that night and I started to feel my eyes getting droopy. 

Fatigue started to set in and I wasn't sure if I had missed an exit onto another freeway so I stopped at a gas station to ask for directions.  It was 1 o'clock in the morning.  As I got out of the truck I saw a man approching the vehicle next to mine which had a 4 wheel motorcycle in the back, you know like the one's that are used to patrol the borders, and I immediatly thought this guy to be one of those minute-man.  Shrugging it off I began asking him for directions only to be met with a hand to my face and a response of "No."  I felt crushed.  Some stranger waved me off and I felt like I wanted to cry.  I felt helpless.

I gathered myself and walked into the store and approached a woman, not wanting to approach another man, and asked her for directions.  She shook her head and said she was sorry but did not know.  Feeling helpless I looked around the store and saw some maps over in the corner.  I headed over to the maps and started looking to see where I was.  I was able to determine that I was on track and that I should be ok to reach I-95 which was the last stretch of highway before reaching my destination of San Luis, AZ. 

As I got back into the truck I remembered being dismissed by the man and thought to myself "what did I get myself into?"  I eventually made my way down to the border and spoke with B minutes before I arrived at the border.  He assured me everything was going to be ok and that he was already staying at the same hotel we had stayed at previously.

I reached the infamous red light green light button, pushed it and waited.  It turned red, which meant I had to pull over for inspection.  As I pulled over to the inspection area I saw B waiting there and immediately breathed a sigh of relief.  I knew I didn't have to handle the Aduana check and that he would do all the "negotiating."  Eventually we were able to leave but not before handing over $100.  We asked for a receipt showing that we had "declared" our items but said that one was not needed.  They pocketed the money and sent us on our way.

We didn't know what was to come in the following days but we were just so happy to be safe and reunited.  We drove into the hotel parked and got some much needed z's. 

Back In the Swing of Things

Ok so I am back in the states and back in the swing of things.  I slept a total of 13 hrs last night and feel rejuvenated. 

I was feeling like I had been dragged through a mango orchard with bug repellant on, everything seemed to stick to me and weigh me down.  My last day in 5 de Mayo started Monday morning at 5am.  I had to wash a load of wet musty clothes before leaving or else they would have started growing roots. I then swept the house and did a light clean up so that I didn't leave it looking like there had been a rooster fight held inside the house.

After a little house clean up, I had a light breakfast which consisted of coffee and Emperador cookies.  I didn't want to risk taking in anything else as I fell ill 2 days before.  I then rushed a cold shower and literally threw everything into my suitcase as I didn't have much that I was taking back with me. 

The 2hr drive to Vallarta was somewhat painful as I have grown to be very delicate on car rides when I am not the "chofer."  Things started looking up as we arrived at my sister-in-law's house in Vallarta (about 5 min. from the airport).  She had buttered chicken with potatoes and jalepeño's in the oven.  When we arrived she threw on a pot of white rice with carrots and peas and made a limonada.  I had some good home cooking that reminded me of a meal my mother would have made and I knew would sit right with my stomach. 

After a quickee lunch I headed to the airport where B and I said our goodbyes and got on the plane to Phoenix AZ which didn't leave on time rather a half hour late.  Once at the Phoenix airport I got lost looking for my connecting flight, that airport makes San Francisco's airport look tiny.   Rushing to get to my connecting flight I had 20 minutes to spare before boarding time and I decided to scarf down to slices of Pizza because I was very hungry at this point.  After eating I went to the boarding area only to find out our plane was delayed an hour due to SFO weather.  An hour later our plane was delayed once again another 2 hours due to the weather.  Our flight which was scheduled to leave at 7:41pm and arrive at SFO at 9:36pm didn't leave until 11pm and arrived at SFO at 1:00am. 

During that long wait at the AZ airport I came across some interesting people...A man that passed gas while standing in front of me as we looked for our connecting flights on a tv screen, a woman that made a bar tender very angry as she complained about our delayed flight, and two older women at a pizza hut that talked about all the good looking "papasitos" that walked by the restaurant. 

Once at the airport my mom was waiting for me and I made it home, trekked up the stairs and went to bed for about 3hrs.  Needless to say I was very tired the next day at work and desperately needed those 13 hrs of sleep.

I always find it hard to post while down in Nayarit as I don't have convenient access to the internet but will bring everybody up to date shortly.  I will also get up to date myself with all of you on what's been going on while I've been gone.

When I get home today I hope to get unpacked and settled in for this last home stretch to the big move down south.

Check-In 1

Ok so I made it phew. I drove 10 hrs to get to San Luis, AZ. It took about 7hrs to get the truck legalized and another 20 to reach my home. Emma didn't complain at all on the way down and hAs proven herself to be a real trooper! I won't lie they got me with 100 usd at the border but I didn't have to pay any other fines on the way down. The ac on Emma a 95 GMC sierra worked like a charm and so I can't complain about the hot weather. I will share more later as it is difficult to post from my Blackberry. Tootlz for now. And thank you all for your well wishes.

Just My Luck...

Today is the day before I leave for my trip down South and of course the crazy California weather is at it again.  It started raining about 2 hours ago and hasn't stopped.  I will be packing the truck when I get home for work.  The good thing is that the condos where I live have covered parking and our parking space is right in front of our condo door.

At this point I will need to dry the inside of the back of the truck and I should be good to go.  I washed her yesterday and was complaining this morning about a little bird poop on the windshield.  Ha! Little did I know then that would be the least of my problems.  I need to stop being so delicada. 

Tootlz for now hopefully we'll get some sunshine soon.

-Trinidad

Hot, Hot, Hot

Summer has finally arrived here in California and now I've been struggling through the nights to get some sleep!  We have central air but it wasn't working by the end of last summer.  Since summer was over we put off getting it fixed, until now that is.  No fan and no air = no sleep.

Yesterday was the first pleasant night's sleep.  I have not seen  the floor of my room for about 5 days now as I got to packing everything and then it got really hot and I just left everything where it was.  Each time I come home I don't even want to be in my room so I'll sit downstairs until I'm forced to go to bed.  I have one week left and time's a tickin to get things wrapped up at home for my journey South.  Since yesterday was exceptionally hot I couldn't resist the urge to take my two nieces swimming at our communal pool.  Everybody was out and having a great time.  It's amazing how refreshed you can feel after a quick dip in the pool.

As I was going through all the boxes of junk stuff I have, I came across two microcasette tapes.  Curious to see what was on them, I took them to work to listen to their contents (we have microcassette players at work for when the attorneys do dictation....yes they still do that lol).  One had a recording of my late Abuelita Aurelia.  I was so happy to hear her voice again she was such a sweetheart and I miss her so much. 

The other tape had recordings of me tickling the ivories.  Wow, I completely forgot I had recorded myself playing the piano.  I also played Heart 'n' Soul, a duet, with somebody and now I don't remember who!  I'm going to be thinking about it all day until I remember.  Listening to the recording made me want to sit at the piano and practice for hours like I used to. 

Have any of you recently come across something that you just completely forgot exsisted? I love it when you find things that mean so much to you years later, you get to take a trip down memory lane.

The little ones I leave behind...

My apologies as I have been on a dry spell lately, most likely because of the anticipated journey south.  I can't seem to sleep these days and so I have been really tired, thus taking me away from my blogging duties.

The past weekend got me thinking about my four little indians. 

I became an aunt at the age of 8 and was an aunt to 4 by the age of 16.  I will never forget the time wita (my mom) and mom (my sister) took off from the house and left me with all four kids ages 7, 4, 18 mo. and 3 mo.  I don't remember what they left for but it was suppose to be only for a minute and it felt more like an hour.  Somehow I managed to watch them without any major disasters.

Left to Right: Tati, Rigo, Chito & Nellie

As many of you already know, June is the month of graduation from kindergarten, middle school, high school and even college. This year my family and I attended my nephew Angel's (Chito) graduation from high school and we were all very happy; especially because the family endured many difficult times these past couple of years.

Despite the difficulties the kids faced they continued to strive in school.  Chito graduated, Rigo is involved in an academic program for aspiring engineers, Nellie is going to the 8th grade and doing well, and Natalia (Tati) is moving on to middle school and is also doing well.

All of this good work deserves a fiesta and so on Saturday the 18th we will be celebrating Chito's graduation.  On the following day at 1400 hours he will be shipped out to Marine boot camp down in San Diego.  We wish him all of the best and know he will be just fine, but to even think of it now brings tears to my eyes as we are all a little emotional that he will be going away. 

July 13th is his 18th birthday and he will be spending it in boot camp.  I hope to send out thank you notes to all who attend our little celebration on Saturday and ask if they can take a moment of their time to send him a birthday card or note.  I hear that those in boot camp really look forward to mail call as they are not permitted to phone home or see their family for 3 months.

I will miss the kids so much when I am away and hope that they will contact me whenever they need anything.

Ok I think I've done enough sad sapping, I must now look forward to the fiesta and family gathering this weekend.  No more tears only smiles :) 



Left to Right: Rigo, Chito, Tati (tinkerbell shirt), & Nellie



Mystery Fruit

I read an excellent post about pitayas, a "delicious cactus fruit" as Leslie a fellow blogger put it, which reminded me of a cactus fruit that I love. (Leslie I hope you don't mind the link, if so please yell at me and I will remove it immediately).

Years ago while visiting my grandmother's ranchito Cosalima Zacatecas, I climbed up a nearby hill and came across a cactus with little purple balls growing on it.  They looked a little like a cross between grapes and cherries.

I was told these little fruits were delicious and that I should try one.  They turned out to be very tasty and I vowed to not forget the name because I was curious if anybody else knew about them.  In Zacatecas they are called garambuyos however they may have a different name in other regions of Mexico. 

Has anybody ever tried these before or something similar?

A Change in Plans...

I'm mentally exhausted. 

This past week I have been quite tired which I attribute to several different things.

I have finally realized the culprit behind being too tired to clean, too tired to cook, and too tired to watch tv; work.  For some reason since I have returned from Nayarit I feel like I can barely keep my head above water, I can never see the top of my desk and my email to do's keep piling up. 

My nephew who we call Chito

Emotionally I have been a little drained as well, dealing with my nephew going away is kind of hard. He will be graduating from high school on the 10th of June and then shipping out to Marine boot camp 10 days later.  Last Saturday my mom and I went to family day at Moffett Field for my nephew.  I know Chito going into the service is for the best, but I guess I just wish I could be with him to hold his hand all of the way.  You know?

My mom has been sick for the past month  not being able to swallow anything not even water.  Finally she consented to going to the hospital and after a visit to the ER we set up appointments with specialists the doctor thought she needed to see.  Turns out she has an ulcer in her esophagus and it will take a month to clear up.  I miss seeing her full of life.

My mom and I

I'm exhausted. But....things are looking up.

After that damper of an opening I can now say the reason why I have sat and reflected on everything that has happened.  In July I will be making another visit to Nayarit.  My final move date was originally supposed to be in July/August but I have pushed it out to the end of September.  It works out better for me with work.

At first I was going to fly down and back, but there has been a change of plans.  I will be driving down and flying back.  Yep you read right, I will be taking 'lil Emma down Wednesday June 28th (tentative) with all of my stuff!  It turns out that B really needs the truck for work this year and so we are going to try and make it happen to take her down sooner. 

We are already knocking on June's door and so I feel like I have been in a race car to get to the finish line.  There are so many things that I need to get together that my mind is racing every which way!  I'm so excited and I really do hope everything works out at the border.  The last time we tried legalizing a truck we took down it didn't work (we still have to figure that one out). 

Well, that is where I am at the moment.  I'm going to get started on making my lists and work on getting more organized.  Hope you all have a fabulous Saturday!

My Garage Sale Finds

As many of you may know, I plan on moving down to Mexico this year and would like to take with me as much stuff as I can from here in the states.  Why? Well because the really good stuff is either too expensive or I can't find it in my area. 

Lately I have become a garage sale junkie.  I didn't want to spend an arm and a leg trying to furnish my house and plus I love old stuff and I love repurposing things whenever I can.  The only new things I have purchased are appliances. 

I have no agenda really, if I come accross something that catches my eye I snatch it up.  A co-worker of mine told me about this annual garage sale that occurs in her mother's neighborhood in a nearby town.  I woke up early on Saturday to attend in hopes of finding some treasures.  Here is what I have found so far on my garage sale ventures.

A mahogany bench that doubles as a storage unit with a lid that doesn't come crashing down.  I like that this is has storage because my house has no closets (aahh)! The couple that sold me this piece had it specially made because the husband had a knee injury.  Each morning he would get up and sit on this bench to put his shoes on.  Supposedly it cost aver a $100 to make, I paid $25 dollars for it.  The only thing I am not feeling about this piece is that it feels country to me, I would rather go white for vintage or darker for a more modern look.  I have also thought about just adding some cool looking pillows to give it a different edge.

Next are two floor lamps that cost $10.  Yes, $5 a piece.  I was so excited to have swiped this up! On one garage sale weekend I came across a garage sale sign and followed the arrows to the sale.  When I arrived I was surprised to have found the house of a dear ex co-worker who left work due to health issues.  She looked to be doing very well as apposed to the last time I had been to visit her in the hospital.  She sold me the two lamps, I am not sure if they were so cheap because she knew me or because she wanted to get rid of them.  Whatever the reason I was happy to take them off her hands.  The beige one I gave to my mom and the dark brown one will be going to Mexico.

This next piece I found at a garage sale around the corner from my friend's (ex co-worker) house.  I saw it from afar and fell in love with it.  The woman selling the piece said that it belonged to her mother-in-law and she was sure that it was over 45 years old!  When she said that I just had to have it! I paid $10 for it which to me was a good price because at the flea market in San Jose I saw many of the Last Suppers that size going for $60+.  Right now it hangs in my mom's dining room area.

Ohh la la was my reaction upon seeing this next beauty Saturday.  I particularly like it because it is a long oval mirror and everybody in the family is close to 6 feet tall as is yours truly.  An older woman sold me the mirror for $10.  Again I think I did pretty well as I have seen mirrors smaller than this at Ross for no less than $25.  I was looking for a mirror similar to this for our bathroom in Mexico.  However I am unsure if this kind of granduer will work in our humble bathroom.  If you have forgotten, pictures of Mi Casita show the bathroom, let me know what you think.  I plan on painting it a different color because I am not sure gold will go with my white and silver bathroom. Again I would love to hear your thoughts on this one. 

 

Well that's what I've got so far.  What do you think? Have I been robbed or did I steal?

My Cooking Phobia

B's sisters whipping up a batch of shrimp ceviche

When I first met my husband I didn't know how to cook very well.  So when he told me how much of a seafood person he was you can imagine my reaction.  I was not thrilled to say the least.

I have a cooking phobia, for some reason I always feel like I am performing on a stage in front of thousands of people.  Whenever it is up to me to whip something up for guests, or my husband, I get stage-fright tears and all. 

Well, it's been over three years now since I first met my husband and after figuring out how to remove the head of a shrimp without squeezing all of it's brains out I think I've made progress.  I must defend my husband and everyone around me in saying that the person putting all of the pressure on me was myself.  My husband never made me cook, or made me feel bad when something didn't come out quite right.

I will have to say that my upbringing included everything Mexican except the fact that I was a girl and was hardly ever in the kitchen.  My father (father was the strict one) always allowed me to do all of the outside chores and play in the dirt as much as I wanted as long as I was doing good in school.  I paid dearly for making those choices as a young child because later on in life I felt very insecure about not being able to cook.

I would always say, put me in front of a computer, in a car, an office, behind a lawn mower and I could get the job done.  But put me in a kitchen and I went straight for the back door.  I was very upset for a long time that I allowed myself to be ignorant in the kitchen.  When I wanted very much to have dinner parties and couldn't supply the food myself it became very frustrating.  I wanted to fill everybody's tummies with delicious food of my doing and hear laughter in my home. 

In 5 de Mayo, I know that food will have to be prepared everyday.  For one because the choices of eating out are very limited, two it would probably get to be 'spensive and third it gets tiring after a while.  My heart so desires to be with my husband but I also know that with that comes an entirely different way of living. 

My current daily routine involves an 8-4:30 job Monday through Friday.  Sit in traffic for a couple hours each day to get to and from work and then once I get home I'm pooped out.  I have always gone to school, worked or both.  I was never a housewife, and I feel that I may start having withdraws once I settle down in 5 de Mayo. 

So what's this all boil down to?  The clock is ticking and pretty soon I will have to hold my own.  I am not as bad as I used to be about cooking.  I have recently learned several recipies and would like to start sharing them with some of you to show that even the most unskilled cook can whip something up that is pretty fantastic. 

What was the reason behind this post?  I was asked to make a chile for a carne asada (bbq) tomorrow and I felt very honored that I made something so good that I was being requested to make it again.  This may seem frivolous to many but for me it is a grand accomplishment.

Would you like some authentic Mexican cooking where everything is done ranchero style?  If so you have come to the right place because I think I will share what I am learning in hopes to hear everything I'm doing wrong, what I might add, or that somebody else liked it too.

In the process I hope to crush this cooking phobia once and for all. 

La Danza de la Santa Cruz

"The Dance of the Sacred Cross"

During the time that most are celebrating 5 de Mayo, in a small ranchito in Zacatecas, the locals are dancing La Danza de la Santa Cruz. 

In El Aguacate de Abajo, they don't celebrate Cinco de Mayo, rather they celebrate the cross.  I have only been back to the ranch once during these festivities because my family always went during December.  It has been quite a while since I have set foot in those parts so I will try and recollect what I can.

Before I start, I must say that Mexican Catholicism is unique.  It is unique because when the Spanish conquered Mexico and forced upon the natives Roman Catholicism, the natives incorporated the religion with their own gods and rituals.

Of late, I have come to learn courtesy of a NOVA broadcast (I love PBS) that this also happened in Peru, another country conquered by the Spanish.  The broadcast I watched was called Ghosts of Machu Picchu and in watching it, I gained a better understanding of the Danza practiced in my own ranchito.

In Cusco, the ancient capital of Peru, each year in the Roman Catholic Festival of Corpus Christi statues of the Virgin Mary along with 15 other saints are removed from the Cathedral and brought to the square.  Performers pay homage to Christian saints by playing music and dancing.  However, both the musical instruments used and the steps they dance are Inca in origin.  That is because the procession is actually a Christian revision of an Inca ritual.  500 years prior, the Inca also processed through Cusco, but instead of carrying the Virgin and Chrisitan saints, they carried the mummies of their dead Inca Kings who they revered as Gods.

View from the Mesita

In the area where El Aguacate de Abajo is located,  most everytime you come to a ranchito, you will see a mesita (high flat point on a hill/mountain) where a cross will be perched.  The cross serves as a reminder to the people that God is watching over you.  In the structure that is holding the cross there will be a place for a candle, which is continually lit by various people.

Each year the dance of the cross is performed. The dancers wear carrizeras, knickers, guaraches de hule, and headpieces.  The Carrizeras are specially made skirts that have oblong wooden beads sewn into a piece of fabric which make a clinking sound when ever the dancers moves. White knickers are worn over stockings which help to support the dancers legs after grueling hours of dancing.  The guaraches or sandals have a very thick sole and when pounded on the ground in synchronization with 15-20 other dancers produce a vibrant sound. These guaraches are easily found in Zacatecas which is well known for their well made exotic boots and guaraches de hule.  Needless to say either will last you a very long time.  A plumero (feather plume) is worn on the head decorated with carrizeras and ribbons along the back. As you can imagine the skirts as well as the head pieces become quite heavy after many hours of dancing.

Los Bailadores - The Dancers

Members of the Danza will make their way up to the mesita dancing all the way accompanied by the entire ranch, a fiddler and a guitarist.  The music is learned only by those who already know the various beats, if not passed down in life the music is lost within that community.  The music played by the musicos is accompanied with the maracas held by each of the dancers.  It is the shakes of the maracas that tell which tune is next, which in turn demands different steps. 

The Fiddler and the Guitarist

At the top of the mesita, the dancers dance in front of the cross before removing it.  Once the cross is removed it is slowly taken back down to a ramada made by the community from trees in the arroyo (stream).  The ramada provides shade for the dancers during the hot hours of the day.

Branches from trees in the stream for the ramada

Also in preparation of the events, the women clean the streets by sweeping the rocks.  Ha Ha yes I said rocks...even in the most rural of areas communities clean the streets that are in front of their houses.  In El Aguacate their are specific days in which "te toca" or "it's your turn" to clean your surrounding area.



I helped, I couldn't just sit and watch!

And on special occasions the main street is watered down in anticipation of foot traffic lifting the dirt.

Had the community the means, I believe there would be a plaza, but for now the danza is held on the street adjacent to the church.  

The most grueling of the 3 days is the second, where dancers will perform in full dress and nonstop for several hours.  Many times the dancer's feet will be bleeding from continuous pounding, yet they continue on and must never lose pace.

Also involved in the danza are the kids.  They are trained to one day fill in for those who are older and can no longer dance.  The year that I went to El Aguacate, shirts were donated for the trainees and the skirts were made kid size.  The kids take pride in being chosen to train for la danza.


You may notice the guy in the middle?  He is not a kid but is the leader of the dance and as a dancer what he does you must do.  He picks the various steps and is always the most energetic of all the dancers, he jumps the highest, makes grand gestures which keeps the spirit's of the dancers alive.

If you are not careful, and not paying strict attention to la danza like the kids in the picture below he will scare you!  Which is what happened right after I took this picture.

The kids having fun in front of the camera

Often he will stop dead in his tracks and if you don't notice him spying you, he will make sure to get your attention as you see in the picture above.

Also on the second day, carnival rides and puestos line the streets while kids run up and down freely. 

On the third and final day, the dancers dance off and on to the Cross until late afternoon when the cross is taken back up to the mesita in the same fashion it was taken down.

The third day taking the cross back to the mesita

I can honestly say, that unlike many other fiestas held in Mexico, the true meaning behind the festivities is not lost in this community.  People do indeed look forward to the carnival, music, and dance but you will see just as many men, women, and children during the religious portions of the event as well.

One day I would like to go back and get more of the story and perhaps see if I can recognize some of the boys that I saw on my last trip.  I love to see this tradition carried on.  The kids enthusiasm and effort they put into the steps, for me it is truly magical.  I like to think that they will all turn from crime and violence when presented with it but then I am not that naive. Still there is hope.