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.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Thursday, September 22, 2011
"Surprise!"
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| 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.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
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.
Friday, September 9, 2011
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.
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.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
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!
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!
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
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.
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.
Monday, August 8, 2011
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.
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.
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