I’ve written about 3-4 posts in my head but unfortunately you guys never read them because by the time I get to the computer, POOF, they’re gone.
I’ve been crazy bizzy with two Final exams and two “other” exams. I’ve sent in one Final and one “other” and have finished the other and the other Final and am waiting teacher feedback before I proceed with sending those in. I’ve now started on internship (Advanced Sessions) and I can’t believe how HARD it is. Luckilly, looking at the forums I see that I’m not alone – everyone seems to go through this in these sessions. I am, however, finding it hard to believe that I will be even minimally employable as it seems that I have learned NOTHING over these last 12 basic sessions. Sigh. So that’s been taking up a bit of my time.
The rains finally stopped (after TWO MONTHS) and the snowbirds have arrived. We’re REALLY GLAD we bought a house in Merida and can’t wait to spend next Winter there.
I know that Jonna is biting her tongue purple but I just can’t help noticing, each and every time we come back from Merida, what a non-Mexican area of Mexico we live in. And Jonna, I’m not speaking to Playa, where you hear English constantly and the red/white striped tourists outnumber the locals in Mega and WalMart, but here in PaaMul. Other than my neighbor from Durgano (who is rarely home) and the workers, you never hear Spanish. As a matter of fact, our neighbor tried to take her daughter Trick or Treating on Halloween but no-one could understand what she wanted to do. I semi-coereced Jesse into taking the little girl around but it was so sad for her, that she couldn’t participate with the other kids because she speaks no English (she’s 5 or 6), the mom speaks no English, and the ex-pats living here don’t speak enough Spanish to know what is going on. And I am just as bad – my kids learned more Spanish staying in Merida for 2 weeks than they have in the (almost) 2 years we’ve been here. I carry SO MUCH guilt about that but really don’t know what to do about it. I won’t force them to learn Spanish but I really think something has to change.
Another realization that hit me after our last Merida trip is that I think I am now an ex-pat. Until we bought (well, I guess technically we haven’t bought it yet) the house I really thought we’d eventually get back on the road and travel again. We “settled” here in PaaMul because we have a place for the trailer, we can continue to live in the trailer, when we want to sell it will probably sell, we can walk to the beach in 15 seconds, it is a vacation paradise and Pikey REALLY needed to stop travelling. I really thought we’d get back on the road though. Jamie still thinks we can travel next summer, but I’m not convinced. Plus we need to start work on the Merida house (assuming we can purchase it). But coming back to PaaMul the last time, I realized that I have left the United States.
I was never really much of a patriot. I’ve never felt a deep sense of pride in the US and its policies. It’s a “good enough” country but the last few decades have been incredibly dirty and shameful. I’m not sure I would adopt any other country though; Mexico is certainly no better politically, but the culture has a lot going for it. And for all the minuses of Mexican culture I would still rather raise my kids in this culture than the US culture. So I’m feeling very much solidly ex-pat instead of “temporarily ex-pat until cicrumstances change.” And that’s something I’ve definitely been pondering.
I gained back at least 3-5 kilos over October and have been working to get rid of them. This morning I though I might have finally lost 3 of them but the scale pissed me off by showing that I somehow GAINED a kilo since yesterday! ARGH! I’ve been exercising every day, last week and this week I did TWO workouts a day, I’ve started running but I have no idea what is with the crazy weight GAIN. I really don’t fluctuate much and thought this morning I was back to 80. I’ve been at 81 for a number of days and after yesterday’s double workout I was SURE I’d finally gotten back to 80. Nope. Up to 82.
That’s about it. I really do need to get a dog so I can blame the lost posts on him though.
Congrats on coming out of the ex-pat closet, lol! I really can’t imagine living back in Canada either. As you say, things aren’t perfect here, but I do like the environment far more for raising kids.
Now, go give the mutt a kick and tell him to stop eating your posts!
Did cancuncanuck give up her citizenship? Does she still use her healthcare in canada?..wow..can amigo have it?
Manuel,
Nope, didn’t give up citizenship. Will be pursuing Mexican citizenship in two and a half years when I qualify but I can keep the Canadian one too. And no, not using the health care, haven’t been to Canada in four years, using good old Mexican doctors. If I ever do go back to Canada, I will have to live there for six months (I think it’s six months) before I qualify for free health care too.
Why do you ask?
Glad you posted!
The snowbirds have arrived here as well. Not quite in the numbers of last year though. It seems very quiet here this Fall.
I want to raise my kids someplace like the middle of the South Pacific…..on a boat….with no land in sight. I think I am about done with all cultures. The last 5 or 6 elections have just done me in. I think if I were to chose where I could be an ex-pat, it would be Mexico. Love the culture as well….agree on the politics there.
I think my patriotism roots back to my Italiano grandmother. She was very rah rah. Very proud of her Americana citizenship. You have no idea. It was infectious. Plus my Dad was the same. He served in WWII.
And you go! on the testing. Hang in there, and you will be done with it before you know it!
That is “agree with you on the politics there”….
Do you have room in the trailer and palapa for all 6 of us? ;*)
I’ve been reading your website forever, just because it is so interesting. I just want to say that I am a school teacher in Texas who didn’t get my degree until I was in my 50’s. I didn’t, (and don’t know anybody who did) learn how to do my job in college. It was just a ticket to get a job. Don’t worry about being employable. Just get the piece of paper and the rest will fall in place. Good luck, and keep writing.
Thank you for posting! Now, we really do have a pup to eat up posts! We got here yesterday. A chocolate goldendoodle. She is adorable. We are trying to decide if we should bring her with us to Cali or leave her here with folks to care for her. Ummm….. Can’t image doing any schooling right now, good for you! Such a needed profession too! Looking forward to seeing you in less than two weeks!!!!!
My tongue isn’t purple, in fact, I may be starting to agree more with you on this. It is amazing how hordes of people from one culture can change the environment even inside another culture. I do think that Paamul is an exceptional example however, there really aren’t very many RVers here from outside of Canada and the US. It’s pretty monocultural there. Akumal during the winter isn’t much different, during other seasons you will hear a lot more Spanish and other European languages though.
It does feel different to go from thinking of yourself as a traveler to being an ex-pat. I have a lot of mixed emotions about leaving the full time RV life. I never considered once I retired that I would live in the US again in one place, but it is different to live in Mexico in a house than to be here but traveling most of the time. I love my homeland but it rather bores me these days, I think I need the stimulus of always needing to learn and figure out new things.
Good to see you posting, I’ll share a dog with you for excuse purposes, OK?
I think I need a new scale that reads in kilos. 80 kilos sounds so much better than my 140 lbs!
Maybe you need to change the battery in that scale! Hugs, Mi
“I really thought we’d get back on the road though. Jamie still thinks we can travel next summer, but I’m not convinced.”
Hmm, does this mean we won’t ever get to run into you on the road? (At least, till we get to PaaMul, or, I guess, Merida now.)
@ Kel – yeah, it takes a while – not for you though – I kept thinking we’d leave Any Day Now.
@Jody – I so hear you on the South Pacific. I have always been in love with the idea of sailing but never really in love with the nuts and bolts of sailing. And that just isn’t a good situation to be in. I love to live vicariously through Zack and Bumfuzzle though.
@Sue – thank you SO MUCH! I really hope you’re right as we’re probably going to dip into our “do not touch” nest egg to redo the Merida house. I’m counting on my salary to take us through.
@Michelle – I’d LOVE to see your doggie! What a delicious name! We’re counting down the days.
@Jonna – it is so strange leaving the roaming life behind, isn’t it? It doesn’t feel right to me and I am pretty sure that at some point, I’ll be back on the road again. Maybe Merida will be a “base camp”.
I have fallen head over heels with that city though. Hey, did you kill MI?
@Vicki – how are you guys doing? Ya know, I LURVE kilos until it is time for them to come off. They come off SO SLOOOOOWWWWLWLLLY.
@Mimi – old fashioned scale. No batteries. It finally started coming down yesterday. If it didn’t, I was going to start hacking off hair or body parts to force it down!
@Sean – Wow! Well, you’ve met my folks – maybe not – they saw your bus somewhere in Texas. One year you guys were on the same route but a week off – and it was a route that we had done the year before (or earlier that year). Thank goodness for the blog so I know what happened and when, eh?
You really do need to visit PaaMul and come deeper into Mexico though. I think you guys must have taken one of the last trains. I don’t think they run anymore. Anyway, c’mon down!