After unpacking and scoping out our immediate surroundings including the local village, the first week or so was mainly devoted to ‘decompression". We needed to rest and unwind from the unbelievable pressures and hassles of the past few months and final days leading up to our international move and permanent departure from the metropolitan area (let alone Country!) that we have lived in for nearly our entire lives. So we slept in late, lounged around on the patio furniture on our deck overlooking the garden, and gradually regained our energy (and youth?).
Since, our first temporary home in Jocotepec does not have any Satellite or Cable TV, we have begun to read a lot of books. It’s really been too long for both of us; and, opens up a whole new realm that we have sorely missed. The home here is stocked with old books mostly paperbacks, including many bestseller novels. We’re both devouring same at the rate of a new novel every 2-3 days. To keep up with news and world events, we of course do have the Internet, and every morning at breakfast review the top news stories on the CNN Website.
The neighborhood where our first home is located is definitely authentic Mexican. No other "Gringos" in the immediate vicinity that we are aware of. We waive and say simple pleasantries in Spanish to our neighbors whenever we come and go, but beyond that unfortunately not much communication due to our extremely limited knowledge (so far) of the Spanish language … and, very few of the locals speak any English. But, this is what we were looking for … total immersion in the culture. I just wish we could press a button or take a pill, and be instantly fluent in Spanish. But, I think it’s going to be slow-going on that front. Looked into trying to join a Spanish Language Class, but so far it has not panned out in part because this is the ‘off season’ so few if any classes available; and, because we really won’t be here for long. But we are trying to use a computer software Spanish Language program to learn a little, and otherwise just slowly trying to pick up words and phrases as needed.
Speaking of the neighborhood and its ‘authenticity’, it really takes a bit of getting used to in terms of some of the customs. For one, the locals here don’t have a very good concept of just enjoying quiet peace and tranquility. That is to say, there are these small trucks/vans that drive around town all day and into the wee hours at night with loudspeakers blasting trying to hawk various things (i.e. drinking water jugs; propane gas; ice cream, you name it) or making all kinds of announcements or advertisements. In addition, every household seems to have at least one (if not more) very loud barking dogs, that go at it all night long; along with your fairly common Roosters crowing and occasional donkeys and goats. And, of course, there are the all-too-frequent Fireworks Displays and Aerial Bombs for the seemingly limitless holidays, festivals and other celebrations. We are actually starting to grow a little bit accustomed to all the racket, and do appreciate the ghusto for life that the Mexicans seem to have. Just don’t know where they get all that energy, especially if they never seem to get a good nights sleep?
As you will all see from the contemporaneous attachment of new Photographs, we have begun to venture out of our cacoon here and make some excursions into the surrounding areas, including the entire Lake Chapala area and villages and more importantly the huge City of Guadalajara. For those unfamiliar, Guadalajara is the 2nd largest City in Mexico with approximately 4 Million residents. Despite its large size, however, it has a comparatively low crime rate and is considered a great cultural center. The City is divided into 5 or 6 "Zonas"; and, you really need a good ½ day or more to get a flavor of each one. We’ve almost completed our "tour" of all the Zonas and central sites. We hope to go even further in the near future, and visit areas outside Guadalajara, beginning with the nearby town of Tequila (yup, the real thing); and, eventually spend a 2-3 day visit on the coast probably in Manzanilla which is approx. 4 hr drive.
For food, we are cooking in about half the time and eating out the other half. Contrary to the fears of many "Gringos", food here (even including so-called ‘street food" is generally safe with a few precautions. Never eat raw vegetables unless you are certain they have been thoroughly cleaned (or fruits which can be pealed); and, insofar as meats you just need to make sure it is freshly cooked and hot. Finally, of course, ALWAYS drink only bottled water. For home cooking, not unusually we tend towards pasta (which may include various meats, including ground beef or chorizo); but, we have also barbequed and/or stove grilled some steaks and pork chops, along with rice or potatoes, and whatever veggies we may be in the mood for. We even tried eating steamed cactus leaves, mixed with onions, garlic and cilantro. Not bad. Another eat-at-home option (but without the cooking), we have a local rotisserie chicken place (called "El Pechugan") which is really good; and, we get a whole roasted chicken combination including roasted potatoes, chilies, hot sauce and tortillas for about $5.00. It’s really delicious. Similarly, we have found some truly "local" restaurants that are really folks who have converted part of their homes into a public kitchen, for cooking such traditional specialities as Pazzole a delicious and filling hominy based soup (usually with your choice of meat, such as pork or chicken added) along with toppings of shredded cabbage, radishes, onions and chilies, for a mere $2-3 for a large meal-sized bowl. Another wonderful local find, which is really hidden (none of these places have signs, all word-of-mouth) is the local Tamale Lady who as the name implies, makes there wonderful Tamales filled with either Chicken or Pork that she cooks in a large Pressure Cooker.
For eating out, as hinted previously, we have tried the street stands for Tacos which are usually served with grilled Cebollas (knob onions) and grilled Chilies on the side; and also usually include all kinds of toppings available in bowls on the counter or serving table out for you to add as you wish (shredded lettuce or cabbage, chopped tomatoes or pico de gallo mixture, sliced raddishes, chopped onions, and of course various red and green sauces). We have also found some decent restaurants (mostly in nearby towns, as Jocotepec is rather small), and have had various dishes including grilled fish, steak, as well as traditional Mexican fare such as Enchiladas, Chili Rellano, or the local speciality Birria which is a stew made with either beef, pork or the favorite Goat (yup, tried it and it was superb!).
Just for the record, we both only got a whee bit of the Mantezuma’s Revenge for a day during the first week we were here. But, otherwise, no problemo!
Insofar as meeting our everyday living needs, we are adapting fairly well. In the months/weeks before our move, we had arranged our financial affairs in preparation, by consolidating our investment accounts with [CONFIDENTIAL] one of the worlds’ largest Brokers; and, likewise consolidated our banking with [CONFIDENTIAL] (in Texas), again one of the largest in the world. Those accounts in turn are linked electronically, so we can readily make transfers between them. [CONFIDENTIAL] bank has a very good and easy to use on-line Banking site, which permits us to easily pay what few external bills we have, such as our credit cards, health insurance, auto insurance, etc. We can also make impromptu payments to anyone/any entity anywhere in the world, if we choose (e.g. rental/deposit payments to future temporary landlords). Most importantly, we have access to immediate cash via ATM’s anytime and anywhere. Here in Mexico that is, of course, quite important since almost all businesses here deal strictly in cash, except for the larger Grocery Stores or the most elite restaurants.
As you all know, communications have also been no problem at all thanks to modern technology … specifically the internet. Not only does it permit us to stay in contact by Email, but even more miraculously we are also able to take our USA Vonage Phone with us anywhere in the world. That enables us to make and receive telephone calls, as if we are in the USA (we have elected to now have a ‘permanent’ Dallas TX phone number consistent with our change of state residency … but, if we desired, we could have a phone number or a 2nd line in any area code in USA … or for that matter also in other countries). Also, if we choose, we can upgrade our Vonage Plan to include Worldwide or hemispheric coverage for purposes of our own out-going calls. As it is, under our basic plan "International Calls" to the most popular foreign cities/countries are extremely cheap (from 1c – 15c/min). But, the calls would be completely free and included in the wider coverage plans, if we elected. For now, haven’t found it necessary; but, if we begin to make frequent calls to non-USA numbers, we may later change the Plan. However, so far, our temp. residences have included their own local phones, so we can use their phone(s) to make calls to the local non-USA numbers. And thanks to Bob’s Angel of an Aunt in Dallas, we are able to receive any regular mail sent to Dallas, which she kindly reviews with us by phone and discards, forwards or Faxes as necessary.
We have found grocery shopping to be fairly consistent to USA standards, with only minor differences. We can usually find similar products (or even USA products) at most of the larger Grocery Stores. In most cases, meats appear to be very fresh and safe; and, indeed, the stores tend to go to the extreme in this regard as they require their employees to wear surgical masks when dealing with meats and other fresh foods (deli etc.). As far as costs, dissappointingly we have found so far not much different than what we paid in USA (but, perhaps that’s because we are presently located in a ‘wealthier’ area around Lake Chapala). On the plus side, gasoline appears to be cheaper here than in USA, and the price is standardized/uniform at all Gas Stations due to govt. controls. Probably cheaper not only because of the Govt. control, but also because I believe Mexico has a fair supply of its own Petroleum Reserves. As far as other shopping needs (not that we presently have many such needs), everything you could get in USA is available here; they even have Walmart. However, many items we take for granted are quite expensive here (e.g. Electronics, appliances, even BBQ Grills). Bottom line, insofar as cost-of-living, not quite the savings we had hoped for, except in a few select areas (e.g. gasoline, restaurants, and importantly health care --- doctors, labs, drugs are perhaps ¼-1/3 cost in USA with equivalent quality).
Generally, our time for now is occupied by reading books, touring, trying to keep fit by some home exercises including jogging around the grounds with weight cuffs and using some dumbells we purchased at Walmart, cooking or dining out, and thanks ot the Internet occasionally viewing some of f some of our favorite TV Shows such as American Idol, Lost, Hells Kitchen and Top Chef); some limited study of Spanish on our Computer; and, of course, keeping up with our emails and this Blog. Bob also continues to receive some Arbitration cases (so far limited to document review cases) which he has been able to work on and actually earn some minor additional income.
Finally, on a sadder note, our ‘furry son’ Tony is presently not doing very well and we are seriously concerned he may not ‘make it’. While he has always had digestive difficulties since he was a kitten, we have always been able to manage him ok. But, approximately 2 weeks ago Tony lost interest completely in eating; despite our attempts to offer him every possible favorite food. Also, significant change in personality seeming to lose interest and focus in everything else too. After a few days, we took him to a recommended local Vet, who initially found Tony had a fever indicative of some kind of infection. They started him on IV fluids, nutriments, and some antibiotics. Next day, he no longer had the fever, and they continued with the IV treatment. Day after they thought he was well enough to take some blood for lab tests, and found he had ‘beginnings of renal failure’ … though VET didn’t seem overly concerned about that (i.e. did not appear to be the basis of his immediate problems). We surmised, and Vet agreed possible, that this could have been due to his lack of eating. Vet has stated a couple of times he thinks Tony might just be getting "senile"; though it’s difficult for us to accept his explanation given that sudden/acute nature of his problems and the fact that he has always been very smart. After a full week of everyday visits/treatments at the Vet, by last Friday he seemed to perk up a bit and really ‘wolfed’ down food after returned from the Vet and even seemed to be his old self.
Optimistically , we thought/hoped he had 'turned the corner'. But, unfortunately, by next morning he was back to not wanting to eat and lacking interest in everything. He is still drinking water, thank goodness, but eating very little and only if ‘forced’. Went back to Vet on Tues., and somehow they were able to get him to eat some Whiskers treats. We took him home, and tried giving him same, and again he ‘turned his nose up’. About the only thing Bob can get him to eat is Activa Yogurt (we thought it might help his tummy too). At least it’s some kind of nutriment … better than nothing. Naturally, we are both extremely devastated by this turn of events, and don’t want to have to face the worse possibilities. Praying and hoping he will ‘snap out of it’. But time not on our/his side right now. (Though, obviously he has lost quite a bit of weight from his prior ‘normal’, Vet said his weight did hold steady between last Friday, and when we returned to Vet on Tues. … so, apparently, even the little bit of food/yogurt whatever we have gotten him to eat is helping)
That’s our "Report" for the first month of our New Life Abroad.
Luv from South of the Border,
Bob & Nancy
