Returning to Mexico. When the same is always different

Every October for the last 6 years we have experienced a mix of emotions as we revel in the beauty of fall in Canada; knowing that we have planned to escape the signature season that defines Canada in the minds of the majority of the world.  The Land of the Great Frozen North, Igloos, Eskimos and Hockey.   Of course in Victoria, our summer time home on Vancouver Island, all of the aforementioned are not remotely connected to a west coast wintertime experience; which sadly consists almost entirely of dreary, grey wet days and nights.  Sunshine is at a premium and we sense the pending gloom as the days shorten prior to our departure. 

This fall was so pristinely spectacular that our leaving did make me feel briefly like perhaps this dual life is a luxury we aren't really fully entitled to.  Saying goodbye to friends, family, neighbours, our home and the wonderful tenants who have chosen to live in it for the last 3 years we review our mental checklist as to whether we've remembered everything that is necessary for our Mexican life for the next 6 months.   With our faithful "Mexidoodle" Cori clinging to our sides, terror stricken that he might not be coming, we headed to Vancouver to say goodbye to Eric and his girlfriend Elena and leave them my car so they can enjoy some of the ski hills in a vehicle that is hopefully more suited to snowy roads than my aged Volvo that he has nurtured into a ripe old age.  

The flights seem to be less about the comforts and leisure of flying and more about a grit your teeth endurance of uncomfortable seats, bad food. crammed carry-on storage and dirty airports, but we remind ourselves that when you bring along your life for 6 months; it is possible to endure anything, only twice/year.

The summer season, the wet season in Mexico had been particularly fierce for Zihuatanejo and moreso for the outlying areas around Guerrero State.  So approaching the airport, we weren't surprised to see that the lagoons around Barra de Potosi and Playa Blanca had expanded into the green mounds of coconut trees and mango orchards.  Water, water everywhere and ..... what would we find in our city?

Owning two condominiums with a full time manager and staff ensure that care is provided year around to the pools, common areas and lovely gardens.  But the humid, tropical air is particularly hard on electrical connections and we weren't surprised to find the majority of light bulbs, two air-conditioners, our car battery and air-conditioning had once again succumbed to the summertime oxidation of all things metal.  Water had entered both apartments, but the clean up had been done quickly and all furnishings faired well.  The town however is still in the midst of struggling to make a complete comeback.   Streets are lined with dried dirt from the mud that flowed in the rain deluges.  Internet services are diminished and at time absent.  City water is a sought after commodity; again being condo owners we are lucky to have huge cisterns where "pipa" water trucks can deliver large volumes if needed.  Stores, restaurants and services that are normally gearing up for the "highseason" are happy to see us, but I sense a diminished number of places have survived this low season.  Low in so many ways. 

One of our most important first day activities was to connect with Doraliz and her sisters who were eagerly awaiting our arrival.  It would be naïve and egotistical to think that their eagerness was because of the great love they feel for us; I think they are genuinely fond of this middle aged Canadian couple who lack children of their own (or at least only see them briefly for visits) and eat strange food and drink strange drinks and treat their dog like a child and have more rooms to live in than people to live in them; but quite honestly, I believe their eagerness to see us almost immediately on arrival had more to do with the hoped for "laptop", "cellphone" or other treasure from Canada.

So our intial visits have been a combination of great hugging catch ups, pool time, shopping trips and a small scale birthday celebration for Doraliz, now 17 and displaying all the same behaviors of 17 year olds that I remember....an obsession with computers, cell phones, and socializing.  We hope she will be safe in a world where being young, poor, female and influenced by the Americanization of the world could lead to some poor choices....so we ask about her life, her new "novio" and how her family are coping when neither parent seems to have a steady source of income and now 8 people call their modest structure home.  

We are gradually re-establishing ourselves and beginning to take on some first time challenges too.  Gene has met the requirements to be a "permanent resident".  Next step is to research his health care options, and also the ability to "legalize" our BC Plated car as mostly it seems that his new status precludes our ability to continue to drive the car we brought down 6 years ago.   And we are in the early stages of planning a sale of our small rental apartment.  It's an apartment I love in a complex that I adore, but we have decided that having more discretionary money for travel in the next ten years is a bigger priority at this point in life than owning 2 homes in Mexico.  I'm trying to think like a Mexican, not having more than I need, valuing people and experiences, living in the moment, not worrying about the future.....   And at the same time living in a world of sensual experiences that enhance my life. 

Yoga is my connection to a group of women who have made Zihua home.  Let's see where this season takes me and us; as we Mexicanize our lives!