Thursday, November 21, 2013

10 lame things I'm excited about

Leaving Mexico is complicated. Quite literally, it's complicated with only taking 10 suitcases back to the states and nothing more. We are sifting through our stuff, deciding what stays and what goes. It's getting down to the nitty-gritty and we are running out of space, pulling things out of bags that were once on our "take list." It's a little overwhelming thinking of how little we have to our name. Stuff provides some sense of security, I suppose, and to live with the bare minimum is a little scary. I might even say adventurous, and I strongly dislike most adventures.

But it's also complicated because while we are sad to leave this crazy adventure, we are super excited for what is next. So as we say good-bye, it's a little strange trying to convey that we are sad and happy at the same time. And being excited to go back does not imply that we do not like Mexico or we think our country is better. Just as we were excited to come to Mexico because of the possibilities and the conviction that we knew this was right for our family, it's the same sentiment as we return to the States.

We are just 5 days away from stepping on the airplane bound for the U.S., and here are 10 really lame things I'm so excited about:

1. Clipping Coupons. Alan has done all the errands--paying bills, grocery shopping, filling the car with gas, taking the girls places that require driving, etc.--for the last 15 months, and I miss it. A lot. I can't wait to look for coupons, pay some bills, and take my girls places all by myself. But let's not kid ourselves. I probably still won't fill the car with gas--it's just not my style. And not only running errands, but doing so on whatever day I'd like is going to be amazing! Here, if it's a Sunday, and you happen to need something at the grocery store, forget it. Just live without it. One time I sent Alan to the store for an eggplant and maybe some cheese so I could make lunch. He called and asked if I wanted him to wait the 45 minutes in line to buy the two items. Um, no thanks. We'll have PB&J.

2. Arguing. Not really, but kind of. Learning and speaking spanish has proven to be more difficult than I anticipated. For many reasons, it's not as good as I'd like it to be. For example, we have so many English-speaking friends in our life, so we are never truly "immersed" in the language and can always fall back on English. I love talking and writing and story-telling and discussing things I'm passionate about, which sometimes leads to a healthy argument (does that even exist?). It has been maddening to just have to sit silently while inside I have so many amazing opinions that I'm sure everyone would love to hear.  I have missed being able to do these things well--it's like a part of me had gone dormant and now it's coming back to life.

3. Driving. I do drive in Mexico City but only to a few places. I never just hop in the car and head out somewhere. It's always calculated and planned, based on time of day, day of the week, and if it's an easy place to go. Most times, Alan is with me, and I've never driven alone with the girls in the 15 months we've lived here. In fact, I've gone only a few places by myself with the girls. I laugh in the face of "heavy traffic" in Pennsylvania and can't wait to drive on a road with 3 other cars on it. It will be amazing to know that people stop at stop signs and will, in most circumstances, stay more than 6 inches from my bumper.

4. Eating meals at 7am, 12pm, and 5pm. We've been here for more than a year and I'm still not a fan of the eating schedule. Breakfast at 9am, lunch at 3pm, and "dinner" at 8 or 9pm--I just can't. I don't know if it's a metabolism thing or if I've got a worm, but I seriously am hungry every 2 to 3 hours and need to eat. And not just an apple or something ridiculous like that. No, no. I need a substantial amount of food every few hours. I can't tell you how many times we've called a restaurant or gone there around 12 or 12:30pm for lunch only to find out it's not open yet. Then we get hangry,
and that's not cool. While I will miss the tacos, I will not miss the withholding of food that happens between meals.

5. Health food. I have really loosened up in the department of eating over the last 15 months. Mostly because I just don't have the energy to figure out where to buy all the things I'm familiar with, and also because I don't have access to much of it. My kids have eaten foods I never thought I'd let them taste, and I've waved the white flag because I just can't get stressed about something I don't have a lot of control over. But soon, I will be in a land where I know how to find Raw Apple Cider Vinegar, Aluminum-free Baking soda, Organic whole-wheat flour, [legit] Probiotics, Nitrate-free bacon, Raw Milk, Cage-Free eggs, and Grass-fed Beef!!!! I can hardly contain my excitement as I type this!

6. Eating Sushi without Cheese. This is very specific, I know, but man it's important. Sushi with cream cheese is not ideal. Sushi with some sort of hard cheese just shouldn't exist. Also not ideal? A live baby cockroach in the bag of sushi you ordered. Cheese and roach free sushi for all!

7. Going to the gym. Jillian Michaels in my living room has been lovely. It really has. But there's nothing like going to classes at the gym. I work about 20 times as hard. There's just no way I'm going to give up if I'm surrounded by a group of people. Some call it synergy, I call it pride. This is also the one instance I enjoy someone telling me what to do, especially if it's ridiculously difficult and painful. I know, Mom, where was this quality when I was growing up, right?!

8. Snow. Just a few months ago, I thought anyone who chose to live in a location where winter exists was ridiculous. If you could have sunshine everyday, why not?! But lately, I've been missing the changing seasons and all that is associated with them. I miss the changing color of the leaves, the warm drinks, coming into a warm house from the cold, snow, fires in the fireplace, etc. Maybe it's because it's what I grew up with, or maybe it's because I apparently enjoy difficult and painful things. Whatever the reason, I'm excited for snow, snow days, drinking hot chocolate, watching my kids play in the snow, and hopefully having a fireplace.

9. Consignment and Thrift shops. We have probably gone shopping less than 5 times the entire time we've lived here. Mainly because everything is so expensive and I know I could get it for 1/10 of the price in the States at a consignment or thrift store. But also because we didn't know how long we'd be here and we didn't want to accumulate a ton of stuff we couldn't take back. Even though I can't wait to find a pair of shoes for my kids for $6 instead of $40, I do hope that we won't forget that we can survive with very little and that shopping as a hobby is unfulfilling.

10. Any-day-of-the-week hang-outs with friends. It's hard to understand just how difficult this city is to live in unless you've done it, and done it for more than 6 weeks. Anyone can survive anything for 6 weeks, if there's the promise of returning to "normal." Alan and I like being with people. In fact, as our 10th anniversary approaches, we would rather travel with some friends or go visit friends than go to some secluded resort and be by ourselves for a week. It's how we're wired and we love it, but I realize some people might read that and think we are weird. Well, we are weird, but we also just really like living in community. We have missed getting together with people during the week, on a regular basis; we have missed impromptu gatherings; we have missed having our house full of people who we can share our life with. We have l.o.v.e.d housing short term visitors while living here and always enjoy the times we do get together with people. We are looking forward to having a more flexible schedule and seeing people at 5pm on a Tuesday if we want!

I realize I am romanticizing living in the United States, but nobody needs to poop in my cereal and remind me of that. We will be reminded soon enough of all the things there that drive us crazy and we'll have a list of things we miss about living in Mexico. It's just how this whole process works.

Hashtag, this is real life.

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