RIP requiescat in pace

On November 3, 2009, Tuluma left this world for whatever is next. We had a vet come to the house and she was put to sleep on her dog bed out on the terrace overlooking the garden. She was calm and happy and not in any pain. It was hard for us, but it was time as she had started to show signs of congestive heart failure. Our wonderful dog trainer, Julia, arranged to have the vet come and then she and Jos took her to a friend's field and buried her among the wildflowers. She has given us so many memories, most quite funny, and it's hard to believe she is really gone. Te quiero, Tuluma.

It's All About Me

All this pretending that this experience is for the kids and the family is over. It turns out this is all about me! While Jos toils on his business intersests in the states, traveling back and forth, spending hours on phone and computer, the kids are in school all day with activities in the afternoons, and me, well, I am living the high life!

I've mentioned my zumba and my school. In addition, I have now started playing soccer and tennis. I am also part of the 4th grade moms at the school and they are very social! Here are some pics and vignettes about MY life here in GTO.

Zumba continues to be a trip with up to 30 women crammed into a room with a militant male instructor who often berates us for not being able to remember all the moves. Last time I went the floor was flooded. We all grabbed brooms and mops and swept it out, and splashed through class. I just couldn't think about where that water came from or I'd get queasy.

I spend three hours a day at a school on this charming street (pic to the left). The classes have been challenging and fun, although I feel I am at a plateau right now. There are so many subtleties I know I'll never get and I continue to mortify Price with my attempts to talk to his friends.

I recently joined a soccer team. There's a women's league here on Monday nights.

Another Gringa and I went down and got on a team. We're the only foreigners in the league and I'm afraid I'm the oldest. There's one girl on our team who is 14! They were really struggling with my name so I told them in the States I am called "E" when playing soccer. So that's what they call me but since it's the word for "and" in Spanish it's kind of a tough name to have! It is a real blast to play and the women take their soccer seriously. Last game one of my favorite players got kicked out for calling the ref an obscenity and after the game we all got a good laugh out of us Gringas trying to pronounce that word correctly.

Then there are the wonderful moms at Nanne and Price's school who seem to socialize at least weekly. They are all so welcoming and every day different moms vie for being the one to give us a ride home. I've learned the word for mooch: gorron, which is what I am when it comes to rides. Luckily, the word for ride here is "ride" so I always know what's being offered! At a babyshower last week I brought an artichoke dip that I thought would be a bit different. One of the women who tried it said (in Spanish), "I think I've had this before at Applebees!" Sigh, not exactly the place I was trying to emulate.

At a Halloween party on Thursday, one mom asked if I wanted to play tennis with her the next morning. We had a blast and I have now joined her tennis group which plays with the pro twice a week. We play at this great little tennis place where Price is taking lessons. The pro is wonderful and patient. In one session he has helped me so much! Although since it's in Spanish I'm not sure I quite get his advice but I have learned the word for backhand.

Jos just rolls his eyes at me and my life here. He's asleep on the couch right now so he's not one to complain!

Ciudad de los Ninos

Nanne and I spent a really wonderful afternoon at an orphanage about an hour from here in Salamanca. The orphanage is called Ciudad de los Ninos and is run by an amazing Catholic priest. The part we visited is for kids 10 and up and has around 300 kids. There are three nuns who work there, and everything else is handled by the kids. Pretty incredible. All the kids go to school at different schools in Salamanca. The orphanage also has a music program and they put on some really wonderful performances for us. When they were finished, Nanne spent an hour just talking to the kids about her life and theirs.

The children who live there are not up for adoption, they have been adopted by the church. They live there until they are ready to be independent and those who have moved on come back to visit with their own families.

The place itself is spare, but clean and inviting. The kids do need clothes (all sizes as there is another house for the younger kids), especially warm ones as it gets cold at night. So if you have any clothes you would like to donate, please let me know. My sister will be visiting in a few weeks and said she'd bring down clothes. They have a website if you are interested in learning more: http://ourangelschoir.com/history.php

Tuluma and All is Well

Tuluma arrived safely last Friday, a little bewildered and covered with some stinky excrement, but still great! She has settled in nicely and seems to have adjusted to the altitude (6,000 feet above sea level or something like that). She loves to sit out on the terrace that overlooks the garden in the shade of our monstrous palm tree. It makes us all so happy to have her here and I think she'll enjoy winter here a lot more than in Boston!

Benito returned home a few hours after Tuluma, a changed dog, at least anotomically changed. He recovered quickly from his snip-snip and seemed confused by Tuluma (is she really a dog?) but they don't pay each other much attention.

By Sunday, Benito was back on our favorite river walk near our house with Price and Jos. We had a wonderful weekend with a Saturday night sleepover with Noelle and Ayden, the daughters of our friends here who we met through Terry and Nicole through Jim and John (thank you guys!!). On Sunday we went to hear chamber music at this beautiful museum down the street. It's a museum that is the former house of a Canadian painter named Gene Byron -- never heard of her myself, but love her house!

On Thursday Price had his first soccer game, Nanne and I watched. He plays for his school and they played against one of the soccer schools in town. Tough game but so fun! It was at a field with a great view of the mountains and lots of parents there more vocal than me. They called Price el guerrito (little blondie): "mira el guerrito!"

And now it's Friday again. Nanne is over at a friend's house. We will have another sleepover here tonight with Noelle and Ayden. We share a wonderful babysitter named Andrea whose father is American, mother is Mexican. Price and Nanne are sharing their love for the Partridge Family with all their friends and Andrea seems to enjoy it too. So it will be a night of Partridge and magnums for them, and hopefully a cool new restaurant out in Santa Rosa for us. Tequila sunset!

Family!

We arrived in Mexico on August 18th with all of the human members of the family and our gatos: Tink and Wink. They have settled into the house we rented and seem happy to stay as indoor cats. At least they were happy until we adopted Benito Juarez, our Mexican street dog. He is trying to make friends with the felines but they won't give him a chance. Luckily, the rest of us love him. He is still a puppy and naughty but just as sweet as can be. And Tuluma arrives with Jos on Friday! We are really excited for the "sweet and gallant old lady" (as my mom calls her) to arrive. Then the family will be complete.

Our days here are both busy and relaxed. The kids are in school from 8-3. Jos usually takes them and they ride the public bus. Sort of like the Silver Line, but not really. They cannot be late or they cannot go to school! Tough tardy policy for the parents. I spend my days doing zumba (my hips are learning!), going to spanish school for 3 hours, and then picking up the kids. Jos has been traveling back to the states fairly regularly for a few days at the time. The kids and I are planning to change our eating patterns to match that of the Mexicans. That means we will have Comida (or dinner) when they get home from school, and then we'll have cena (supper) later in the evening. It will make playdates, etc. a little easier. We hope Jos will agree.

Nanne is doing dance twice a week. The jury is out on this class as she came back last night with some rather risque moves and songs. . . I miss ballet! The zumba I am doing is x-rated and I just hope this isn't along the same lines. Price plays soccer twice a week at school and they have their first game tomorrow. Benito has his own classes twice a week learning to behave. So we are all being well educated!

I asked Price and Nanne this morning if they are feeling close to fluent (one month of school all in Spanish, 4 years of bilingual school, 9 year old brains) and they emphatically said "NO!" If they feel this way, I don't stand a chance! It seems to me that they are further along than they realize. Jos's spanish is also much better than he admits (he is Venezuelan after all). And I'm the one who thinks I'm really good and yet keep saying "todo los dios" ("all the gods" instead of "all the days") and telling people my kids are "neuvo" (new instead of nine), and then I think it's odd when people don't understand me. And the jokes I tell. . . not working.

Life in Guanajuato

Jos and I have taken the family on an adventure to Mexico for the year and will be keeping this blog when we can to let folks know how it's going.

We are living in the beautiful colonial city of Guanajuato which is about 4 hours north of Mexico City up in the mountains. We are in a neighborhood called Marfil, a little out of the center of town. The kids are attending the Instituto Guanajuato, a wonderful school with a focus on personalized education and community. They seem to be the only foreigners there and there is no English at all! The first day was really rough and we had to drag them back for day two. But at pick-up that day they were both happy as clams and it's been pretty easy since then! This is a picture of them in their uniforms that first day.