El Guero con el perro

Whenever I meet someone new in our neighborhood of Marfil, they inevitably say "I think I've seen your husband walking with his dog." We definitely stick out here and have come to believe that in our 'hood, Jos is known as "el Guero con el perro," which means "the white guy with the dog." Jos and Benito walk, a lot. If we are planning a trip, they walk to the bus station once or twice to check the schedules (45 minutes each way) and then again to purchase the tickets. If Jos has a conference call, they usually walk along the river (where I hate to imagine what Benito eats while Jos talks) for an hour or so. If we want to order a pizza, they walk the 25 minutes to place the order (phones are so old school). Sometimes all these trips happen in one day.

Needless to say, Jos is looking good! As a woman in the South End once told Jos at the Silver Line stop: "You are one sexy ham!"

[Nanne often uses Jos as her doll thus this hairdo]

In many ways, life is great for Jos here in Mexico. Many things that are denied to him in the states, he enjoys here. His kids go to a private school. He has joined TWO private clubs. He drinks bottled water and eats real mayonaise (not the canola stuff from Whole Foods). He thinks of this time as "The Year Electa Came to Mexico and Learned How to Relax." There's a lot to be thankful for! Sadly, he is still working back in the States and that has meant many trips away. January was especially tough with a trip to Texas, one to China (with his 3 brothers) and another to New York City. His Spanish has been suffering and we miss him while he's gone.


When Jos is home, he takes the kids to school every morning. He prefers the taxi to the bus or the rides we often get. Price and Nanne like to be left further and further from the classroom as they grow up so there's no big farewell to be had. He has a weekly Spanish lesson and has finally started up his tennis. He and I usually have lunch together (at 10:30am) and we try to get in a date night every week. We have lots of great family time exploring or playing together. When there's a lull, he always starts planning the next trip to see more of Mexico. Or takes a nap.

So that's the life of the Guero of Marfil. Perhaps not as immersed as the rest of us, but loving it nonetheless.

La Navidad

Christmas season in Mexico is long and filled with fiestas. People start getting into the spirit at the end of November with decorations and the like, and it really isn't over until Three Kings Day on the 6th of January. Starting on the 16th of December are nightly Posadas, parties that re-enact the search for an inn for Mary and Joseph. These end Christmas Eve or Noche Buena. We experienced a few of these although they were often too late for us, as the kids continued school until the 22nd!

We decked out the house with our Christmas Yucca (Nanne really didn't like it), nativities with moss and wooden barns, corn husk wreaths, twig reindeer and paper lanterns (these last are actually from China but a big hit around here).

The kids participated in a Posada at school where their class sang "Deck the Halls" in English. Go figure. Funny to hear them all singing "don we now our gay apparel" in very strong Spanish accents and no one, including Price and Nanne, knowing what the heck that means!

The blonde guy in front is actually not Jos but a Dutch friend married to a Mexican. They have twins at the school as well.

We also had a Posada at our tennis place which was when they gave out the awards for the Torneo de Navidad. Nanne somehow got herself in the line to give out prizes and shake hands with the victors. I got a certificate of participation and when they called me up they said: "Electa Jones" -- huh? I now display my certificate and new name proudly!

A bittersweet part of this time was the despedido or farewell party we threw for the McGah-Welch's. There were lots of people and our favorite restaurant up the street catered it with amazing food. Many guests brought their instruments and joined John in some great music. We sang late into the night. Ashley, John, Noelle and Aydan had become our family here and we were bereft to see them go.

Preparations for Christmas now began in earnest. We would be spending the holiday in San Miguel de Allende with Jos's dad and his friend Harriet Ballard. Luckily for us, Harriet's son is Tyler Clements and he and Lily and their girls were coming for the holiday!! Following their tradition, we chose Secret Santas and had to make them a gift. We took our task rather seriously. Price made Tyler a mask using Jos as his model. Now that's a good dad!!

The last day of school was a Monday and it turns out not many people went, 4 in P & N's class, including them! Oh well, Jos and I got some last minute shopping done. We headed to SMA on the 22nd. Harriet's house is amazing, a real work of art, and incredibly comfortable. Sadly, Tyler and Lily were delayed in Newark until the 24th, we were just so glad they made it at all. We settled right into the rites of Christmas.

Reading "Twas the Night Before Xmas;" hanging stockings; the tree and pinata after Santa's visit

Christmas Day was magical. The usual craziness of kids and presents, with a yummy meal in Harriet's incredible garden, and a pinata from Santa, just for fun.

We then spent a fun week enjoying old friends, new books and all the fun of San Miguel. There were shows by the kids and a lot of backgammon played by all. We took Lily and Tyler back to GTO for a few days and New Years Eve.

And when it was time to say goodbye, we headed off to Mexico City where Jos had gotten a great deal at the Four Seasons -- what luxury. We visited the Anthropology Museum and Xochimilco, an ancient part of the Aztec city of Tenochitlan, all of which fit into the kids homework of studying for their Mexican history test. We ate some incredible food and enjoyed some serious urbaneness for a few days. When we returned it was time for Three Kings Day and more presents before the kids and I resumed school and our more mundane lives. Jos's more interesting life will be the subject of the next blog!

This following video is a long one (5 minutes) and really meant for anyone under the age of 12, at least in spirit. It's one of the many shows put on by Calla, Nanne, Price and Eloise. It is very funny!

Thanksgiving

Apologies for falling off on my blogging, in case there is anyone out there reading this! So I will try to catch up this week, a week of leisure since I don't have school. Let's start with our Mexican Thanksgiving. My sister and her family were our first visitors from home and boy were we excited to see them!

We showed them the sights of Guanajuato and just enjoyed hanging out with them at home. There were lots of giggles and the usual cousin spats which were music to our ears.

Then we packed everyone up and with our dear GTO friends, Ashley and John and girls, we headed to the beach. Our first stop was three hours away in Morelia, a really beautiful city in the state of Michoacan. We stayed at a funky old hotel overlooking the cathedral and did a little exploring.

Next stop, Zihuatanejo a beachside fishing village in the state of Guerrero. Ashley had found us an incredible house to rent overlooking the beach. It was hot and sunny and delicious! Price was sick when we first arrived and Jos took him to a Mexican version of House who told him to chew his food better and prescribed an antibiotic that worked fast (although we needed some help from Dr. Porter to wipe it out completely as it reared its head again 10 days later). We cooked at home every night and enjoyed all the fresh produce.

Our rooftop pool and dining room. The view from the roof. Lincoln, Nanne and Aydan.

Thanksgiving was a hot beach day and didn't feel much like a traditional Thanksgivig. We spoke with family in the States, ate a yummy meal and said thanks. John brought his guitar and led us in some great sing-alongs.

A big highlight of the trip was snorkeling in a cove a short boatride away. Sadly, the reef didn't look too healthy and the fish not too plentiful, but the kids loved it and we did too. On Sunday, Rhys and family flew home out of Ixtapa, the next town over. We headed off with the McGah-Welch's on a bus odyssey back home to Guanajuato. Nanne felt a bit homesick after having a taste of "real home" as she said. We tried to have a Sound of Music moment in the bus station but it didn't catch on like we hoped!