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.