We were so happily surprised to see this sign in our community the week before we were set to leave to our new home in Mexico City!   We want to express our sincere thanks to everyone who has made our departure so lovely (and so difficult!:) ).   We feel so blessed to have such a strong anchor in Canada – this security allows us to stretch our wings to explore new places and experience new cultures and ways of living.  We hope that our temporary departure will also be viewed as an opportunity for all of our loved ones and dear friends to visit – nuestra casa es su casa (our home is your home…once we finally secure it!!).  Hopefully our world expanding can be an opportunity for yours to expand to this part of the world too!  And before we know it, it will be summer and we’ll be enjoying a beautiful Ontario summer at the cottage, and seeing you all again in person!

Christmas in a warm clime was a bit strange, to be honest, but certainly not complaining about the daily sun – great for one’s outlook and mood.  It’s incredible the impact the gloomy, dark weather of the “far” north can have (although thankfully this El Nino year has been amazing for anyone travelling over the holiday season).  Loving that the five of us are together again – has felt like a long few months with Aaron “commuting” to Mexico!  The views in Santa Fe are stunning right now – many people staying close to home for family Christmas celebrations and so fewer cars on the road.

Hilarious meeting others who have no concept of Canada – they truly think we live in Igloos and wear polar bear furs to keep warm… the 4 and 5 year old children of a new French expat friend who works with Aaron actually refer to him as “Uncle Olaf” as they believe coming from Canada means we live like Elsa and Anna from Frozen!  We had an opportunity to debunk some of these myths when we enjoyed a Christmas Day French Lunch (turkey and fixin’s plus lots of wine, bread and cheese and dainty handmade desserts!) with their family.  The kids stared at us for a long time trying to figure us out and since we didn’t arrive in a block of ice or wearing furs,  eventually decided that we were pretty much like other people and warmed to us.  These kids are cute as buttons and got along famously with ours, which allowed the grown-ups to visit, and lots of time for the fellow “supporting spouse” expat wife to thoroughly scare me with horror stories of driving here in Mexico City… her expat husband basically dismissed her tales of terror, simply stating that, “you have to believe you have the biggest “kahuna’s” on the road and you’ll be fine.”  I guess I’ll have to do a whole lot of imagining and pretending to pull that one off.  I plan to beg for the biggest car we are allowed – I figure if wishing for the kahuna’s doesn’t pan out, I can at least muscle my way into one of 8 lanes of traffic…I know that these tales are shared with the best of intentions, to “help” us and make us aware…not sure I believe they have the desired effect…will definitely think twice about sharing our horror stories if ever I meet someone new to expat life in future…

The kids were relieved that Santa found us – apparently Mexican Santa is good buddies with Spider Man, who was able to fly him up the side of the hotel and into our room for present delivery…let me explain:  of course, packing our gifts in suitcases that would ride in the belly 0f the plane, we were unable to pre-wrap and frankly I was really worried about everything getting there…was contemplating plan B for Santa stockings in the event that something didn’t go as planned, which, we’re learning, seems to be as likely as things going as expected.   When all 11 pieces of checked luggage made it to Mexico, we went ahead and transferred Santa’s workshop to Hilton Santa Fe and went to work to find wrapping in the mall that is under the hotel…While I distracted the kids at the hotel, Aaron had (no-choice-but-to-accept) the mission of finding this year’s “santa paper” – on December 24th he found the only small bin of (leftover) Christmas wrapping and pulled out one roll after another, dismayed that the only pattern was various Spider Man motifs…what choice did he have?  The next morning when the kids were wondering HOW Santa found us and GOT IN with no chimney, etc., they determined that Santa MUST be friends with Spider Man as they noticed that all the paper Santa wrapped with was Spider Man themed…absolutely, we agreed, Spider Man has joined the likes of the Easter Bunny, Jack Frost and the Sandman in the ranks of the Guardians.  He goes for milk and cookies with Santa at the local milk and cookies joint frequently, and is marketing his new position on Christmas wrapping paper!    I’m so grateful for the imaginations of our kids and that the older ones who may-or-may-not still “believe” in Santa are keeping up the charade for the little one(s) (and for me!!):)

Our kids are little fish and are loving the pool… the prospect that we may be here for approximately two months as we await the paperwork to finalize the housing contract is a little more bearable knowing that we can swim whenever we like.  I imagine the pool being a haven after a long day at school, before homework and Aaron’s return from long work days; the next few months will continue to be a huge learning curve for Aaron and so will require more of his time.  Luckily, everyone really values and protects their weekend family time here, so we can endure long work weeks when we know there is a weekend to look forward to at the end of it.  Aaron and I will begin language learning early in January.  Looking forward to learning more and being better able to understand what is going on around me and soon be able to participate.   Not sure my tongue and teeth will ever be able to achieve the speed that seems necessary to deliver the Spanish language… wish they would slow it down a bit!

Coming up next:  The mystery of our missing pooch…(note: she’s fine and in the best care (Thank you Jayne!!) just not in Mexico… Yet…