One year

Yup, it's been one whole year since I moved to Mexico. One year ago we had just arrived, fresh off remodeling the kitchen in Portland and immediately handing it over to someone else to enjoy. My cats were living with a friend in Portland. I was praying that those Spanish classes I had been taking would have somehow metastisized into a full-blown knowledge of the language. We were the owners of a bar. Luis' family welcomed us with open arms.

One year. Where are we now?

We still live in the same home. But there are obvious issues there. Nothing that will be fixed any time soon, unfortunately. But it's home for now.

We gave up the bar. It was a money pit. Now Luis' nephew Felipe runs it. We had a birthday party for Laura there the other day and I noticed that there was barely any liquor on the shelves. I asked Felipe and he said he pretty much just sells beer now. There isn't enough profit in liquor. Which is pretty much the state of the bar when we took it over. So maybe that was one of our mistakes. All beer, no liquor.

Now we have a carpinteria which has much potential, but not a whole lot of realized income yet.

My friend in Portland had some serious health issues and I had to scramble to find someone else to take my cats in. Now they are back in Hotlanta where they first came from. So far Wade's allergies haven't forced them into another move. And I think he likes having the undying loving attention from them.

My Spanish has come a long way. The other day I stopped in at the video store and ended up talking to the couple who run the place for a whole hour! I was really proud of myself for being able to hold a conversation with them in Spanish for so long, especially since Luis wasn't there.

I've been through some serious down times. I haven't always felt comfortable. I still feel limited in what I can do. I have no friends down here to speak of, or to speak to. But I am learning things about myself and how to deal with those feelings. I've recently felt some emotional strength coming back to me.

So all in all it's been a shitty learning experience of a year. There are parts I could have, and would have, happily lived without. But I think in the long run I will look back at this time and know that even though it was more rough than smooth, that I learned from it. And that's what life is for, right?