Looking out our front door into the garden.
I can’t believe it has been a week since we arrived back in San Miguel. It has been a whirlwind of catching up with local friends, hanging out with visiting friends, and getting acquainted with new friends we had known only virtually. The kids immediately jumped back into the sleepover scene, and we have already hosted a pizza party and a Chinese food feast, along with several other gatherings. I’ve also had to get back into work-mode and get through a huge pile of emails. It has been a little crazy, but no complaints. Well, except for the scorpion who came to visit (and left in a body bag).
The trip from Matehuala to San Miguel was uneventful. We took our time leaving Las Palmas (the hotel) and had a good breakfast before heading out. As soon as we hit the road, I let go of all of the tension and anxiety of the previous weeks and thought, “If the car breaks down now, I can call Dan the Man to come get us.” Dan the Man is the best tour guide / driver EVER, and it was a relief to know that help was a phone call away if we needed it.
Luckily, we had no problems on the road, and we rolled into San Miguel around 3 p.m. I almost cried at the welcome from our friend Eucled and his 2 boys (one of whom is the beloved novio of Aliya)…a homemade pasta dinner, fresh bread, margaritas, wine, and breakfast provisions for the next morning. Other friends (CC & family) showed up with a cake, some plates, and a stack of plastic chairs, since we have almost no furniture. Our landlord did leave us several tables and chairs, which have come in really handy. I can’t even think of all the “gifts” we’ve received this week…toilet paper, flowers, fresh pomegranates, paper plates, a giant sack of limes, a loaned frying pan and a pot, lots of entertainment for the kids – we’re so grateful.
We are currently camping out in our beautiful and gigantic home. I feel a bit like the Beverly Hillbillies except our truck full of random stuff hasn’t arrived yet. It’s supposed to come Friday or Saturday, and the kids are really excited to be reunited with their treasures. We’ve been working on putting away what was stored here and packed into the Pilot. We need to buy a few pieces of furniture, but we’ll have the basics covered soon. Our housekeeper, Ana, has been washing floors and windows and cleaning bathrooms – it’s a big house and had undergone a lot of construction work before we arrived. Our gardener, Fernando, will be here soon to keep the foliage at bay.
Our next step is to get our visas finalized, and to transform the house from a big empty shell into a home. School starts on the 7th, and the kids are really looking forward to going back. I’ll be happy to get back into a routine, although I’ve been doing fine with work due to the flexibility of my job. My work website has been getting a lot of recognition lately and I think most people finally understand what I do and why (that’s a relief). Our fabulous property manager has found a tenant for our Framingham house, so they will be moving in September 1st. It’s all falling into place.
I will post some photos of the house soon!