It has now been a year since our friend Joe helped empty our garage of huge final loads of trash and recyclables, took the box of fireworks I couldn’t get rid of, slept overnight on the floor in our empty house, and drove Leigh and I and the kitties to the airport at four in the morning. So began our new adventure in Mexico.

Life has been good here.

The climate is truly wonderful. In general, the evenings are cool, mornings a bit overcast, and afternoons sunny and warm. Every day (almost) is downright pleasant. As I’ve written, April and May were a bit stifling. Then summer evening storms added a bit of variety and cooled things down again. The rain and thunderstorms were some of the hardest and loudest I’ve ever experience. The upcoming winter will be very dry, with a few nights that are just a bit too cool.

The other major draw was the cost-of-living. It is lower than our former lifestyle up north, but not inexpensive. Most of our savings comes from reduced health and automobile insurance costs, no heating, air-conditioning, or swimming pool expenses, and a conscious decision to make do with less. Unfortunately, the real-estate and rental markets here follow the activity in the USA and Canada - so getting good housing value in this market is quite challenging. But for now at least, it appears that we will be able to rent and stay within our budget.

The Mexican people are pleasant and polite to foreigners - just as advertised. The relationships between us are probably far more complex than I realize, but things appears to be working. Both groups benefit and seem to want to be part of the shared experience and economy.

The language barrier has not been so much of a problem as it is a continual frustration. To say anything but the most routine phrases, I have to practice in advance. And I’m always, about two minutes later, saying: “Oh, I could have said ….” Should we ever have a serious situation that requires the police, emergency medical care, etc., we could be quite vulnerable. We both continue to study Spanish. For us it requires a lot of discipline and practice. Having a reasonable social conversation in Spanish seems a very long ways off indeed.

Of course there is a thriving English-speaking population that is mostly retired. And being retired gives one more time for travel, the arts, social activities, exercise, computers, card clubs, etc. So besides our own interests, there is plenty going on locally to make life interesting.

Overall, it has been a good first year in Mexico.