home sweet home or home away from home??

We arrived in Regina January 10, 2011.  The kids didn't sleep on the plane, our TV's didn't work and it was the coldest night of the winter thus far.  But ... we didn't care!  My mom was at the airport to meet us with warm clothes and hugs, our book keeper and her husband brought our "warmed up" truck and the roads cooperated so we could make it home (just barely but we made it!).  Emy stayed the night at Nan's, Hunt was overjoyed to sleep in his bed and Paris found her dog bed just like she had never left it.  It felt good to be "home".

Hunter went to school for the duration of our stay and Emy went one day to her kindergarten class.  The school was so excited to see them and treated them as if they had never been away!  Hunt played 6 hockey games in 10 days and attended one practice.  He was so worried he'd forget how to skate but he was reminded that he doesn't forget over the summer months so surely he wouldn't over the two months he'd been away!  Both kids played with their friends, Hunt had a buddy sleep over and they got to visit with family from both sides. 

Jay unfortunately had to work for the majority of our time home as it was the store's year end and inventory.  He went out with buddies one night and we got together with friends for a nice dinner but he was dealing with accountants, book keepers and staff for the rest of his time!  I got together with 4 of my closest girlfriends and we did a fun "photo shoot" one evening with drinks and appetizers.  It was a blast ... and considering, the photos turned out awesome as well!!  I did a couple lunches, coffee'ed, did some needed errands and enjoyed the comforts of our home. 

I will admit however it was nice to return to "this home" as well.  I didn't know what the feelings would be come January 22 but it appeared as if everyone was ready to return to schedules, meals at home, living out of closets rather than suitcases and routine.  It was just like the end of a vacation when you know its time to get back to "reality" ... never thought it would feel that way leaving there but it did.

Jay's parents came back with us and have been here since.  The kids returned to school Monday morning without hesitation, daily homework, soccer, ballet and gymnastics routines began again and life was quickly back to "normal".  I now know that we have two "homes".  But the two have significant differences.

The most noticable difference is our relationships ... living here only 13 weeks tomorrow we have not established relationships like we have back in Saskatchewan.  There are numerous reasons for this:  short time frame, majority of people we meet are not from here so they don't know as many people to introduce us to, our days are much more busy and people tend to spend more time with their families and not with friends here.  Now if we lived here for a longer period of time and year after year my thoughts and reasons may be altered but at this point this is what we are noticing.  Right now I can say I don't have a close girlfriend here that I can "hang" with ... but I know that mine back home are only a phone call away!

Jay works with a girl who is originally from Ontario but has lived here for over two years.  Without me letting her know any of my thoughts or observations she said that women down here don't "coffee" like we do back home and don't organize "girls nights out".  And here I was thinking for 12 weeks that I just wasn't getting invited!!  She informed that family is a priority here and if you were to set up a night for girls to get together husbands, mothers and/or chidren would come along as well. 

Like I have mentioned in previous posts, our school is extremely family oriented ~ parties, invitations for open classrooms, several events that we are encouraged to attend (olympics, christmas posadas, festivals, expo day, presentations).  In 13 weeks we have been to over 10 events at the school and that is with a three week Christmas break and being home in Canada for 10 days!!  AND that is the stuff I have been able to translate to figure out that we are invited!!!  My point being ... we experience a GREATER deal of "family" time compared to "friend" time. 

The second difference I find with home in Canada and home here in Mexico is we are busier here ... alot busier.  Yeah at home we are at rinks, dance studios and gym clubs several times in the week but its usually one parent taking one kid and its for an hour at a time.  Or we go to Hunt's hockey game all together for an hour and a half and that is it.  Here we drive kids to school (start an hour apart), pick up Monday to Thursday at same time but two of those days stay at the school for tutoring and two of the days return home for an hour and then back to school for soccer and pick up on Fridays at two different times.  THEN on top of that ... something we were NOT used to ... is HOMEWORK!! 

For being 5 and 7 our kids have a lot of it and we have to be quite involved!  I would say Monday through Thursday we do about 4 hours of solid homework between the two kids and that is not counting Hunt's Spanish (he does that with his teacher during tutoring).  In the last week he has had to do an oral presentation complete with a poster board (he chose to do it on hockey) and a written speach he read to the class.  Then for his upcoming "science fair" he had to take something technological dating back 50 years and make an old computer out of recycled materials.  On Friday he must wear a white "lab" style jacket, goggles and have crazy mad scientist hair!!  To my surprise in math he is learning multiplication in the 2 and 3 digits, area and circumference and addition/subtraction using "carrying" ... and this is all in Spanish!  Needless to say, I have become a part time underpaid teacher on the side!

We usually have soccer games on Saturdays (the team practices Monday through Thursday from 4-530 pm but we have chosen, with the coaches consent, to do two practices and two days of tutoring instead).  And  not being full locals yet, we like to do the beach at least one day on the weekend as well!  Right now Jay is working 5 days a week with Wednesdays and Saturdays off and he is usually gone from 645 am to 230 pm.

Another difference I see here is we want to explore more here ... likely due to the short time frame and the uncertainty if we'll return for another six month stint ... but we want to do as much as we can do, see as much as we can see and explore as much as we can explore.  I have a list of "to do's" that hopefully will be checked off come mid April ~ this list includes travelling, eating at certain restaurants, doing a few activities and doing alot more learning.

An additional difference I have noticed since the day we got here is things take longer to do.  Whether its waiting for a maintenance man to show up, or registrations to arrive for vehicles, or booking appointments, or buying supplies or necessities for a school project ... it all takes longer.  Mostly due to the language barrier but also the ways of the Mexican people!  And you know, although it takes a while to get used to "manana" (it will happen tomorrow) this laxidazical way isn't so bad ... its the reason for a very small percentage of stress related heart attacks in the area!  I was told something by our landlady's husband that I will not forget.  He is a Florida born man who has lived all over the world ... he said when you are in Italy you wear your Italian hat.  When you are in Canada you wear your Canadian hat.  And, when you are in Mexico you wear your sombrero.  It is so true.