Your first days in your home in Mexico

I was 21 years old, I knew no Spanish, I knew nothing about Mexico, I knew no one. I was alone in a new world. I had left behind my family and friends, the  security of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts School and the miserable life I was living.

I arrived Saturday night, 7 pm by air, crossed Mexico City and boarded a bus for San Miguel de Allende, not even being able to ask what time  we would arrive. I fell asleep on the bus and woke up as it lurched onto a low-lit cobblestone street. I leaned forward to the bus driver  and said with a questioning voice “San Miguel Allende?” he nodded  and stopped the bus. It was 2 am beneath a black midnight sky when I got off with my steamer trunk, a huge thing covered in thin green  leather and brass buttons on every side, the kind used in the 40’s for an overseas voyage. The bus pulled away and I was left standing in the dark beside my green trunk.

Mexico is full of surprises and I was delighted to notice two small boys  about 10 years old giggling on the sidewalk this late at night. They  paused and looked at me, then at my trunk and then said, “Hotel? ”   These little scamps would pull that big heavy trunk to a hotel? With  no other apparent option, I followed them to the main square called  the Jardin and the Hotel San Francisco.

I slipped into a safe warm bed, my first night in my new home.

Morning revealed a whole new world, like awaking from a dream. I had stepped back in time and it was definitely not Boston any more. It was magnificent to find nothing familiar, to have no idea or agenda. I could walk from one open landscape to the other in 40 minutes, each one ending in desert. The town was a jewel, set like a romance novel, narrow cobblestone streets anchored the colonial buildings, in soft pastel colors, clear blue sky everywhere and lots of brown skinned people.Sunday morning, I set out to find the Instituto Allende, which was a large hacienda converted into a “college campus.” The enormous doors of the main entrance opened onto a garden squared by vaulted walkways and stone arches which plunged into the foliage on four sides, and a fountain in the center.  School for the next year.

Intro taken from my book my A Story of the Predictable but Completely Unexpected, My fist year in Mexico,  The Rancho.  ISBN 978-0-359-82178-5 BUY copy on LULU self publishing , Mary Jane Miller, still here 47 years later.

@Cheryl

Wow. It was 2021 and me and my wife had just finished at the embassy in Denver 2 days earlier. The car was packed to the gills with what we had choosen to take with us from our old home our class a rv that we had been living in for the last 2 years.  2 years earlier we had retired and our dream of seeing the USA in our RV had started.  Then covid happened and the wonder life in the rv changed.  With all the restrictions and changes to the full time rv lifestyle and a few very dangerous attacks on us we decided that we needed a change and choose Mexico and Lake Chapala as what we needed.

We crossed into the boarder check point in larado at first light. Everything went really well and we moved on to our first day of travel.  My wife loves driving so she drove in the new strange land.  We found out fast it was pretty much the same but a few differences. And made it to our first airbnb we had reservation with on our first night of our trip in Saltillo. Got parked and settled in.  We needed a few items and of course some food.  Well across the street was a OXXO so the few items part was easy.  But the food ended up being the fun part.  We walked 2 block's to a local place Google had great reviews.  It was our first ordering at a foreign restaurant since we lived in Germany when we first met and got married almost 30 years earlier. The 2 young local woman didn't speak English and our spanish was almost nothing. But with Google translate being used on both sides we got it done with tons of laughter had by all of us.  Was so much fun and they were both so helpful and happy. Probably gave them a great story about the 2 gringos who stopped for dinner.

The next day we were out early again and made it all the way to Lake Chapala. It was the most beautiful ride thru cities and country that reminded me of my Midwest roots with all the food being grown and the factories in the cities. We were stuck behind a truck that fell over on its side because it was packed so high.  But watching the owner and the tow truck driver smiling and laughing while they tipped it back over was a sight. We were laughing right with them as we were allowed to pass. We stopped for gas and picked up a snack of Palanqueta from a street vendor who was selling them at the gas station. We laughed and ate our treat as we moved on to our destination.

That evening we reached lake chapala. We were so excited to finally be home. And it really felt like home. We came in from the north of Chapala and we came around a corner and saw the lake fir the first time... It was one of the most beautiful sights. And that says alot. We had been all over the Rockies in Colorado and saw the most amazing places but this felt so different. We went to this nights airbnb and our host met us this time. She was the most open and genuine person we had ever met.  She was remodeling her parents house and Casitas for airbnb and they were so comfortable.  We ordered dinner with traitte because it was late and we were tired from the long day. Our host Kiyari gave us a great suggestion for a place to eat and she was right it was wonderful. Lol then we ran into our first night of loud music in Mexico. Our poor host was apologizing profusely but we told her it was no problem. Next door they were having a wedding celebration! Went on till 2 or 3 am.  But we laughed and enjoyed the free music and listened to the happy guests celebrate the start of a couples life. It was just the week before that our 28th anniversary happened with not alot of celebration because of our move.  After it all calmed down we slept like logs.

The next day we were off to our long term airbnb while we looked for our permanent home.  It was on the mountain side with full views of the lake. We fell in love with the views. My dream had always been when we settled down was to live on a mountain with a lake.... I got that dream! We were both so excited. Then the rain started and the mud slides closed off the road in one direction. Lol and we just didn't care! We were happy and sure it made us slow down on our house hunt but we did finally find our home. 

We have a place outside of town but still a short bike ride back into town. Views to die for of the lake and mountains from the second floor and roof (which we spend lots of time on the mirador). From day one we felt like we were home and just feel it more every day we go out. The people are wonderful to talk with and we have made so many wonderful friends over the last almost 2 years. Most are locals because well we are very young for retirement and we talk and have fun with other retirees but the age gap is a hard thing to get past.  But like I said we have some very close friends now who are helping with our crappy spanish and helping us learn local recipes and customs.

We always are telling each other how lucky we feel to be here and how much we feel we moved Home here. That feeling of complete relaxation and comfort that let's you know you are where you need to be.