landing & nesting

Hola!

After the gentle prodding of lovely family and friends wanting to know how things are going and myself (Megan) wishing to be a bit more organized with reflections instead of my regular Post-it note checklists, I have decided to hold this little corner of the webspace to write about our experiences in Mexico. You can expect me to do this regularly and honestly over the coming months. Sometimes there might be photos, sometimes not. Maybe I'll even get artsy fartsy and put up some stuff that I am working on. To clarify, I am not looking to be any influencer, life changer, or cliche gringa writing about how it is important to be cultural, but the latter might happen regardless of my attempts not to do so.

I am looking forward to sharing our adventures with you!

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unplanned road trip

Our travel plans unexpectedly changed when our departure switched to Chicago instead of Cedar Rapids. Still, thanks to some retirees with flexible schedules and needing to go to the Woodfield Mall for some returns anyway (Hint: Molly & Paul), we got in the car and drove to O'Hare. After the anticipated bustle of two airports, complete with an array of bathroom visits, water refills, and overpriced pretzel bites, we arrived on time to Mérida.

spotless house

We landed safely, got a large taxi van, and got to our Airbnb without much hassle. Upon arrival, our host, Genny, greeted us and sweetly showed us around. The lovely two-story house, called 'Casa Flamboyan,' is in the neighborhood of Colonia Yucatan and has a distinct flower painted on the outside. It is within walking distance from the kids' school, a stone's throw from two large grocery stores, and on a quiet street. The house, upon arrival, was lick the floors clean. It would put the most persnickety of people to shame. I have been feeling guilty as our clutter is slowly spawning onto the surfaces, and given our family's track record of "stuff," we surely won't be able to keep it this way for long as we make it our nest for now.

the longest wait

It's no surprise that Ryan and I decided to fulfill our reputation of being ruler followers, and we spent our very first full day in Mérida at the immigration office to receive our official temporary residency cards. All four of us got in line at 7:45 a.m. and didn't leave until 2:00 p.m. We learned what we were made of between those hours. Call it stupid or smart; it was brutal. After sustaining ourselves on peanut M&M's and frantically buying water from the convenience store across the street, I will humbly wait at the DMV the next time I renew my license.

google did great

Today, we visited where the kids will start 1st and 3rd grade, Saint Patrick's School. After beginning the journey of school selection via Google searches and WhatsApp messages in late May, we are comfortable landing here. I had a sweet friend ask me what I was worried about the most in this adventure, and when I replied, "Ugh. The school stuff keeps me up at night." And she truthfully pointed out, "Well, don't you do that here at home, too?" She was so right. Being a teacher/parent and given all the variables in the educational landscape, I will always worry about my kids' education, so really, new location, same concerns as every Mom this as the school year kicks off.