playa & pools

uady

Ooo Ahhh Dee is how you say it around here, and it is short for the Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán. It has several campuses and departments all around the city. Ryan is working with the Facultad de Educacion in the northern part of the city. Last Monday, he officially started his first week, and much like the kids' daily journies of adjustment to a new routine and some minor speed bumps (mainly how to plan out the day accounting for the heat/rain and the norm of wearing long pants despite the oppressive sweat party), it went smoothly. After getting used to the logistics of public transportation, writing down a lot of new names, and laying out the scope of his project, he is doing what he does best - getting to work.

meanwhile megan

Meanwhile, while the kids are in school and Ryan is at UADY, what the heck am I up to? It is a question that I can answer, but, at the moment, it is hard to describe. I rarely, if ever, am bored; however, I am still figuring out what my days look like. This semester, to keep my feet wet with pursuing a Ph.D., I am taking one online grad class. Keeping up a house in this environment is not for the faint of heart. Without a dishwasher, clothes dryer, or car, and having people who need to eat every day and food that seems to spoil more quickly, I am doing more housework and store trips than I am used to. Admittedly, I have ramped up my fumigation/anti-critter methods after finding a F*#K!NG SCORPION in my shoe last week. Apparently, they are a thing here in the Yucatan, and the species here are not highly poisonous, but I never want to be near one again. So, when I'm not doing classwork, housework, or kidwork, I've been enjoying walks at the nearby 'El Estadio' and will be looking into some Spanish review classes and art studios in the area to reach out to in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!

beach, pool, repeat

I've mentioned the heat a couple of times so far, and in a future post, I'll go more in-depth about how it's a bit more than what midwesterners call "the humidity," but two of the ways to take the edge off surely is finding a pool or a beach. This past week, we were able to experience both. Right now, we are saying yes to any pool invite we've had, and we were graciously hosted by a couple of colleagues of Ryan's to swim. Then, this past weekend, we took the 40-ish minute bus ride to Progreso and spent the night and enjoyed some fun playing on the playa. Because it is so close, we see ourselves there again, and given the delicious octopus tacos and coconut shrimp, it's likely a guarantee.

This coming weekend, we are headed back to the US for my brother's wedding, so it will likely be a little surreal to leave and come back to Merida as our new home. More writing to come!

ryan aka indiana jones on his first day

on one of my walks - video below!

slaying laundry

octopus tacos front and center

coconut shrimp for days