rhythms & rides

Updated: Oct 31, 2023

numerous shopping lists & trips

So far, we have been here a little over a week and trekked to Walmart twice, ordered Costco items through Uber Eats, been to the fancy mall to get "the right shoes" for school, stocked up on food from not just one but three grocery stores nearby, and strolled to the bodega around the corner at least five times, but who's counting? As we prepare for the school year and figure out our systems for what we can find where and when we are getting into a rhythm of sorts and learning along the way. Overall, finding a balance between needs, wants, and what we are used to has gone smoothly. Admittedly, as I held the list of required school supplies in my hand and steadily checked off the items one by one, I felt a series of small victories. Despite the unknown future, using my teacher/mom/Spanish/intuitive skills to figure out and find the correct brand and gram amount of glue and all-white shoes for P.E. required to be "cool" at school is a clear win if you ask me.

new & familiar flavors

Kids have cute, occasionally weird, and sometimes frustrating taste preferences. We've been reminded of that this week as we've tried some new foods and relied on some standbys. Madeline gravitates towards spicy flavors, including Takis and Flamin' Hot anything—the more fluorescent, the better in her mind. So she's set anytime we pass by a place with bright packages. Conversely, Reid would sustain himself solely on cinnamon sugar toast if given the opportunity. He declared, "This is the best cinnamon ever," after I mixed the spice with sugar granules that were larger and a bit more vanilla colored than the bright white refined sugar he is used to. While the kids might have their tastes, trying some Yucatan cuisine with them this week was fun. It was truly delicious, and the kids agreed! I look forward to trying to make Sopa de Lima myself.

making rounds

A very smart, more qualified person (working at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City) versus an alarmist news story from a stateside-based news outlet gave us the advice not to drive to Merida from Iowa City, and we are glad we didn't. Our look-at-me sky-blue mini-van would stand out like a sore thumb amongst the smaller sedans and motos in the city. Plus, driving through the northern Mexican states with our Iowa plates was not recommended. So, we are still figuring out how to get out and about. Avoiding buying any vehicle or motor anything, we are exploring the city with Uber, the bus, and our own two feet. Luckily, just this past May, there was a brand new public bus transportation system complete with air conditioning implemented city-wide. So far, not having our car has proved functional and economical, but we realize we are still in the baby stages of getting our feet on the ground.

The next post will be complete with school updates!