Guamu-chiles & Gum

Luigi the chi-poodle

There are few memories that I can recall from my childhood here in mexico. One of them was eating these Pea looking fruit things that grew on trees called "Guamuchiles" I remember I used to climb on trees to get my hands on them. My grandpa from my fathers side had a big tobacco plantation and there was a lot of guamuchile trees around the perimeter. I really looked forward to eating them again after so long and have my husband try them as well.

Just my luck, they weren't in season then but now they are starting to sprout!! As soon as I saw them hanging from the tree I made it my mission to get some. This morning I went to the nearest tree and pulled one down.

 

You just eat the white part. The green inside is the seed.

I'll admit, they aren't that great right now. They aren't ripe and are a little bitter. The familiar taste brought back memories of me climbing those trees so long ago. I can't wait until they are ripe and sweet. There used to be a tree in my families property here in Botadero but it was blown down by hurricane "Keva" years ago along with other fruit trees and palms. So, I grabbed one of the seeds and decided to try and grow a sprout like I did with that lima bean back in 5th grade. Maybe if I get a good sapling I'll try and plan a new tree in the backyard again.

My aunt recently went to Talpa. I am not exactly sure what goes on over there but it has something to do with  a religious get together/shopping spree. The one thing that I know about Talpa is that my aunt used to bring me back these gums in shape of hats and they smelled really good! I love the smell of these things so I gave her $50 pesos and asked her to bring me as many as that could get me. It turned out to be a good amount! which I was hoping for so I could send some to my mom and she can give some to my sisters. I was surprised to know that they now have little hats, sandals, water jugs and baskets made out of gum. They are adorable and super cute.

One of the million things that I was concerned about here in mexico was getting bitten by scorpions. It's not "scorpion" season yet but every 2 weeks there seems to be one hanging out in the kitchen. Luckily here in Nayarit we get a lot of those cute house geckos that eat scorpions and bugs. They are quite interesting creatures and they deserve their own post. Today though I almost stepped on one... this one looks like its about a week old and its adorable. 

That 1 peso is about the size of a nickel

I can't wait to go home but for now... I'm glad the guamuchiles are starting to sprout. And now for Mrs. Hat.

I get bored easily

What I Have Learned:

...Apparently growing tobacco has been in my family for centuries.

The high life...

Hey guys! I know, It has been a while. I have been trying to adapt to Mexico. Everything has been so different than what we expected and planned. It has been quite a humbling experience... Okay, So let's start from where we left off.

In December it started cooling off and the weather wasn't as unbearable. Chris and I got tired of going to the beach in Vallarta after the 4th time or so. We ended up being able to borrow My aunts sisters office and work on the letter. We somehow managed to finished it towards the end. We did get a lot of help from a friend back home though, we don't know what we would have done without his help.

We spent a lot of time at my aunt Paula's house in a small town called Botadero. It's about 3 hours away from Vallarta and it really is different. The nearest 24hr store around here is 15 miles away and it's a pharmacy. I never imagined being back here for this long. I always wanted to come on vacation but I never thought that I would experience the culture this closely. "I miss potable running water" Should never be uttered by anyone. Same with "I miss sinks". The "Sink" get filled with potable water every other day because, potable water is only available every other day. The shower pumps water from a well.

I left mexico when I was 8. I guess I had forgotten about how it really was. How hard people have to work for what they have. How much kids want and take care of the little toys that they have. My little niece at her 3 years of age knows the value of things much more than any of us will in our life time. It's heart breaking when a child asks for a towel for Christmas instead of toys. I guess I would have never really known about how it truly was unless I lived it. Trust me... after taking a shower with a bucket all of the sudden the problems that I had back at home seemed very meaningless and petty.

About a half a mile from here though, there is a River where the fish migrate to the Ocean. Chris and I would go up about a mile to a path that you could go and sit on rocks and fish. Being there we saw a lot of interesting stuff like Iguanas running on water and Chris even fished a turtle! I got pretty good at fishing Rock fish and we lost a lot of hooks. The sunsets there are breathless... I wasn't able to take pictures of much after about two days because my camera slipped out of my pocket and fell into the River. I miss my camera. Not as much as a hot shower though, and I don't mean boiling water for a hot "shower".

I think the funny thing about being here is that I don't really have to worry about buying anything "Organic" Because... everything is Organic and from "local farmers and butchers" Want to see how "Organic"?

I guess this experience wouldn't have been so different if I lived anywhere else other than California. I know they have places like this in the U.S. (not quite like this, but close). I also got to enjoy the beach near here. Chris and I got to eat seared fish that was caught that morning and relax for a little while in a hammock overlooking the beach, there was even a dog named Tecate hanging out.

Christmas came around and Chris built a BBQ out of bricks that where laying around. It was nice but not quite like Christmas... same with new years. It just wasn't the same. The food was okay though.

Finally after new years we started heading back to Juarez. On the way we met with a family friend in Aguascalientes, he was visiting and we got to spend the night there. The drive wasn't bad. It has been a month  today since I turned in my waiver packet and application. I still haven't heard anything. After my appointment Chris and I stayed at the hotel for a week in case of a quick approval (obviously that didn't happen). Chris had to go back home to the U.S. and I took a plane back to Guadalajara, then a bus to Tepic... then finally my uncle dropped me off at my aunts house...

Saying goodbye to my husband has been one of the hardest things I have ever done. I have felt very depressed and lost without him. Specially being in such a remote place. I just hope when this is all over I get to come out a better person and at least now I know how precious things are. I'll never take anything for granted. This process is long and painful but I'm quite lucky, I have family that has welcomed me with open arms even after 18 years. I am lucky to have had the opportunity to see how different the world really is outside of the american bubble...Which until recently is all I knew. I hope Immigration laws change, families should not be ripped apart like this. And now some random pictures!

Things I've Learned:
...Despite everything, I am lucky.

Mexico... How I hate you.

Ever wondered what the Tropical rainforest feels like? Like a sauna... a really hot freaking sauna that you can't escape no matter how hard you try, all you can do is sit there sweaty, sticky and wishing you would just wake up from that nightmare but you never do.

Beautiful? of  course it is... can you enjoy the beauty? Hell no... it's too hot to think. Anywho, being that I can't really think here are some pictures....

-Roby

What I've learned:
...god hates me.

Part 3! the end of Juarez...

Pesos and a quarter

Warning! kinda of a boring update but it has pictures!

Tuesday was my Medical appointment. Everything went well in there other than being embarrased by having to strip naked for the doctor and getting 4 shots. Later Chris and I met up with another couple doing the same process. I met her online! (oh the wonders of the internet). We roamed around the mall, had lunch, they where telling us about what it's like in Mexico city. It was interesting hearing more about mexican culture.

Yeah, we went back to the same place.

We went to the hotel afterwards and hung out in the room for most of the day. Later for dinner we met up with my friend and her husband for dinner. We had Papa Johns pizza delivered (not nearly as good as other food here lol) we where talking for a while then it was off to bed.

Wednesday we didn't have anything to do so we mostly just hung out at the hotel room, we did go to the grocery store again mostly just to look around since there isn't much to do in the "safe area" other than eat, shop, and get screwed over with this immigration process. We did see a Pepsi that is only available in mexico, which has a lot of caffeine and ginseng (you can really taste the caffeine in it!).

Only 7 pesos! that's only 50c

I was itchy all day but I figured it was just because of the water, around bed time I was Super Itchy! I felt my knee and there was something bumpy, I turned the lights on and noticed I was covered in hives! they where like huge welts, Later I realized it was an allergic reaction to the flu shot (I'm still itchy!) I was getting worried since the next day was my visa appointment and I didn't want to show up looking diseased! finally after a while I managed to fall asleep.

This morning I woke up in an itchy panic and went straight to the mirror. The hives where not visible, I thought it was better than looking weird but now I was itchy and in pain. (My hands hurt right now and the welts are coming back.) The appointment went well and I got was told I could apply for a waiver. It was check out time back at the hotel so when I got there Chris had already fixed the car up and got everything ready to go.

We ended up booking another night since my aunt and uncle are coming to pick us up. They are coming by bus. So, another night will be good, we can sleep tonight and take off early morning. Later, After I got back from the visa appointment and booking a two bed room, we met with my friend and her husband again since her appointment was around the same time. We talked about how it went and it was also her birthday so afterwards we went to celebrate!

6 beers for 6 dollars!

We had a nice meal and they had some drinks. We went back to the hotel, and went over some paperwork. Then we went to the store for more soda and snacks, Oh this time at the store I noticed these drinks...

Yep. Crunch drink.

This picture is for you G!

Oh yeah, on our way back from the store we got our hair cut, nothing fancy. Just a trim on mine and Chris got his usual hair cut. Now we are just waiting... hopefully tomorrow we leave Juarez early.

...Then the roadtrip through Mexico starts! (oh god... )

 -Roby

What I've Learned:
...I have an allergic reaction to flu shots.