Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Meeting new people and yet more birthdays

On the weekend I went to a birthday party of a person I had recently met who is my age. She had a few girls over to her house for wine and appetizers so I was able to meet some more people (both ex-pats and locals). It was great to meet some more women my age. They were wonderful and were an absolute riot. I had been having a rough week and really needed that. It was so good to laugh and it really lifted my spirits. This week I feel like a new person. Last week, I had been feeling really terrible, so much so that my mexican mom brought a doctor over to the house. Apparently my blood pressure had dropped to a super low level and I had to go on some medicine to bring it back up to normal. After a few days of being on the medication, I started feeling much better.

I think being sick and cooped up in the house definitely did not help my emotional state and I hit an all time low. I was talking with a friend of mine and said that I think I am only now dealing with everything that happened. Initially, when I first moved into the house, I was in task mode getting settled, buying things for the house, meeting my neighbors, starting spanish class, etc. Then, I had two different sets of visitors and was busy having fun and visiting with them. Now that life has become somewhat normal, routine and my visitors have gone home, I can no longer avoid everything and have to deal with things. It definitely sucks and is really tough but something I have to go through. A big thanks to "mommy dearest" and my mexican mom who were there when I had a bit of a meltdown. They both lent a shoulder to cry on and were wonderful in helping me through some tough moments. I feel very fortunate to have these people in my life.

I went to another birthday party earlier this week at the condo complex where I stayed every year when I used to come here on vacation. My mexican mom invited me and I had a great time. It was all local people, there was great ceviche, dancing, and one of the men played acoustic guitar and was a fabulous singer. It was also a great opportunity to practice my Spanish. Unfortunately, I do not have any pictures to share as i had forgotten my camera. I know, I know.......it will not happen again!

Spanish class has been going very well - I feel like things are starting to sink in a little bit. I am still going 3 days a week and then also spend many hours studying, reviewing vocabulary and verbs.

I went to a woman's luncheon today called Mujeres Amigas. This is a women's group that meets once a month and is a great way to meet other local women. There is also a book exchange where you can find books and magazines in English. They also bring in speakers on various topics. It was nice to meet a few more people in town.

On a completely unrelated matter, the new Starbucks opened last week. I cannot even believe that there is a Starbucks here in Manzanillo now. This town has changed so much over the last 10 years.

And since I have no other photos to share with you, I will leave you with some pictures of my babies!



4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I really like your blog... and these pics are priceless!

Thank you!

Steve Cotton said...

I see that Jackson still rules, though.

My Way said...

Me and my expat friends came to the conclusion that about every 4-6 weeks for the first year or two, it is normal for an expat to have a melt-down.

Some melt-downs are worse than others, some melt-downs ultimately end up in expats leaving, and some are just a part of life for a while until you really settle in. It is a process and completely normal and you aren't the only expat that has felt this way.

Hang in there and listen to your gut....really important.

New Beginnings said...

Kelsi - thanks so much, it is really great to hear that you are enjoying it. How did you find out about it?

Steve - well, in those pictures, yes, however, jade seems to have taken control over most things. If Jackson is playing with a toy, she will steal it right out of his mouth. Or she will kick him off his bed.

My Way - Thanks for the support and words of wisdom - much appreciated.