And then there were six....

animals, that is. I currently have 6 animals in my house. It is a good thing I have no furniture yet - my house is becoming an animal shelter! My friend Sandra found 4 baby kittens abandoned in a puddle in front of her house on the day the hurricane passed through. She took them in to look after them until she could find a home for them. A week later, she had to go to Mexico City for work so she asked me to take them until a home can be found.



They like to play and sleep on my suitcases!


I was a little concerned at first as Jackson is terrible around cats. He basically goes into hunting mode and terrorizes the poor things. The first few days were definitely a challenge but since then, both Jackson and Jade have come to accept them. Jackson is now indifferent and aloof as he was with Jade in the beginning. Jade, on the other hand, is very curious and tries to play with them. Unfortunately, she is like a bull in a china shop and does not realize that her paws are almost bigger than the cats are! The cats were terrified of the dogs the first few days but since then have become very comfortable and love to play with Jade and her tail.



Hmmmmmm, what is this tiny thing?


Mom, can we keep him?


It has been a week so far but still no homes have been found. We have posted their photos on the animal adoption website here in Manzanillo along with a few other websites. For all my Manzanillo readers, please tell all your contacts so we can find these precious kitties a home. They are still pretty tiny but are growing like weeds. They still fit in the palm of your hand. They are fully potty trained and are full of energy.

What an experience!

First of all, thanks to everyone for their well wishes and patience with my lack of communication over the last little while. The move, getting things fixed in the house, buying furniture, contractors, etc has been far more work than I every anticipated. Then being bed-ridden for several days did not help matters. I have discovered that getting simple jobs done always seem to take much longer than planned. My "to d"o list seems to get longer every day, not shorter! I have come to realize that if I knock off 2-3 things off my list, it has been a VERY successful day. I have learned alot through this experience and come to realize that if you sweat the small stuff, you will drive yourself crazy in no time.

In the midst of all this, I have also been working on my FM-3 visa. This visa will allow me to stay in the country past the 6 month period you are given as a tourist. Getting an FM-3 is not a complex or difficult process, it just seems that the simple jobs seem to turn into days of work. One of the requirements for an FM-3 visa is that you need to submit a utility bill at your current address in your name. This is not difficult stuff however, since I just moved, I do not have a utility bill in my name. As a result, I have to get a letter from the owner of the house along with a copy of his identification. Unfortunately, the owner lives in the US and has proved to be a little difficult to get a hold of.

Good news-I just got my telephone line and internet line installed a few days ago! What a good feeling to have internet again - I was feeling pretty out of touch and disconnected from my friends and family back home. From all the stories I had heard about getting a phone line installed, I figured it would be some time before this got completed. What a pleasant surprise!

Bad news - my friend Victor was here and had his truck parked in front of my house. When he went out to leave, he discovered that someone had crashed into his car and left the scene of the crime. He cannot even open his car door. I live directly across the street from a little convenience store so we went over there to ask if anyone saw or heard anything. Apparently, no one saw or heard a thing........Hmmmmmm

A few days after I moved in to the new house, I was leaving to take the dogs for a walk with Victor. As I was locking my front gate, two women came up and told me they were with the government and were performing a census. They had government ID and Victor told me they were with a branch of the government (cannot remember the name). They asked if they could ask me the census questions before I left on my walk and I said yes, no problem, thinking it would take under a minute and then we could be on our way. To my surprise, she pulled out a large booklet and 30 minutes later, we were finally done! Well, here is an excerpt of the many questions I was asked.........and YES, this is a true story.

1. How many people live here?
2. What is your marital status and age?
3. How many bedrooms do you have?
4. Do you sleep in your bedroom? - I had to clarify this question because I thought I misunderstood it.
5. Does anyone sleep in your kitchen? - again, I said that I think I heard wrong or did not understand and could they repeat the question.
6. What is your marital status? Again, I replied single. 30 something, single and living alone is pretty rare in this country. I was asked this question 3 times in total, I think
7. Have you ever been pregnant?
8. Do you want children?
9. If so, when would you like to have them? They also wanted specifics, in one year, two years, etc.
10. Have you ever had an abortion?
11. Are you sexually active and if so, do you use birth control? If so, what types do you use?
12. What age were you when you first had sexual relations? Did you use birth control? If so, what types did you use?
13. What is your religion?

Throughout this entire process, I kept saying in Spanish that I thought I misunderstood the question and could they repeat it. Victor kept reassuring me that I had heard correctly. When we finally finished the questionnaire, I was completely dumbfounded and speechless. Victor and I looked at each other and could do nothing but laugh. I asked him if he was sure that was a census questionnaire and not something else. He assured me that it was a census and I had understood everything correctly. He certainly got to learn a whole lot of personal information about me! I explained to him that the census in Canada is much different - basically 2 questions.

Has anyone else here in Manzanillo completed the census? I am curious to know your experience?

Getting settled....

First of all, I am sorry to have been out of touch for so long. I have alot to blog about and I promise I will return all e-mails this week.

Secondly, about the hurricane/cyclone - I received many concerned e-mails last week about this and am sorry I was not able to respond. It passed through on June 23 and some businesses closed early that day. Basically, there were very heavy winds and major rain. I tried to go to Tel-Mex (telephone company) that day to arrange my telephone/internet line for the new house but when I arrived, they were closing their doors and boarding up their windows with wood. There was so much water on the streets in my neighborhood, it was difficult to drive or get anywhere. The water came up to my mid calf. I ended up with quite a bit of water in my new house. I do not believe there was much damage in the city - just some flooding and tree branches that had broken off. My yard is a big mess but nothing a day of work won't cure.

These pictures are not that great - but just to give you an idea of how much water there was in the neighborhood.




As for the move, it went fairly well. Fortunately, I had already had the bedroom furniture moved to the house about one month prior. My friend Jesus who was living in the house graciously allowed me to keep the furniture in the 2nd bedroom. I was able to move in on June 14, as Jesus was leaving that morning for Australia. Steve from the blog Same life, new location had generously offered to come into town and help with the move also. Another friend of mine, Victor, had offered to help with his truck. Steve and Victor both arrived early Sunday morning with their trucks. I had all the boxes packed and ready to go. Victor and I had brought a full truck load over the day before to the house so on the day of the move, we were able to get everything, including the two dogs, in Victor's and Steve's truck. Jesus had asked us to arrive by 9:30am and when we arrived, he was still in the process of moving his furniture out. Certainly not an ideal situation, but we made it work! It did not take too long to get everything in, and then we went to get the 2nd hand fridge that I had purchased from my friend's house. By mid afternoon, we pretty much had everything inside the house. A big thanks to Steve for all his help and coming in all the way from Melaque.

Here is a photo of the new place. It is in a great neighborhood and is super close to the main boulevard. It is also close to the beach - approximately 3 large blocks. I have met several of my neighbors who are all very nice. Also, there is a little store right across the street from my house where I can pretty much get anything I need - including fresh tortillas, chorizo, some resh veggies/fruit, etc. I am also very close to some great little road-side eateries. I sampled some pozole last night at a little place a few blocks from my house last night that was absolutely divine (and only 25 pesos!)



The color inside the house is about the same as the outside. As a result, I have had a few people come by to give quotes on painting inside. Labour is pretty cheap so I may go ahead and have it painted inside. I also have been busy organizing someone to install ceiling fans as it is super hot and we are heading into the hottest season of the year. From the day I moved in, it has rained almost every single day and so it appears that the rainy season is upon us.

The dogs have been doing fairly well - they were very nervous the first week but seem to have settled in quite well. They love all the space and have discovered the 2 large iguanas that are resident in the back yard. Every time they go back there, they eagerly search for them.

Several days after moving into the new house, I became quite sick. It started out with what I thought was a simple cold which later turned into a raging strep throat infection and an infection in both eyes. I ended up house ridden for several days as my eyes were practically swollen shut and I had a high fever. I seem to have recovered and am doing much better. Since then, I have managed to get my kitchen organized and both bedrooms. I still have many things to buy - for example, I have no furniture whatsover in my living room! Friends of mine have lent me a few things until I am able to buy them for myself - ie. table and chairs, a microwave, etc. This week, I am going to look at some 2nd hand living room furniture that my friends want to sell.

I still do not have an internet connection but am going to go to Starbucks and use their free wireless until the connection is set up in the house. I have gone to Tel-Mex and arranged for them to install a line which is supposed to happen in the next 8-10 days. It was a bit of a challenge as the renters prior to Jesus had a telephone/internet line but had not paid their bill. As a result, I had to either pay their bill to use the existing line OR arrange to have a new line installed. The previous renter's bill was quite significant so it ended up being cheaper to install a new line altogether.

I have only managed to get to the beach once in the last several weeks - but it certainly was good therapy for me and the dogs!


The dogs taking a break and watching the surfers




Check out this creature Jade found on the beach


The moon was absolutely incredible that night


I have so much more to write about but will save that for the next few days. Thanks again for your patience and sorry to have worried some of you.

Baby on board?

Scared you, didn't I!! Saw this truck the other day with the baby stroller hanging on the back and was hoping this was not the case!



I have received many e-mails wondering where I am and if I am ok. I have been busy packing and getting organized for the upcoming move and have not had time to return e-mails or blog. My apologies......I will be back soon! I am going to try and get to the internet cafe this week sometime to write a more detailed blog post and return some e-mails.

As for the dogs, they are doing great and seem to be bonding more and more lately

Busy busy...

but not yet working..... How ironic is that? I have been busy getting ready for the move to the new house, trying to furnish the house and many other things. My friend Shelley and I took a road trip to Colima last week to try and knock off some of the purchases on my list. By the end of the trip, her car was literally packed to the roof with our purchases. I still have a long way to go but now have some of the basics. I found a second hand fridge from one of the PATA volunteers for a good price. She is graciously allowing me to keep the fridge at her house until I move. The current renter in the house is going to sell me the air conditioner in his bedroom. This will be a huge godsend this summer as I will be in a neighborhood that is very hot with little breeze. It will definitely be an adjustment from where I am living now. My move date is June 14 and many of my friends have offered to help.

I am also looking after my friend's 5 cats while she is in the United States for 2 weeks. I stop by the house daily and feed them, let them out, deal with the litter, etc. She also asked me to feed some of the street animals that hang around her house. Today, I noticed that one of the roosters really likes cat food and has been eating most of the food I leave out for the street cat. When I tried to shoo the rooster off, he was quite feisty with me and kept returning. Clearly, he does not see me as a threat. So now I am not sure that the street cat is getting any food. Suggestions anyone?

I am also taking on a larger role with PATA and taking on the Treasurer role in addition to my current volunteer activities.

There have been a few new restaurants that have opened in the last little while here in Manzanillo and so my friends and I have gone to check them out. There is a new sushi place in Las Brisas called Yakitori. We have several sushi places here already but since I am a huge sushi lover, I had to check this one out too. The food was delicious and the ambience and decor fantastic. It is right on the beach and the waiters take your orders with hand held digital devices. I really hope this restaurant makes it!

My friends and I checked it out another new restaurant a few weeks ago called Los Coyotes. It is an authentic Korean restaurant and the menu is in both Korean and Spanish. I spoke with the owner and he was explaining how the restaurant came to be. He was working with a large Korean company working on the regasification of the power plant here (official action is finally in place to make the switch to natural gas). It is scheduled to be finished in July 2011. As a result, there is a large Korean community here for a few years and he decided to take advantage of the market opportunity. He recommended several dishes for us to try and it was delicious.

Friends Michelle and Shelley trying the yummy food at Los Coyotes.



Sunday, on the recommendation of my friend Shelley, we rounded up the dogs and went out to El Rio de Mojo. This is a river outside of the city near a tiny town called Chandiablo near the entrance to the foot hills of the Sierra Manantlán.

This river is a place where locals gather on weekends to swim and have small fiestas. You are able to rent a small shanty style palapa for $60 pesos where you can get some shade, cook your food and spend your day relaxing. It is a beautiful spot and the water is great for swimming.



This was my first time here but Shelley said she had never seen it packed with so many families. I think it is a nice alternative than hanging out at the beach....especially since right now the ocean is not ideal for swimming because it is so rough.

Friend's Shelley and Teresa hanging out under our pseudo palapa


You are able to cook on the beach here. We saw other families who brought their own BBQ's or, like ourselves, made our own makeshift BBQ with rocks on the sand and briquettes. We had a delicious lunch of barbecued chicken, veggies and guacamole.

Jackson was in heaven as he loves to swim and immediately went for the water with Shelley's golden retriever Aisha.

Here they are swimming under the watchful eye of Jade.


And here Jade is actually swimming with the other two!


This is a moment where I almost cried out of pride and joy for her. When Jade first came into my life, she was absolutely terrified of water. She would not go near it. Since then, she has learned from Jackson and loves to get her feet wet in the ocean but that is about it. Right before the photo was taken above, Shelley, myself and the dogs were swimming and Jade could not stand being left alone so decided to come in and join us. After that, she swam over and over again. Watching her swim and get over her fear was such a wonderful moment for me!

Unfortunately, our swimming got cut short as one of the local women came up to me and told me that our dogs were not allowed in the water. She told me that is was un-hygienic, dangerous for the children, among many other things. She was so upset and would not allow me to get a word in edgewise. We removed the dogs from the water and went to speak to the owner of the land where we pay our rent for the palapas. He assured us that it was absolutely fine for the dogs to be in the water. They were clean, healthy dogs and he said if we had any further problems, to have them come talk to him. In addition, Shelley had been there on several occasions with her dog with no problems. At any rate, it was a wonderful Sunday spent swimming and relaxing. Thanks for a great day Shelley and Teresa!

Cultural differences

Many of you have been asking me about my love life - or more specifically, do I have one?? I will say that yes, I am back in the intrepid dating scene BUT have decided not to get into details on my blog at this point. Even though I have decided not to comment on these details, I have decided to share a few cultural differences that make dating here in Mexico (in my opinion) refreshing and always interesting!

1. Mexican guys LOVE to dance and are so incredibly good at it. In my dating experience so far, this is often on the list of potential date options. It is just so refreshing to meet guys that actually love and WANT to dance. Finding a guy that likes to dance back home is a rare thing indeed. For those of you that have such a treasure in your life, make sure and tell them, thank you! I seem to remember the typical scene in Canada with only girls on the dance floor (none of the guys could be coerced into dancing)!

2. Chivalry is not even close to dead here. When walking on the street or sidewalks, they will move you to the inside, away from traffic. They almost always open doors for you, they will stand up when you leave the table or room , they will insist on carrying ALL your groceries and bags, and they almost have cardiac arrest if you suggest splitting the bill, let alone paying for it. I must say that I particularly enjoy the chivalry part of the so-called machismo culture here.

3. When meeting men here, I have discovered they will promise the sun, moon and stars to try and please you. For example, the other night I met a young man and we were chatting for quite some time when he pulled out his package of cigarettes and asked me if I wanted one. I responded "no thank you, I do not smoke". At this point, he declared (quite dramatically) that that particular cigarette would be his LAST one…..EVER. I am certainly not naive enough to think that he will stick to this promise, but I found it quite amusing, nonetheless. To my single friends in Canada - can you even imagine a Cdn guy doing this?

Side note: practically EVERYONE smokes here. The majority of my group of friends smoke (both foreign and Mexican) and it is much more socially acceptable than back in Canada.

Summer, here already?

What? No, it can't be. But some random thoughts that tell me it is right around the corner:

• when running into friends, the first thing they ask is "wow, it is hot, right"? Formed as a question with the emphasis on "right"....secretly hoping that someone will tell them they are crazy and it is not yet time for 3 shower min days.

• you start sweating as soon as you wake up and the sun has not even risen yet. Showering seems to be of no use and the cold tap just never seems to produce water quite cool enough.

• you see frogs hopping across the road and other critters emerging from the bush

• people's hair appear to be getting bigger and more unruly each day. Ok, that is just my hair, but you know what I mean.

• you start planning your activities around the possibility of air conditioning.

• you sweep the floor and discover you have another pet in the house. Oh, wait, that is just a giant hair ball and yep, still only have the two dogs.

• you start to wonder if you are experiencing early-menopause and ask yourself if these are the hot flashes your mom was always telling you about.

But it can't be......RIGHT?