A picture's worth a thousand words

To start things off, here are a few pictures of our unfurnished apartment.  Slowly but surely we're getting it put together but you can consider these the "before" pictures:

Here is our completely empty living room.  Our couch is being delivered tomorrow!

                                            

Here is our little kitchen with Octavio cooking.  Contrary to popular belief, I have made meals in here (2 to be exact, spaghetti & macaroni & cheese.  I leave the rest to Octavio.)

Right now our table is in our little hallway by the bathroom but soon it will be moved to the living room.  Which I guess will make it a living/dining room.  Right now we only have a computer chair so Octavio eats his meals leaning against the wall like this.  I try to convince him to take the chair but he's ever a gentleman & won't accept.  I don't complain.  Tomorrow though we'll finally have 2 official chairs for the table!

This is part of our bedroom and my pride & joy, the curtains.  Note the craftmanship.  That's right, I made those puppies with my own two hands.  They started out as nothing more than a strip of fabric and with scissors, a needle, and thread, I made them into the masterpiece you see before you today.  Soon to come, curtains for the kitchen & living room.

This sign in a park downtown at first just said if you bring pets, pick up their excrements but some smartypants with a marker wrote in "ninos" about the mascotas word (sorry it's hard to see in the picture!) to make the sign read, if you bring pets or children, pick up their excrement.

 Part of the park downtown that we wandered around

I was of course attracted to the horses for children to ride in the park.  

Wall mural on some random wall downtown.

A little piece of Irish pride, even in Xalapa.

I couldn't pass up the Shalom sign either.  Some sort of restaurant next to the Irish Pub.  They were closed when we walked by though so we'll have to explore them at a later date.

A different park downtown with loads of vendors, shoeshine men, and balloons for sale.  (Octavio got his shoes shined here before he picked me up at the airport!)

And last but certainly not least, a little homage to my tropical sno days:  the traveling shaved ice cart.  This guy hand shaved the ice!  Too bad it was no good.  I should have given him some pointers from my snow cone knowledge learned over the years.

As if child birth wasn't a rough process already...

I am currently writing this from the kitchen because Octavio is spending the afternoon sleeping in our room after getting zero hours of sleep on a concrete sidewalk while I enjoyed a solid 7 hours in a comfy bed.  Why, you might ask?  Because his sister was having a baby of course!  Wait...I should probably explain that.


So Octavio's younger sister was due to have her baby towards the end of this month and went into labor Tuesday.  They took her to the hospital outside their home town but her blood pressure was high and the doctors were worried they were going to have to preform a C-section and weren't equipped for that so they sent her to the hospital in Veracruz City about 2 hours away.  Octavio got a phone call explaining all this from his dad and he went straight into big brother mode and started worrying up a storm.  We were going to wait to meet the newest baby girl until they got home to Tres Valles but he was worried and then his other sister called and said they might need him to give blood (more on this in a bit..) so we hopped on a bus (so handy to be able to do that!) and made our way to Veracruz City.  We met his dad & oldest sister in the parking lot of the hospital and right away I could tell I would need some things explained to me about this whole process.   Holy smokes, I have never seem so many people in a hospital!  I got overwhelmed just standing outside!  Well it turned out his sister had had her baby at 4 AM on Wednesday morning but no one had been able to see her or the baby yet (as of noon on Wednesday)  No one is allowed in the area where the women give birth, all the families have to wait outside until a social worker comes and gives them news or tells them they've been transported to the maternity floor of the main hospital.  So we waited.  And waited.  And then waited some more.  I watched nervous fathers jump at the sound of their wives names being called and race over to the door of the hospital for any news of their wives and new babies. In between the waiting we went to the blood bank (a really fancy sterile looking building with a bunch of rooms for donating blood) because since Octavio's sister went to the government hospital her stay was free but someone had to donate blood as a form of "payment." (there's really no none creepy way to say that)  I liked that part because I was thinking how I don't mind giving blood but I sure hate paying bills! (Well, my mom sure hates paying bills...) Octavio's blood failed the test because he was still getting over an infection and his white blood cells were low but they gave us the sheet of paper we needed anyway.  His sister added that to her folder of official looking papers that she was gathering in order to get her sister released from the hospital when the time came. We then went back to waiting outside but tookbreak to get dinner then headed back to the hospital by 6:00 before the next round of news was announced.  They told us everything was fine & she and the baby were healthy but they were just waiting on a bed to open up on the maternity floor to move her.  When it became clear that wouldn't happen anytime soon Octavio's aunt took her sister (who had spent the previous night on the sidewalk outside the hospital with her dad) and I to her house 20 minutes away.  Octavio decided to stay and keep his dad company outside the hospital as they waited for more news.  I was lucky enough to be able to go to his aunts house, shower, enjoy a dinner of Domino's pizza and sleep in a real bed.  Octavio, on the other hand, spent the night on the sidewalk outside of the hospital.  His dad was able to sleep (probably because he was exhausted from spending the previous night on the sidewalk as well) but Octavio stayed awake the whole night.  At 11:00 PM the social worker came out & told them his sister had been moved to the maternity floor and gave them a pass to her dad could go bring her some things she might need but he couldn't stay to visit.  He then returned to his "cama de piedra" as he jokingly called it or "bed of rock" for the night.

The next day Octavio's sister & I woke up at 6:30 AM to get back to the hospital.  The masses of people from the night before were still there spread across the hospitals front steps and sidewalks reminding me slightly of what I imagine a refugee camp might look like.  One man was complaining because his wife was ready to be released the previous afternoon but didn't have his paperwork completed and the correct copies of certain official documents and the hospital couldn't release her without everything.  He was complaining because no one told him what he needed to do and wasn't aware of the entire process because in his smaller town the hospital just does it for you.  All I could think while watching him was 1) how frustrating that must be to know he could have been home the day before with his wife & new baby 2) how pissed his wife probably is sitting in a hospital after giving birth waiting for her unorganized husband to get his act together and 3) how that would totally be me fumbling around not knowing what to do.  I'd be doomed.

We ended up leaving before getting to see his sister & meet the new baby because it was going to be until at least 4:00 that afternoon before they let her go but the doctor said it would probably be the next morning because they wanted to observe her more and make sure her blood pressure and everything was stable before they let her go so Octavio & I basically gave up & went home deciding to see her later this month in Tres Valles. 

Hence, him sleeping right now while I type this! 

A few pictures

Here are some pictures I've taken throughout the week. I've kind of been forgetting to bring my camera places and then I hear a little voice in my head (my mom's) reminding me to take pictures. So here you go, Mexico so far:

Octavio & I on one of the balconies at the hotel we stayed at in Veracruz City, we thought you'd be able to see the city in the background but apparently our heads are too big. (all the brains.)

Octavio in the Zocalo (town center area) of Veracruz City enjoying a beer while I had coffee in 105 degree weather because I was still tired after waking up at 3:30 AM the day before for my flight.


A birds eye view of part of Veracruz City from our hotel.


More of Veracruz City. It's the oldest city in the americas by the way, it's where Hernan Cortez landed & built a house before going on to bother the rest of Mexico.


A picture Octavio took of me (after the little Jeanette Burlbaw voice in his head reminded him to take pictures also) at a point in the park overlooking part of Xalapa.


A view from the roof of our apartment building.


A different view from the roof of our apartment building.


Yet another view from the top of our apartment building. the snow capped mountain in the background is Pico de Orizaba, the highest point in Mexico.


an olive bar in the supermarket in Xalapa. People looked at me funny for taking pictures in a grocery store but I thought my dad would appreciate knowing people in Mexico love random olive bars as much as he does. (you can't send him to the grocery store alone or else he comes back with random gourmet olives that cost about as much as the rest of the groceries because he loves olives & picking out fancy olives even more I think.)



More views from the roof of my apartment. I didn't realize we took so many similar pictures up there.


Xalapa is very rainy. While walking home from one of the many stores Octavio & I visited in an attempt to furnish our apartment we got caught in some sprinkles that quickly made their way into a full blown storm. Luckily we were only a block away from our apartment when the rain started.
The beginning of the storm we narrowly escaped.


Turns out heavy rain + strong winds does not equal good things for our apartment. Water made it's way in through the bottom of the front door and Octavio had to try to sweep it into the shower with a broom while I followed behind mopping with a towel & my foot.


This is me walking home from one of the home goods store with our giant trash bag full of loot.
I bumped quite a few people with it but it was mainly plastic kitchen things so no harm done.

In the next addition: Pictures of the curtains I made, I'm quite proud of them.


Also, I made a small change to the about me section since many people seemed a little skeptical about the "quiet kansas girl" part..

In the beginning...

After much anticipation I am finally in Mexico. My plane left Kansas City at 7:00 AM so we woke up bright and early (3:30!) to get there on time. We avoided overweight charges on one of my bags by taking some books out but the other one there was no hope for, it was enormous. Probably no surprise but I had a few problems navigating my way through immigration & customs in Mexico City. I lost half of my immigration slip somewhere between the plane and the counter and had to move to the side to fill a new one out. Then I heaved my two enormous and heavy bags off the baggage claim belt only to drop them and my carry ons right before going through customs. After a few failed attempts though I successfully made it to the other side. When I reached Veracruz City I must have looked somewhat sketchy because the security officer asked to see my baggage receipts to make sure they were really mine. Octavio thought it was funny because I was the only person they stopped.

We spent a few days in Veracruz City and explored a little bit. We went to the aquarium and a wax museum. We went to breakfast the first day there & I ordered what I thought was coffee with milk. It was, but the part I missed was the milk was straight from the cow. Not quite the same as the milk you get out of the carton at the store...

The last night there we went to a cookout with Octavio's aunt & uncle who live in Veracruz City. It was fun and the food was good but I got attacked by mosquitoes. I'm like one big bug bite. Now we're in Xalapa getting settled. Octavio's been living in our apartment for a month by himself and there are little tell-tale signs around that a boy has been living here alone-like the fact that there is no mirror anywhere in the place! Our apartment is pretty empty except for the things my host family lent us like the bed, table, and refrigerator. Octavio waited until I got here to buy everything else so I could help pick them out. So that's what we're doing today, hopefully buying a couch, chairs so we can eat at our table, and some sort of drawers so I can finish unpacking. And curtains so the sun doesn't wake us up everyday at 6:30!

Vexing Visa

So I've been trying to get all the important parts of moving done and over with so I can just focus on the exciting parts but that's proving to be much more difficult than I thought. Everything I read online about getting my FM3 Visa says something different. Most places say I have to apply online first before I go to the immigration office in Mexico but no where does it say where to apply online. So today I will be journeying down the the Mexican consulate in downtown Kansas City to see if they can give me some straight answers. When I went to talk to them about my student visa before I studied abroad though they pretty much just told me I'd have to figure it out when I got down there. So hopefully they're a little more helpful this time because last time I had someone who was paid to figure it out for me during study abroad. This time, it'll just be me (with the help of Octavio of course) fumbling around in the dark on my own. Not something I look forward to! And after I (hopefully, if everything goes according to plan, which it seldom does) figure out what I need to do to get my visa, then I'll just have to focus on how to cram everything I need to bring into two suitcases! That will be a whole different kind of struggle!

So...fingers crossed!

What's in a name?

I thought I'd shed some light on the inspiration for my blog title. So here are the lyrics to my favorite song (by the Dixie Chicks, of course.) Even though it somewhat frustrates my mother, I never seem to quite be able to do anything the easy way and always seem to take the "long way around" (like waiting until my junior year to declare my major!) but I always seem to find my way (now I have two! who would have guessed!) and it's much more interesting this way anyhow. Picking up and moving to Mexico seems to fit in with my theme of taking the long way through life. Or as I like to think of it, the scenic route.

The Long Way Around

Words & Music by Emily Robison, Martie Maguire, Natalie Maines, Dan Wilson

My friends from high school
Married their high school boyfriends
Moved into houses
In the same ZIP codes where their parents live

But I
I could never follow
No I
I could never follow

I hit the highway
In a pink RV with stars on the ceiling
Lived like a gypsy
Six strong hands on the steering wheel

I’ve been a long time gone now
Maybe someday, someday I’m gonna settle down
But I’ve always found my way somehow

By takin’ the long way
Takin’ the long way around
Takin’ the long way
Takin’ the long way around

I met the queen of whatever
Drank with the Irish and smoked with the hippies
Moved with the shakers
Wouldn’t kiss all the asses that they told me to

No I
I could never follow
No I
I could never follow

It’s been two long years now
Since the top of the world came crashing down
And I’m getting’ it back on the road now

But I’m takin’ the long way
Takin’ the long way around
I’m takin’ the long way
Takin’ the long way around
The long
The long way around

Well I fought with a stranger and I met myself
I opened my mouth and I heard myself
It can get pretty lonely when you show yourself
Guess I could have made it easier on myself

But I
I could never follow
No I
I could never follow

Well I never seem to do it like anybody else
Maybe someday, someday I’m gonna settle down
If you ever want to find me I can still be found

Takin’ the long way
Takin’ the long way around
Takin’ the long way
Takin’ the long way around…..

Back to Mexico

Time is ticking down until my big move to Mexico! I still haven't set an exact day (who is really surprised?) but it'll be the first week of August or so, August 9th at the latest. Octavio is going to culinary school in Xalapa and since I have no idea what I want to do now that I'm graduated I decided I'd make the move to Mexico for the 2 years he's in school also. I can put my Spanish major to use and (fingers crossed!) hopefully become fluent because, let's be honest, some of the things I learned with my Spanish major don't really come in handy in the real world (how often am I really going to use the word "deforestation" in daily conversation?)

Preparations are already under way and everything is going so marvelously. My former host family is AMAZING. Simply the best. (cue Tina Turner here). They own an apartment complex right behind their house and are saving an apartment for Octavio & I. So we have a home! and one in an area I'm familiar with around people I know & trust (and love!). Who could ask for more? I was not looking forward to apartment hunting in Mexico. And no offense, but I did not trust Octavio to do it either. His last apartment in Kansas City he signed the lease without ever even seeing the apartments! Such a boy... And I know my mom loves the fact that I have people I know around me if anything so go wrong.

Amazing thing #2 my host family has done to make the moving/transition 1000 times easier and less stressful was an incredible surprise! Apartments in Mexico don't come with refrigerators or stoves so Octavio & I weren't sure when or how we'd be able to get one. Also...Octavio tried to prepare me for sleeping on the floor (for several months maybe he said) in case finding and buying a mattress was difficult. Then Alejandra, my host sister, told me that her mom had a bed and a refrigerator they were going to lend us! Such a huge weight off our shoulders! I have a bed when I get there!

Amazing thing #3 is that they're trying to help find a job for Octavio and I.

My freshman roommate, Risa, and I had a motto the year we lived in 228 Ford Hall. "God must love us." Because while everyone else around us was having roommate troubles and Risa and I were loving everything, we never disagreed about anything, she was friends with my friends & I was friends with her friends, we loved spending time with each other and in our room, our dorm room was the safe haven for our friends who didn't get along with their roommates. We decided God must have really loved us for giving us such an amazing pot luck experience. Once again, I have the same feeling! God really must love us for giving me this host family 3+ years ago when I studied abroad! I don't think I could have done this move without them! I definitely would be a lot more scared and a lot less excited without their help!