Things are changing here. The winter people are leaving. The carretera is easier to cross or drive. The restaurants aren't as crowded, the outdoor markets are easier to get through and the Lake Chapala Society is getting quieter. But Easter is almost upon us and this is another high season. This coming week many people will be flooding in here. The spa will be too crowded to use after eleven in the morning and the carretera will be hard to cross once again. There will be lots of noise. Ear plugs are a must during this coming week.
My friend arrives on Monday, April 2nd. She is bringing her daughter down for ten days. Then she will be on her own, making her way through all the necessary paperwork in order to live here full time. I will do whatever I can to help her but the first six months can be very frustrating.
My friend will be a Newbe. My spell checker tells me that isn't a word but I am using it anyway. I had a conversation with a friend who has also been here five years and she used that word for the new arrivals. She said she had a little tiff with one of her newbe friends because her friend wanted to do all the exciting things here that she had done so many times that she was bored with them. She said that the newbes should stick together and discover all the interesting things with each other and not expect us oldbes ( another made up word) to go with them. Maybe she is right.
I have heard that the five year point is time when many people decide to leave here. All the newness has worn off and they either decide to stay here for the rest of their lives or they move on, maybe back to the States. Grandchildren are a huge draw, especially for women. I don't have grandchildren and I go back to the States at least once a year. I have no desire to live there again. But I do need to develop some new interests here. I am getting lazy. I spend most of my afternoons in my yard, reading with Chico on my lap. I am looking forward to my friend's injection of enthusiasm. I love seeing things through new eyes.
