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.
Here's a Marcel Proust quote for you: “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.”
ReplyDeleteYou love the area so much, I think you are the perfect person to hang out with newbees - good times for both you and them.
Pat, you are so right about "newbies" and the pull of grandkids! I think I want to live in Ajijic full time, but those little buggers keep pulling on my heartstrings even tho I don't get to see them all that often. I'll probably give Ajijic a 2-4 month visit during Oregon's horrible gray rainy months. That should suffice for a few years anyhow! I love your blogs and pics - but they make me sad that I can't be there to enjoy! Does the Tuesday market take place in Chapala?
ReplyDeleteHi Donna, Thank you for writing. Glad you are enjoying my blog. Lucky you to have grandchildren. The Tuesday market is in San Antonio.... P
DeleteHi Pat, Thank you for your positive comment. Great quote. I have been thinking of trying once again to read him. Unfortunately, my mind wanders off when he writes page long sentences. But what an insightful man he was. Thank you. P
ReplyDeleteWhat are the months when the most people/winter people are there? When we were there in May & June, it seemed like just the right amount of gringos. I am not sure I would want to come when it is more crowded. How do you think the months break down? Thanks.
ReplyDeleteHI Pat, I will try to figure this out. The winter high season starts in October and lasts until sometime in April. Of course people come earlier and leave later too. Right now many people have already left. Then the week before Easter is one of the busiest times of the year, also Christmas week. May and June is very quiet here. The hot months up in Texas in July and Aug. lots of them come here to cool off. Sept is pretty quiet here. P
Deletepat,
ReplyDeleteit's always fun to do new things, and even show friends things that you've seen many times, but it is also nice to just kick back and relax in that litle paradise of a yard of yours. the novelty of new things wears off after a while, but being able to sit and relax, enjoying chiko and your surroundings, that's priceless.
teresa in nagoya
Hi Teresa, Thank you for writing. How are you feeling? I hope you are healing and also enjoying your own quiet times there. I love your point of view of life, always positive. Patricia
DeleteOH I would have a house full of cut flowers if I visited those markets. P.
ReplyDeleteHi P. Thank you for commenting. Yes, the flowers here are wonderful. My casita always has cut flowers in it. Some of the will last for two weeks or longer. P
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