Christmas 2014

Wow! Another year in the books.  It's hard to believe everything we have done in the last year, let alone just in the month of December.  At the very least, I am actually putting up my Christmas post in the month of December, which is something worth celebrating.

Sarah and I had a fantastic Christmas season, which kicked off with the US Consulate Winter Gala, which I like to refer to as "Consulate Prom."  After that, we went to a party approximately every three days, where I ate my relative weight in every type of tamale imaginable.  

It even got cold (sort of).  This winter in Juarez has not been nearly as cold as last winter, although it did cool down enough for a few weeks to necessitate blankets and beanies for our daily walks with el Señorito.

So we took some time off and made our way to sunny Mesa, AZ, to spend time with my family.  This included a thrilling ride on the train at a local park (which el Señor was not too sure about).

And some quality time with all of our little guy's cousins (which he was also not too sure about).

On the plus side, our son did get to try his first milkshake and ride plenty of slides, both of which he definitely enjoyed.

It was definitely a very busy December, but we had a great time visiting with friends and family.  It was especially nice to spend time with my family in Arizona.  Thanks to all of them for providing us with delicious food, lots of fun, and a very uncomfortable bed in the guest bedroom.  See you all in 2015!

Happy Christmas!

I suppose it's never too early to start preparing for life in the UK.  Here's a quick primer on what to expect next Christmas.  Happy Crimbo, everybody!

The Streets of Juarez

Driving on the streets of Juarez can be a harrowing experience.  The drivers here are some of the most aggressive that I have ever seen, although, paradoxically, they are also some of the slowest.  I'm not sure how both of those things can be true.  Aside from the drivers, however, you also have to avoid the numerous potholes (which they repair by filling with sand), missing lane markers, and vendors at every traffic light, selling everything from inflatable punching bags to churros from the top of a festive sombrero (sadly, Sarah has forbidden me from ever eating a churro out of a man's hat).  At first, I viewed all of these things as somewhat of an irritant, but I have begun to appreciate them as just another unique and integral part of this city.   

     

Not everyone benefits, however.  Dogs in particular are not well taken care of.  If that picture on the left is hard to figure out, it was taken through the back windshield of a passing vehicle.  The driver had popped out the back speakers, which allowed his chihuahua mutt to sit with his body in the trunk of the car, but with his head sticking out into the cabin of the vehicle, like some sort of puppy periscope.  Not sure if this is better or worse than the poor dog on the right, who had to sit on top a pile of old scrap metal as his owner rambled through downtown Juarez.  

But the unpleasant sights (like unsafe dogs and children without seatbelts) are thankfully outweighed by the much more enjoyable bizarre sights, sounds, and smells that you find at almost every intersection.  There is almost always a juggler, gymnast, or dancer ready to show off their skills for a few pesos.  If you're hungry, why not roll down your window and buy some sunflower seeds, mangos, or a popsicle.  Just the other day, I watched a lady purchase a cob of corn from the comfort of her vehicle, and then proceed to drive around, munching on her elote and talking on her cell phone.  I literally cannot think of a worse snack to eat while driving than corn on the cob, but hey, I'm just an ignorant gringo.   

One of the things I appreciate most about Mexicans is their entrepreneurial spirit.  If there's a way to make money, they will find it.  If there is demand that needs to be filled (like people who want to eat corn while driving), they will meet that demand.  Juarez will always be unique, and the strange stuff you see every day on the street is a constant reminder of that.

The 2014 Summer Movie Roundup!

I recognize that this is a bit late in the year to be doing my annual review of the summer move season, but as I said previously, summer seems to last in Juarez until at least Halloween, so this still counts.

This last summer, I shared the same concerns that perhaps many of you had.  Now that Ryan has a baby, will he still have enough time to go see summer movies?  What will become of the summer movie roundup tradition?  Thankfully, I was able to persevere, push past adversity, find a babysitter, and make it to the movies.  So, let's get started.

5. Godzilla

I wasn't expecting much when I heard that Godzilla was being rebooted.  I've never really been a big Godzilla fan, and pretty much everything about the the 1998 version was terrible (and yes, I'm including the Puff Daddy/Jimmy Page collaboration for the theme song).  So I was pleasantly surprised at how good this movie turned out to be.  I found it a bit odd that they spent the first hour of the film trying to solve the mystery of what was causing all these nuclear disasters (spoiler alert: it was Godzilla), but overall, very fun to watch.

4. Edge of Tomorrow

As you know, I always try to applaud originality during summer movies.  Granted, the movie is based on a graphic novel, but at least it's not a reboot/sequel/prequel/spinoff of some other film.  I know there are a lot of Tom Cruise haters out there, and the dude may be weird, but I appreciate that he's not afraid to do original, high-concept sci-fi movies.  It was a great concept with plenty of explosions, which lands it firmly at #4 on this year's list.

3. X-Men: Days of Future Past

X-Men: First Class was a fantastic movie that breathed a lot of life back into this franchise, so I thought this follow-up film would be a bit of a disappointment.  If anything, I think this film may even be the better of the two.  Time travel movies are always tricky, but this one seemed to manage without any major gaps in logic.  It also had one of the best uses of slow-motion that I have seen in a film in a long time.

2. Captain America: The Winter Soldier

This may be the best movie that came out in the summer of 2014.  It was probably the best-acted, best-made film that I saw this summer.  I even saw it one and a half times in the theater because I enjoyed it so much (the power went out the first time we went to see the movie, so we had to go back two weeks later).  Despite its awesomeness, however, it still got beat out by the surprise blockbuster of the year.

1. Guardians of the Galaxy

If Captain America is the best film that came out this summer, why is Guardians of the Galaxy my #1 choice?  Because I always look for a certain goofy, absurd quality to summer movies.  Captain America may have been the best movie, but Guardians was the most fun.  Probably the hardest I have laughed in the theater this year, as well.

So that's it.  One more year in the books.  There should be some good movies coming out next year, but, of course, I will be living in London, so it will probably cost about $40 per person to see a movie.  Hopefully, Sarah will be willing to make the investment!  Until 2015!

El Senor Turns One!

We have survived one year of parenthood!  Woohoo!  Seventeen more years and this little rugrat is out of the house!  Let's recap the momentous occasion, shall we?

We started the day off quietly with just a few presents that Sarah and I got for our little guy.  I cannot emphasize enough how much El Señor loves books.  That is literally all he wants to play with right now.  He looks so appreciative/excited in these photos!

We decided to throw a massive bash for the little man, by which I mean we fit about 60 people in our house, contracted my parents to come help for the event, cooked one thousand hamburger sliders and cupcakes, and had a great time.

In all fairness, El Señor is not big on crowds right now, so he does look a bit somber in some of these photos.  I promise he did have some fun at the party.

 That is, until the cake came out.

"Get that delicious cupcake out of my face!"

After that traumatic event, he seemed to liven up a bit and enjoy himself.  Thanks to everyone who came, provided snacks, and for all the very generous gifts.  In all seriousness, we love our little man more than anything!  Senorito, I couldn't imagine my life without you, and can't wait to celebrate a lifetime of birthdays with you.  I hope age one is your best year yet.  Many happy returns.

Summer 2014!

Well, I suppose it's time for the summer in review.  I fully recognize that it is October, but in Juarez, summer seems to last at least until Halloween, so this still counts.  We have had a great few months, and had opportunities to travel quite a bit to see family and friends.   

First off, I worked on the Consulate Fourth of July Party again this year.  I helped out with most of the logistics, and sang in the National Anthem choir again this year.  I wish I had some better photos, but I was running around so much during the whole event, that I never seemed to have a chance to stop and snap a few photos.  So anyway, here's a picture of a humongous cake.

Later on in July, we took El Señor up to Albuquerque to hang out with my parents.  If you haven't been, Albuquerque is actually a really cool town.  Lots of good food, and plenty of interesting sights. This was also our little guy's first trip to the zoo, which he thought was pretty cool.

We also found out that he is non-too-pleased to be in an elevator.  Something about the hotel elevator really creeped him out, and that sentiment continues to this day any time we get in an elevator.  Oh well, hopefully he'll grow out of it before we move into our flat in London.

We also made a quick trip up to Santa Fe, which was fun.  It's been a long time since I've been there, and I forgot how green it was.  A nice break from the dust bowl that we usually live in.

All in all, we had a great trip, and it was nice to catch up with my folks for a few days.  After that, we had a quick visit from my sister Jaime and her family, and then it was time for me to head off to...

Monterrey!  I spent one week in Monterrey (the Beverly Hills of Mexico) on Temporary Duty (or TDY as we call it).  Monterrey is an awesome city completely hemmed in by beautiful mountains.  I also got to catch up with quite a few of my friends from my entering A-100 class when I joined the Foreign Service.

Seriously, this city is beautiful.  If we ever make our way back to Mexico in the next 34 years of my career, Monterrey would definitely be on my list.

Let's see, what else?  Right, Sarah's little brother got married this summer!  We were able to spend a week in DC to help out with the wedding, and catch up with some family and friends.  Sure, I could show you some pictures of the happy couple, but wouldn't you rather see a dapper little one-year old?

Looking good, dude. 

Time For a Haircut

The time had come.  El Senorito needed a haircut.  He somehow developed this strange, pillowy hair condition, where is stood straight up all the time.

In all fairness, it was a good look for him, but it was starting to hang over his ears and drive him a little crazy.  Time to stop by our friendly neighborhood barber, Alicia.

El Señor took it like a champ.  Although he was definitely a bit weirded out by the whole thing (as evidenced in the thousand-yard stare in the photo on the right), he didn't cry one bit.  Good work, little man.

Living in Two Countries

The joke at Post is that the best thing about Ciudad Juarez is that it is right next to El Paso.  The worst thing about Ciudad Juarez is that it is right next to El Paso.  What that means exactly is that living in the Borderland has its benefits, but it has its challenges as well. 

Please don't misunderstand me.  I love Juarez.  It has a resilience and spirit to it that is inspiring.  I love the work I'm doing and the people that I work with.  The Juarenses are some of the nicest people I have ever met.  I live in a comfortable home with a ten-minute commute (on foot; two minutes if I feel like driving) to work each morning.  Life is good for our little family of three.  But part of the reason I keep this blog going is to discuss the realities of Foreign Service life, for anyone who may be interested, so I figure I should discuss some of the downsides as well.

Back to the joke at the beginning of this post.  It's great to be so close to the United States.  When you want to go to Target, you can.  If you want to eat at Five Guys, you can do that too.  When I arrived here, I was surprised to find that most goods (including groceries) are cheaper, with better quality and more variety, in El Paso, not in Juarez.  Which is why most Mexicans do their best to get a Border Crossing Card (BCC), a visa that allows them to travel into the US within 25 miles of Mexico.  The initial outlay of $160 may be expensive for some Mexican families, but it is worth it in the long run to save a couple bucks (or pesos) on diapers, milk, and avocados.  Yes, even avocados (imported from Mexico) are often cheaper in the US.  So it makes sense do most of your shopping in the US.
   

Except for the fact that it means you will be spending a lot of your time here, at one of four very busy international crossings.  One reality of life in Juarez that I did not understand before I arrived was how much time I would be spending in the car.  Even with the "trusted traveler" cards that we have, which allow us to use the fast lane upon entering the US, we still spend hours and hours in the car each week.  Again, one of the best things about Juarez is that it is close to El Paso.  You can go out to dinner in the US if you want to, or take your son to a US-based pediatrician.  But you will spend hours baking in your car getting from one country to the other.

That's what I mean by living in two countries, as referenced in the title of this post.  It's great to have the US nearby, but it means having two phone plans (neither of which works very well), two sets of car insurance, along with double of a lot of other things.  And as great as it is to be so close to America, the funny thing is that Sarah and I were ready and willing to give all that up.  We were more than happy to ship off to Mumbai, India, or Port Louis, Mauritius.  I'm glad I can go to Wal-Mart to buy cheap socks, but I was prepared to forgo that convenience in exchange for an exotic adventure in far-off lands.  
 

 But then I think to myself, if I were living in Mumbai (and had been for the last 14 months), how badly would I just want to go to a baseball game and eat a big pile of nachos right now?  Of all the US experiences that I currently take for granted, how much would I long to have them if I were living on the other side of the world?

Which brings me to my personal philosophy, which is to try to focus on the positive no matter where I am.  I live in Mexico, and that brings with it a share of wonderful experiences and a few difficulties.  But when I want to, I can drive to a brand new ballpark, eat some pulled pork nachos, sings the National Anthem, watch some baseball, and then gaze at some fireworks afterward.  That's a pretty nice perk at my first assignment living "overseas."

On May 14th, 2015, I will be setting foot on British soil to begin a two-year adventure in London.  And who knows where we'll got after that (I'm still trying to sell Sarah on India).  So let's enjoy this time living with one foot in each country while I can.  Pulled pork nachos may hard to come by in the UK.

The Ten-Month Update on El Senor

 

Once again, it has been a little too long since my last post.  Sorry about that.  Here's a bit of an update on how El Senor is doing.  Hard to believe he is almost ten months old!  Overall, he is doing great.  He weighs over 20 pounds now, and has at the very least developed an interest in crawling, even if he hasn't quite figured out the mechanics of it.
 

He can, however, sit up like a champ, so that's a good start.  He isn't pulling himself up on things yet, but he loves standing and working his fat, little legs. 

Furthermore, he's gotten so big he's finally graduated from his infant tub to this sweet ducky tub we got him.  Looking good, buddy.

He also got his first haircut a week ago.  Despite the concerned look on his face, he actually handled it pretty well.

Aside from eating, learning to crawl, sleeping, and bathing, he spends most of his free time pursuing his own interests, like staring at ceiling fans and eating his socks.

Happy ten months, little man.  You'll be a year old before we know it!

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day, everyone! I realize I have been putting a lot of mushy, sentimental stuff on the blog lately, so bear with me on this one. I just wanted to take a second to talk about the two greatest mothers in the world: my wife, Sarah, and my mother, Kathy.

Although Sarah had almost six years of experience taking care of a helpless human being (by being married to me), becoming a mother was still a challenge for her (as I am sure it is with all moms). Taking care of a baby is tough work, even with both parents involved. Sarah has handled it with remarkable grace and patience for the last nine months. El Senor is such a happy, smiley, well-rested kid, and that is entirely thanks to Sarah's tireless work making sure he has the best of everything.

If left to my own devices, El Senor would probably be wearing the same onesie he wore home from the hospital, would never get adequate rest, and would be eating Cheetos for dinner. To my son, if you are ever reading this years in the future, please recognize that you have turned into a functional, relatively normal adult entirely through your mother's tireless efforts, which also include constant monitoring to make sure not too many of my bad habits rubbed off on you. Thank you, Sarah! We both love you so much!

To my mom, you are the greatest mother (and grandmother) I could have ever hoped for. Although my father's bad habits did rub off on me (despite your best efforts, I'm sure), you always did everything you could to make sure I was happy and taken care of. You worked so hard to make everything special, and I will always appreciate that. As evidence, I present the "tower of treats."

The picture on the left is from Easter 2014. The picture on the right... Thanksgiving 2011. The so-called "tower of treats" has been a staple in my family for almost a decade, and it represents a lot of what makes my mom so special. Everyone loves the holidays, and my sisters and I are always impressed at the decorations and treats at my house at every holiday family event (Christmas, Halloween, birthdays, etc). For us kids (and I'm sure many of you readers can relate), sometimes we expect the holidays to just magically happen when we show up at our parents' house.

But this tower of treats represents countless hours of baking and preparation leading up to each and every family event. My mom organizes this tower for almost every family get-together, no small feat when you realize that each time she has a whole different set of amazing snacks. My mom is always working, behind the scenes, to make sure that these events are special for us. I know I don't say it enough, but thank you, Mom, for everything you have done for me, and for everything you do for me and my own family now. You're the best! I love you!