Today is our one year anniversary. It’s been a heck of a year filled with new challenges, friends, information, perceptions, reflections, and experiences.

Our retirement has ended up so far being what I pictured it would be back in Brownsville. The combination of problem solving without the extreme feeling of pressure is extremely fulfilling.

Becoming more proficient in another language will probably be our foremost long term challenge. We are fortunate to be in a culture where most have the patience to work with us. It’s amazing how well one can learn to express themselves with a limited vocabulary.

We are also fortunate to live in an area that is pretty foreign. Almost daily we are exposed to an unknown. This keeps you on your toes and certainly makes life interesting. The give and take continues as ideas are exchanged between us and our friends. We know very little of raising crops and maintaining animals. But we do know about doing some things more efficiently. Growing up in a country filled with technology has its advantages.

I had started a pretty negative blog thinking about the differences between here and the states but deleted it and started over. We still read the news and are often baffled by what we perceive to be self-destructive policies. I guess the main thing is the presence of so many victims in the US. Here where there are so many that could be considered victims the victim mentality is almost nonexistent.  Despite the very low wages people work. Consequently I believe people are happier here.

Having spent a large portion of my life buying things on credit I can really appreciate that most folks here live on what money they have. Building a house is done a room at a time as money allows.

This year we plan to build a carport, a four foot brick wall around the front yard, experiment with raising watermelons and maybe some beans, and continue to try and fit in here.

There is grass growing in front of the house because of the rain. The grass will help keep the dust down when the dry seasons rolls around again.

Communication between Beth and I continues to improve. Solving problems together and depending on each other has a real bonding effect. Scooter also receives a lot more attention.

We are going to celebrate our one year anniversary by driving to Oaxaca and eating Chinese food. The restaurant is owned by Chinese and it’s a real trip to hear them speak Spanish!