It’s been a long time since my last posting, but I’ll briefly catch people up here as I sit in the shuttle on the way to SeaTac on a cold and blustery Feb 25.
From Guanajuato, I flew to Rockville where my father was starting immunotherapy for the melanoma that was discovered to have metastasized to his lungs. We did not know if he was going to experience any side effects and felt it was better to have someone with him. I was there for three weeks, and the only side effect he was aware of was fatigue – which was cured with a daily nap. We had a great visit and used the time to visit many places of interest in the DC area that I had never seen; we also spent time with my four east coast siblings and their families. My sisters keep Dad’s freezer full and I contributed a few more tupperwares to the stack of heat-and-eat meals. He continues to do well, visiting various DC area highlights his west coast offspring as we rotate through his spare bedroom. I kid him that by the time I get back to his house in April, he will have been hired by the DC Parks and Recreation as a tour guide.
I flew home to Olympia in mid February and found the boat just as I had left her. The car, left on a trickle charger for 14 weeks, started right up, although the boat engine was a bit more reluctant. My two weeks in Olympia was a whirlwind of social and administrative activity, seeing friends, paying my taxes and going through some accumulated mail. Although it seemed like I never really acclimated to the weather while I was home, it was wonderful to see everyone and catch up on their stories about work, kids, pets and grandkids. My former boss pulled together a brown bag lunch at my old office, and we pulled up a map of Mexico and traced my route. Lots of fun.
Now I am in the shuttle heading back to La Paz and re-orienting myself to the world of sun, sailing and Spanish. Since I have a better sense of what I really need, my duffels are packed quite differently this time – no fleece, foul weather gear or full wetsuit…my shortie wetsuit will suffice. Two small duffels instead of the large one, one of which is half full of things requested by the skipper of the boat I am joining. Better shoes for walking, and a fresh English-Spanish dictionary to replace the one that I literally wore out on my last trip.
I am sorry to leave friends and family – I really missed people when I was gone – but I am excited about getting back to many things about Mexico…the lifestyle, the lack of consumerism, the challenges and satisfaction of making myself understood in a foreign language. Coming home, I was struck again by the stark differences in cultures…from the lanes of Guanajuato thronged with people visiting and strolling together, to the seas of cars outside Olympia’s big-box store malls. And, just to reassure people, the stories about the violence in Mexico are not representative of the country. Except in a few areas, the violence is limited to people who are involved in drug trafficking, and none of the Mexican nationals I spoke with had experienced any issues themselves. In my travels, I have personally experienced nothing that made me feel unsafe – in fact, I felt much safer walking around the towns than I would in many American cities. Yet, the stories are keeping tourists away in droves, which is having a very deep impact on the country. Not only are they affected by the downturn in the US economy, but they are also affected by the drop in tourism…a double whammy.
Actually, the biggest risk to me is probably on the water…I just learned that there were sharks around Isla Isabel, where I took off for a ½ mile swim to the beach back in December. Hmm. I guess I am glad I did not know that, but maybe it accounts for the feeling I was getting as I approached the beach that I should get back to the boat.
