With COVID-19 keeping us isolated in our house except for the occasional trip to the grocery store, Tom has been cooking up a storm! He’s making things from scratch like breads and barbeque sauce, experimenting with fermentation to make flavored vinegars, and creating ethnic fusion dishes for dinner. Disclosure: Links in this post may direct…
Rainy season in Central Mexico has begun. Flowers are blooming on the cacti, grapes are plumping up on the vines and the desert dust is washed away. As romantic as this all sounds, the rainy season in Mexico brings with it a lot of good, a little bad and some ugly. Weather in Central Mexico…
People have plenty of questions before they move to a new country which is completely understandable. You want to know if there are good doctors, schools, easy transportation and good neighborhoods. I’m part of a few expat groups on Facebook, and they are a great resource for questions you may have. But it’s not…
The historical area of Queretaro is a UNESCO World Heritage site studded with beautiful architecture and monuments. Queretaro has grown from an agricultural region to the birthplace of the Independence movement, and helped shape Mexico into what it is today. The museums of Quertaro are an easy way to learn about the history and…
You’ve heard the saying that you “gravitate towards people like you”. I have found in my travels and many moves across the USA and overseas that this saying is very true. When making friends in a foreign country, you attract people like you. Recently I received an email from someone who wanted to move…
It’s one thing to SEE a tradition in another culture, it’s a whole other world to be a part of it. Living in Mexico has allowed us to get to know our neighbors and learn about Mexican traditions and culture. One of those traditions is Las Posadas. Posadas is Spanish for lodging or accommodation. This…
Experiencing Christmas in another country is always exhilarating. What will be similar? What will be different? This is our first Christmas in Queretaro, Mexico. Lights shaped as Christmas trees and stars hang from the lamp posts. Stores are draped in garlands of poinsettias and sparkling lights, and Christmas music blares out of every doorway and…
November’s big holiday in the USA is Thanksgiving, and in Mexico it’s Day of the Dead or Dia de los Muertos. Regardless of which holiday you and I are celebrating, It’s the month to remember and honor our loved ones present and past and give thanks for what we have. We are so grateful about…
We did quite a bit of research before selecting the greater Queretaro area to relocate to. One thing we did not look into was what are the local food specialties? Call it dumb luck but we were fortunate enough to stumble onto some fairly remarkable local delicacies, most notably carnitas and barbacoa. Carnitas Santa Rosa…
We were driving to the airport yesterday to pick up my parents during a rain storm. Flooding was everywhere, and Mexicans are horrible drivers even in good conditions. We live 45 minutes away, around a few small mountains on the other side of Queretaro. As we were driving we saw all this white stuff on…
Did you know that Mexico produces and supplies 45% of the world’s avocados? And did you know that Mexico grows 14 varieties of mangoes? One of the highlights of traveling around the world is visiting local markets. Now that we live in Queretaro, the Mercado La Cruz isn’t a tourist attraction for us. It truly…
It’s hard to believe how much we’ve accomplished in our first 100 days in Mexico, and what still needs to be accomplished. Starting a new life in a foreign country is exciting, but it isn’t easy. We aren’t only in a foreign country, but in foreign territory when it comes to the basics of setting…