Home is where the heart is

Ok, so a bit cliche, but true.

I just got back to Merida from 9-10 days in the US (depends if you count the overnight in Houston). Walking back through the front door is when it really hits you… Home.

My trip to the US was completely packed — so much to get done. The banking debacle — resolved with a move to an international Schwab account and another online bank account for the pension/SS deposits. ID drivers license renewal (check), health screenings — lots of them — (check), dental work (check), visiting with my many dear friends (check), and even getting in a little tennis. Despite the whirlwind, it was AMAZING to see so many of my friends find the time to have lunch, coffee, dinner and cocktails with me, along with hikes, walks and more. You have no idea how much it meant to me. Thank you all.

Observations

This was my first trip back to the US since the pandemic. I’m not sure what I expected, but this is how things struck me.

The prices!

OMG, inflation and prices are out of control! $3 for a soda? $35 for pizza and a ginger ale in the airport? $22 for an entry in a “meh” restaurant? $65 for a haircut (a really great haircut, I might add)? How do you survive? Even when my husband was making the big bucks, we couldn’t have afforded these simple pleasures at these prices. Now, of course, living and working in Mexico, we have a much simpler — and less expensive — lifestyle. For that I am extremely grateful.

The only relief was shopping at discount outlets like TJMaxx, Marshalls and Ross, where I was able to score a great deal on a dress and shoes for an upcoming wedding we will be attending in Mexico City. Otherwise, wow.

Even still, consumer consumption was on full display with cashier lines running to the back of the stores. Ok, I admit, I did shop… but I bought things like bras… so much fun with that!

Friends, really, just how much “stuff” is enough?

The efficiency

Yes, Boise, you are amazingly efficient! The DMV took 15 minutes. My dentist did a chair-side veneer in under an hour, all of my medical needs were on time and quickly done.

The streets are clean, wide, and traffic flows smoothly. None of the insanity we have here with mini motorcycles zipping in and out of the lanes and having to merge left because people are parking on the roadways. No slow moving, man-powered vehicles on the freeways to navigate around while you are trying to exit. Fewer people turning right from the left lane. No honking if you take an extra three seconds when the light turns green. And, most importantly, no surprise topes (those bumpy speed reducers so popular here) to impede the flow of traffic and scare the sh*t out of you when you hit one accidentally.

The beauty of it all

Oh my beautiful Boise! Clean an Green all around. Hot, yes, but friends, it truly is a dry heat. Those 102 temps down here come with suffocating humidity. Enjoy it, peeps. It was lovely.

And the foothills. I hope you will preserve them forever. It is such a joy to be able to hike from just beyond the neighborhoods and feel so far outside the city.

And the trees and flowers, so well maintained. It was delightful to watch the hummingbirds from Karen’s kitchen window every day, along with the other amazing birds.

The warm connections

Running randomly into people I haven’t seen in nearly 6 years was so heartwarming. Even before I arrived, I ran into a friend on Denver to Boise flight. She had also relocated to another state, so there was much to catch up on for both of us.

And, after 5 years away, my dental hygienist and dental assistant both remembered me when I walked in. It was great to reminisce about people we both knew and catch up on other, sometimes sadder, personal news.

My friends

Oh my god! How lucky I am to have the most amazing friends who bent over backwards to spend time with me. You are all amazing, loving and spectacularly special people! Please, please, PLEASE come visit us in Merida sometime. As I have said over and over, our house isn’t the Ritz, but you are all welcome here. There is so much to see and do, it would be my great honor to introduce you to the Merida I now call home.

I hope it won’t be another five years before I see you all again.

With much love… Donna