Practice Makes Perfect

After 3 weeks of packing & unpacking, saying hello and then good-bye, we made our final trip home, we left with 8 suitcases - a combined total of 350 pounds of luggage. What were we toting? Esp. since we specifically asked for as few Christmas presents as possible? Well, Christmas presents, of course, but also books for my library and "green" cleaners and kitchen gadgets and electronics and toiletries and clothes and shoes and DVDs and English reading material and a few beloved food items - all things that we've been unable to find in Mexico.
As much as I've tried to adopt the "less is more" mentality of Mexicans, we somehow couldn't live another day without a mango corer, lime zester, olive oil 'misto', biodegradable dishwasher detergent, twilight books, bamboo socks, a wireless keyboard, garment bag, backpacking pack, shiatsu massager, desk calendars, pickles, pudding mix... you get the idea!!!
(Thanks for all the fabulous gifts, by the way! We're enjoying them!)

Sitting in the cold, dark car, surrounded by suitcases, on our way to the airport, I felt sad of course. But surprisingly bored. We had done this before - not too long ago, in fact - and we would do it again. I would hug everyone (nearly) that I loved very tightly and cry as I said good-bye and try not to think about it as we spent hours balancing every suitcase perfectly. I would be dressed for the wrong climate, carrying too many bags, looking like a tourist in every airport. Someone, knowing that I had already survived this once made it very doable again.

But the last time we traveled, together, from Ann Arbor to Metepec, loaded with bags, we were moving. This time, we were just going. Going back, going home, I couldn't be sure exactly. But there was so much less emotional turmoil. I knew what I could expect - and expected to know what to do. But I couldn't expect how I would feel.

Coming back to MI in November, and then again in December, I felt giddy as I felt cold wind hitting my face as I stepped off the plane. (Then, of course, I felt crazy for actually wanting to come here during the winter...) When I came to Mexico in June, I felt overwhelmed and sad and confused.
But today, as we stepped off the plane, the warm air felt nice. :) The movie on the bus - in spanish - was interesting. The traffic felt natural. And spreading out in our giant master suite felt relaxing.
It wasn't exactly like coming home. But it was like coming back.