Winding down Part 2

Things are definitely accelerating! Rick has his TM-four, the final orders moving our car, our household effects, and ourselves back to the US. Our contact at GSO has done an inventory of our Embassy-provided furniture and an inspection of our Embassy-leased apartment, and we passed both with flying colors. I was stressing out about these inspections, as we would be responsible for anything beyond "normal wear and tear" and I had no idea what might fall outside that designation. The faulty finish on Embassy furniture, that led to flaking varnish on anything placed in the sun? The dent in the wall caused by a balcony door opened too enthusiastically? The scratches on the wood paneled closet? Fortunately none of this counted against us. 

Our car will be picked up later this week for transport to the US. We had to drive it enough to get the fuel level down below a quarter of a tank. Then Rick cleaned and removed the Mexican diplomatic license plates and took them to the Embassy to be returned to the Secretaria de Relaciones Exteriores, the Mexican government agency that is currently holding onto our original Illinois title. If we don't get the title back before we leave Mexico, it will be couriered to us in the US. When the car arrives at our new home, hopefully about the same time we do, we will have to figure out how to have the VIN verified at a titling agency without being stopped for driving without license plates!

Two weeks ago I flew to the US to look for a new home. We had identified Pennsylvania as our initial landing place as it does not tax pension income, is very scenic, has relatively low housing costs, and is close to our daughters and other family and friends. As we have never lived in this part of the country before we decided to rent for at least a year to see how we like it before making a commitment. I quickly discovered that finding the perfect long term rental in a very competitive market was going to be tough. Nothing measured up to our last three houses in the US, not to mention our beautiful, sparkling clean, light-filled apartment in Mexico. I also discovered that the area we were considering--- everything from Lancaster to Philadelphia--- was much too vast to cover in just two weeks! 

It became most practical to concentrate my search in the Lehigh Valley area, and after a rather stressful week I found a brand new townhouse just outside Emmaus, a charming small town adjacent to Allentown. Construction is still going on in the development, and dumpsters, backhoes, etc. take up a lot of the parking spaces on the street. But on the plus side, everyone in the neighborhood is also new, and I have already met some friendly folks out walking their dogs. Our neighbors are mix of young families and retirees. The house is fairly spacious and has lots of closets, brand new appliances, and a nice view from the master bedroom. 

Lots of construction activity to keep us entertained.

It isn't perfect, but it feels very good to have a place lined up to move into, and a year's lease allows us to take our time deciding where to go next. We do intend to downsize before our next move, but this buys us some time without having to immediately get rid of half our stuff just to fit in the house.

I've been incredibly lucky to be able to stay in our daughter and son-in-law's guest room during this process, and to borrow her car. It's been a quiet, private place to relax between house showings. They've been great about showing me around, pointing out shopping and places to hike. A special shout out goes to our son-in-law's parents who live outside Philadelphia and have been very welcoming and encouraging. I feel like we've made a good decision.

Meanwhile, Rick is back in Mexico orienting his successor to the Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Ciudad Juarez offices. Talking to him in the evenings reminds me of what I've been trying not to think about--- how hard it's going to be to leave Mexico...

Winding Down

In a post way back in October, 2017 I wrote "(Rick) is on the agenda for a panel meeting on Tuesday to determine whether all of his paperwork is in order and all clearances have been completed. If approved, State will issue his assignment notification and TM-1, the first of several Travel Memos that set the dates for travel and pack-out." The months of waiting were almost over, and our life in Mexico was finally about to begin. 

It seems impossible that almost four years have already flown by and our time here is coming to a close. The process for returning to the US is similar to that for arriving in Mexico, but the wheels should turn much more quickly since we don't need to obtain clearances or visas. There are no language tests, no official orientation trips. But there is a lot of paperwork. Just as there was on the other end, there was a panel meeting to make sure Rick had met all of the requirements for separation from the State Department. Today he received his TM-1 setting December 4 as our date to fly back to the US. Next will come the TM-2 and TM-4, flight and pack out arrangements, travel orders, and more. It's complicated as Rick will be resigning from the State Department but not from government service: he needs to return to his original agency, Social Security for a time before he can retire altogether. It's a delicate process with lots of opportunity for error. All of his leave, retirement, health insurance, etc. needs to transfer back to Social Security correctly or it could mess up his retirement for months if not forever. Since there are only six positions like his in the entire world, and since there is a lot of turnover both within the State Department and Social Security, we can't count on all of the HR people having the cultural memory to make this a smooth transition. Normally Rick does not like to pester people to make sure they are getting things done, but he's not taking any chances with this.

Another complicating factor is that we don't know exactly where we are returning to. We are hoping to live closer to our two daughters, but we haven't identified a specific town, let alone a specific address. With the housing market so crazy, we prefer to rent for at least a year, especially since we will be new to the area. We don't want to pay too many extra months rent before we even arrive, but until we have a home address we can't schedule the delivery of our stuff, either from here in Mexico or from government storage in the US. Our car currently has diplomatic plates which will be removed before it is shipped back to us, and we will need drivers licenses and proof of residency in our new state before we can get plates and start driving. 

All of this pales in comparison to how hard it will be to leave Mexico. Time with our families in the US for our daughter's wedding reminded us of how nice it will be to be able to see them more often. But we have made a home here and we will miss it sorely.

Earthquake!

Despite my new year's resolutions and best intentions it took an earthquake to get me back on my blog. Last night we heard the earthquake alarm, looked at each other, and moved to the floor away from the TV and a tall bookcase. Maybe 10 seconds later, the TV screen started trembling, which usually is all that happens. This time, however, the floor started moving, the whole building started swaying, and the cracking sounds started up. I've heard those sounds before in weaker earthquakes and it's always disconcerting. Not very loud, almost like magnified Rice Krispies, as if the walls were talking to each other. There were also some pinging and tinkling sounds from outside, but otherwise it was eerily quiet. I managed to crawl over to the fireplace to blow out a few candles I had put there earlier. The shaking kept going for almost a minute. You never realize how long a minute can last until you have experienced an earthquake! It was hard to tell when it had stopped because I was shaking so much myself! Everyone we know started texting back and forth, all reporting that they were OK. Mexicans are trained from toddlerhood to get out of the building as quickly as possible, but the Embassy tells us to stay put as our housing is all built to strict codes and we would be in more danger in the street. By the time we would have made it down the stairs and out of the building it would have been over anyway, but we were very conscious of having four levels of concrete over our heads. Surprisingly, nothing fell off the shelves, no pictures fell off the walls, no cabinet doos swung open. It turned out to have been a 7.0 earthquake centered near Acapulco, about 240 driving miles from here. Scary as it was, no major damage was reported in Mexico City. Nearer Acapulco one person was killed by a falling electrical pole and even there, there was much less damage than you might expect. There were aftershocks, some of them setting the TV to shaking. But we slept well. I'd been wondering why I've neglected my blog for so long. One reason is that after almost four years, nothing seems "exotic" enough to write about anymore. Life here isn't a novelty. It's just home, just our normal everday life. Especially during the pandemic, there hasn't been much to write about that hasn't been experienced by most people we know. With just three months left before we move back to the US, I guess I need to get back to work.

I'm back!

Rick at the "office."

Well, actually, I never left. I just haven't been posting because honestly, there wasn't much in our day to day lives to post about. Like most of you (I hope) we've been staying at home and avoiding exposure, which unfortunately means I haven't saved up any of those little cultural vignettes that might be interesting to read about. We've settled into a routine of cooking, cleaning, reading, Spanish classes, knitting (me,) and chess (Rick.) Zoom and other online meeting platforms have been indispensable. I'm involved in several church committees and Rick continues to work from home, going into the office just once a month. The pandemic has provided unexpected incentive to get together virtually with our families, including some kin we hadn't seen in person in years. This was the first Christmas we spent completely alone, but we could still decorate the apartment, bake cookies, and have our annual simultaneous Lord of the Rings watching with our daughters. We made a few nervous excursions out of the city and one required Home Leave back to the US, which I will try to post about later. (Hopefully I will be more successful at keeping this New Year's Resolution than most in the past!) 

The Covid-19 situation in Mexico, especially Mexico City and the surrounding State of Mexico, is very grave. All three private hospitals which we are supposed to use are completely full. Last night an Embassy employee who was having chest pains was turned away from the nearest of these hospitals, and found streets closed off surrounding an alternate hospital. So far over 800 members of the Mission Mexico community (which includes the Embassy and nine consulates throughout the country) have been infected, and 18 have died. Mexico has suffered the fourth highest total deaths in the world, over 135,000 and climbing rapidly. Only Yemen has a higher fatality rate (although these statistics are  surely affected by Mexico's extremely limited rate of testing.) 

As in the US, the rollout of the vaccine to foreign service posts has been pretty frustrating. We were originally told that the State Department had ordered enough vaccine---270,000 doses---to immunize all of its foreign service officers, their families, locally employed staff, contractors, and guards worldwide and that we should be receiving ours in mid-December. Our weekly townhalls were full of questions about the where, when, and how of the distribution process, but there were few answers as December came and went. 

Then on Monday we got the very surprising news that although the State Department had received only 13,000 doses---less than 5% of those requested--- Mexico City was chosen to receive enough of those doses to vaccinate everyone in the Embassy community, and our vaccines would arrive this week! Rick had to sheepishly admit to his fellow Federal Benefits Officers in Europe, Costa Rica, and Manila that yes, it was true, we had by no effort of our own "won the lottery."

My hair has gotten longer.

Apparently, once the State Department received those 13,000 doses it gave priority to its domestic employees and to the danger posts of Afghanistan, Iraq, and Somalia. They decided to send the remaining doses to the West Africa region and to Mexico City---and only Mexico City, not to any of the nine consulates. We aren't sure why we were the lucky ones, but I suspect that they preferred to send one large batch with enough vaccine to cover one location completely, rather than divide it up among several locations and have to prioritize who would receive it within each separate location. With everyone in one post immunized, it should be safer to get people back to work more quickly and safely. The Mexico City Embassy, second largest in the world after Baghdad, was probably just the right size to receive the remaining doses. Our embassy is also one of the busiest when it comes to the visa applications which fund a large part of its operation, a major reason to get it back up and running soon. Another consideration was probably logistics. It is comparatively easy to deliver to Mexico. They may also have noticed how organized and effective our Health Unit was in setting up the flu vaccine last fall. Lots of speculation.

And longer.

We feel especially bad that Rick's coworkers in Guadalajara and Ciudad Juarez will have to wait longer for the vaccine. But that didn't prevent us from signing up. We'll be getting our jabs on Saturday, and the second dose within 18-24 days after that. Of course, once we've been vaccinated we won't be running around mask-free, eating inside at restaurants, going to clubs and big gatherings, riding crowded buses, etc. But we will feel a bit less paranoid going for our afternoon walks and long postponed medical appointments and haircuts.

We're still here.

After some deliberation and a lot of tossing and turning, Rick and I decided to stay here in Mexico City rather than go on Authorized Departure (AD) back to the U.S. I can't say we will never change our minds, but so far we're content with our decision, for most of the reasons listed in my last post. We feel we can hunker down relatively safely here, and where and how we would settle in to temporary housing back in the U.S. is a big unknown.

As of yesterday evening, there were 4,661 confirmed case of Covid-19 in Mexico, and there have been 296 deaths. This is almost sure to be an undercount as there is very little testing available. The Mexican government finally declared a health emergency on March 30 and imposed restrictions on non-essential activities, similar to those in effect in many places in the U.S. Schools are closed, there are no church services, restaurants are delivery and carry out only, etc. One of the most drastic moves was the closure of all beaches and cancellation of all new and existing hotel reservations right before one of the biggest tourist seasons of the year, Semana Santa--- Holy Week. This really got people's attention, though it didn't necessarily ensure universal compliance.

So far there has been only one case of Covid-19 among people working at the Embassy, and that person has not been to work since March 17. Quite a few people---18% of the Embassy community---have gone back to the U.S. on AD, and almost all the remaining staff are teleworking from home either full time or on a rotating basis. Rick will probably go in to the office once every two or three weeks. 

Embassy officials meet every day to review what they have learned from their contacts about the current situation, and then they update the rest of the Embassy community once a week at online town halls. One topic that gets raised at every town hall is whether the State Department would ever implement Ordered Departure (OD) and require just about everyone on staff to go back to the U.S. OD is very rarely used, and it doesn't sound likely that it will come to that. There are four factors that they look at when considering whether to go to OD: whether commercial flights to the U.S. are in danger of shutting down, whether the Mexican health care facilities are completely overwhelmed, whether there is widespread social unrest, and whether the supply chain for necessities like food and utilities has broken down. So far they are confident that there has been little impact on any of these areas. But as we have seen in Europe and the U.S., these things can change very rapidly.

Working from home has been a big adjustment for Rick and his coworkers but they are handling it fairly well. One of the hardest things has been not having travel and events to plan and look forward to. Travel has been up to 40% of Rick's job, and it's disappointing not being able to get out and see the impact of all the work that his office supports. But he's very pleased with how well all of his coworkers continue to communicate and support each other. In Mexico even more than in the U.S. relationships are an important part of what makes an office work, and everyone is doing their part to hold their little community together even when they can't be together physically.

Rick and I continue to take our late afternoon walks through the neighborhood. We miss the street life and bustle of Prado Norte, the little commercial corridor near our apartment, but we really appreciate the quiet residential streets with their interesting landscaping and hidden mansions. Leaves are starting to come out on the jacaranda trees and their fluffy purple blossoms are piling up on the sidewalks, which means in a few weeks jacaranda season will be over.

We leave our building through the basement garage so we don't need to squeeze past the doorman on our way out. Deliveries are left outside our service entrance. We've set up our entryway so we can segregate "contaminated" stuff coming in from the outdoors, like keys, shoes, sunglasses, and disinfect grocery deliveries. So our apartment is very safe. The only time I've actually felt scared was last week when I had to go to the bank. Like many Mexican service sector workers, our maid does not have a bank account, but she does have a bank-branded debit card. In order to keep paying her, I have to get cash out of an ATM and take it to the bank to deposit it onto her debit card. I unwisely chose to go to the bank on Wednesday, the day before the official four day holiday weekend. There were about 20 people standing in a line that wound its way up a narrow staircase. With the help of little boxes painted on the floor, people were observing the six foot distance, but that staircase was claustrophobic, with people exiting the teller area having to use the same stairs to go back down. About half of the people were wearing masks, but only half of those were wearing them correctly. (Pulled down below their noses, pulled back to drink a Starbucks, etc.) I was very relieved to finally get out of there and back home.

Here are some pictures Rick has taken on our walks:

Beware of the dog.

Should I Stay Or Should I Go?

I've been putting off writing about You Know What because things appeared to be moving kind of slow here--- not the virus, but its impact on daily life----but the wave is coming and we suddenly need to make some big decisions.

The Embassy is urging Authorized Departure for non-emergency employees and family members who are at higher risk of infection to leave post for our designated Safe Haven (Washington D.C.) for 60 days. We have been resisting that. It's very hard to consider leaving a place where so far there are only 585 cases and 11 deaths for a place where there are over 100,000 cases and over 1,500 deaths. The horror stories from the U.S. are real. Only last week our daughter told us not to come back: "This country is a hot mess. And it is about to get way, way worse."

So far we've been comfortable with our initial decision to stay here. Rick has been teleworking and we've been sticking to our apartment, going out once a day for walks on the quieter streets. We use the Cornershop app to get grocery deliveries from Costco and Superama and my Spanish is finally good enough for me to call my regular produce vendor at the local mercadito for home delivery. I miss going out to eat but I have always enjoyed cooking, and I welcome the chance to shed a few pounds. Our apartment is safe and comfortable, with huge windows so we don't feel confined. Mexico City is beautiful at this time of year, with flowering trees, all day sunshine, and temperatures in the 70s. We are continuing to pay our maid but told her to stay home, so we are adjusting to a less sparkling clean home environment. I can meet with my knitting group via Zoom, and church services are online.The pandemic has changed our routine, but any real impact seemed very remote.

Just two weeks ago, a friend in my knitting group told me that the parents of her children's volleyball teammates had returned from a Vail ski trip with Covid-19. Another woman in knitting group then learned that her son had also contracted  the virus on a different Vail trip. Meanwhile, up in Guadalajara, a group of 400 wealthy Mexicans chartered two flights to and from Vail, some of them returning with the virus. These other anecdotes about affluent international travelers are widely accepted as evidence of how Covid-19 was introduced to Mexico. Elites here have access to better medical care and spacious, secure homes to self isolate. But that was no guarantee that the virus could be contained, and it hasn't been.

Despite calls from health experts for the cancellation of the Vive Latino music festival March 14 and 15, the festival went on and drew 70,000 people. One of the attendees has since died of Covid-19. This past Tuesday, March 24, the Mexican government finally announced that local transmission has begun. As of of March 26, there were 585 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Mexico.

Of course, those numbers seem insignificant by comparison with over 100,000 case in the U.S. But consider this: the U.S. had only 583 confirmed cases on March 8, less than three weeks ago. For the vast majority of the population, living quarters are small and the water supply unreliable. People spend hours on crowded public transportation. At least half the economy is informal. In the formal economy, minimum wage is $6.36 per day and there is little to no safety net. People simply cannot shut down.The president knows this, and so far has been encouraging people to go about their business, setting an example by hugging and kissing people right and left. A lot of people are in denial. An Uber driver told me "There is no Coronavirus in Mexico, just in the U.S. And if it comes here it will be very gentle." The prediction for Mexico is for an extreme exponential growth curve.

As Coronavirus Approaches, Mexico President Looks the Other Way

We have had access to excellent doctors and modern hospital facilities here. But access and quality of care depends on your social and economic class. There is even less personal protective equipment available to medical personnel than there is in the U.S. There are not enough hospital beds even for those who can afford them, and there are only 5,000 ventilators in the entire country. (I've seen other estimates as low as 2,000 ventilators.) Returning to the U.S., with more ventilators per capita, would only improve our chances if one of those ventilators were available for us. (Two if we both got sick!) Here we have access to the limited services of the Embassy Health Unit. We don't have a personal physician in Washington D.C. Here we have a car if we could no longer use public transportation. We couldn't take our car if we went on Authorized Departure. We would just pack what we could take on the plane, clean out our refrigerator, give away our plants, lock the door on all our other stuff, and leave, not knowing if 60 days would turn into 90, or 120, or...

We are among the lucky ones. Regardless of our decision, Rick can continue to work. If we leave, we qualify for paid lodging and per diem. It makes our lives more certain... as long as the virus doesn't find us.

Should we stay or should we go?

The Beach

First things first: Yes, I do intend to write about the impact of Covid-19 here in Mexico. But right now I suspect many of us are inundated with information (and misinformation) on that topic, so I would rather write about something---anything---else! Unfortunately the virus will still be here several posts down the road.

As I have written before, Rick and I had made quite a few trips to Mexico before we ever moved here, and never in any of those trips did we visit a beach! Rick is just not a laying around in the sun kind of person, and our travel priorities were geared more to areas of more cultural, historic, and culinary interest. But in the past two years we have managed to visit enough beach destinations to understand why many people think that Mexico's beaches are the most beautiful in the world.

A few weeks ago, we finally visited three places in the most popular beach area of all, the easternmost tip of the Yucatan peninsula. Our flight featured something I have never seen before: the video screens gave a pilot's eye view of the runway, takeoff, and landing! We flew into Cozumel, the largest island in the Mexican Caribbean, one of the busiest cruise ship ports in the world, and beloved by divers for its coral reefs. Several huge cruise ships came and went in the two days we spent there. Passengers disembarked and crowded into restaurants and shops along the edge of the port area, or took taxis to spend the day at a string of beach clubs. I felt sorry for tourists whose only experience of Mexico was this sliver of town with block after block of cheap souvenirs, chains like Starbucks and Señor Frogs, and a few diamond merchants. Yes, that is all part of Mexico too, but it's unfortunate that people might base their opinions of the whole country, and of all of Mexican art, on this very poor representation. As Rick and I discovered when trying to find an inexpensive place to have breakfast, just a few blocks away is a very typical Mexican working class neighborhood.

Our hotel was in a quiet area five minutes north of the port by taxi. We had a lovely view from our room, just like a postcard. The water really is that turquoise blue, and the sand really is that soft and white!

From the rooftop we could watch speedboats making patterns on the water.

From the hall outside our door, we could see the undeveloped interior of the island. And a golf course.

I managed to amuse myself doing very little while Rick headed into town to give presentations to ex-pats. We were taken out to dinner by the Consular Agent, Terry, and her husband, Daniel. Consular Agents are Americans employed by the State Department to handle issues that arise for U.S. citizens in particular areas where there might not be a physical consulate. Terry has responsibility for all of Cozumel. Although she is considered to be part-time, she is really available 24/7. She has handled calls about tourists and ex-pats getting sick, losing documents, even trashing hotel rooms. She once had to identify the remains of a diver who had been lost for weeks. She is an excellent person for the job as her husband's family is one of the oldest in Cozumel and they are very connected in the community. She has a great love for the island and most important, is a person of great patience and good humor. We had a most enjoyable visit with them.

Sunrise over Cozumel while waiting to take the ferry.

The next morning we took a ferry to Playa del Carmen on the mainland, where we made our way through more tacky souvenir shops to the ADO bus station and got on a bus to Cancun. We were met by Rick's field representative coworker, Juan, and had just enough time for me to get dropped off at the hotel and them to continue on to a meeting with consular agents and citizen liaison volunteers. I had expected to dislike Cancun. I just am not an all inclusive resort kind of person, and the entire shore drive is lined with luxury hotels and time shares. It still is not my style, but I thought the drive and the hotels were very beautiful and immaculately landscaped. Our hotel was not my favorite, but their beach and pool area was spectacular, with individual palapas to provide shade, and waiters to bring food and drink!

 After their presentation each day, Rick and Juan stopped by to pick me up and go out to eat. One of the restaurants, Navio's, had individual docks out over the water. Besides being a lovely place to sit, the food was amazing. I had the best pulpo---octopus--- I have ever eaten, which here in Mexico is saying a lot. All eight tentacles were so tender and delicious!

After Cancun, Rick was off duty. We took another ferry to another island, Isla Mujeres, for some strictly vacation time. The day was cloudy, drizzly, and very windy, and we were a bit worried about how much of a vacation this would be. Isla Mujeres is much smaller than Cozumel, and many people get around by golf carts, but we used a taxi to take us to our hotel at the far southern end of the island (which wasn't all that far.) By the time we arrived most of the clouds had burned off and we left our luggage and went exploring the park at Punta Sur. This narrow strip of land was so windy there were no trees and only shrubby ground cover but the views along the path next to the rough ocean were gorgeous.

Say hello to our little friend!

In contrast to our hotels in Cozumel and Cancun, our hotel on Isla Mujeres was small and family owned. It was set into the side of a cliff overlooking the ocean, so there were a lot of stairs down to our room and further down to the hotel and shore.

Each room had its own terrace with an ocean view, and we were able to have breakfast served on our terrace for no additional charge. The hotel restaurant had a limited selection but everything we ordered was excellent, especially the fish tacos.

You can see Cancun in the background.

We came to Isla Mujeres hoping to do some snorkeling. I had only been snorkeling a few times in my life, over 50 years ago! But I remembered loving it so much and I really pushed Rick to at least give it a try. Although there was technically a beach at our hotel, it was almost entirely under water and to get to anywhere more than ankle deep we would have had to go out quite a way. On our walk to Punta Sur we had passed two beach clubs that advertised snorkeling so we decided to check them out. One of the beach clubs was very heavily marketed, all inclusive with snorkeling, a pool, a zip line, kayaks, swim with the dolphins, etc. $75 USD per day. The other beach club was a simple affair. Just beach loungers, umbrellas, changing rooms, and bathrooms. $5 USD per day. Guess which one we chose!

We had our own snorkels but rented fins and life vests, then headed down to the beach where as some of the first arrivals we were able to snag loungers under a tree, always a plus for Rick. We stayed there the entire day, heading back and forth into the water to snorkel, taking a break at the restaurant (more overpriced than the beach,) and just relaxing. There is probably better snorkeling to be had, especially if you go out on a boat, but there were plenty of different kinds of fish to be seen just off the shore. Rick had had his doubts but he enjoyed it immensely. Yay! Something Rick likes doing at the beach! He even wanted to try it again the next morning from the beach at our hotel, but it was extremely windy so he reluctantly gave up the idea. Instead we sat and read on the terrace until we had to take the ferry back to catch our flight home.

The Hatch Act and me

As a federal employee, Rick has always been prohibited by the Hatch Act from participating in certain forms of political activity, especially partisan political activity, while on the job. Of course he can vote and encourage others to vote. But he can't campaign for or against any partisan candidate for public office, or even wear a campaign button while at work. Since he has spent most of his career in management, this makes a lot of sense. All of Rick's coworkers need to feel they are being treated fairly whether or not they agree with the boss's political leanings. And the public needs to feel confident that they will be served fairly regardless of their political affiliation.

Now that Rick is working for the State Department and posted to a mission overseas, he is considered to be always on the job. And, to some people's surprise, so am I! I am not a federal employee, but I am a member of the diplomatic community and less of a private citizen now that I live in Embassy housing, have access to language classes and the Embassy medical unit, etc. More to the point, in many parts of the world, including Mexico, people don't really differentiate between the employee and their family members in terms of their ability to influence policy, grant individual requests, etc. So according to State Department regulations, accompanying spouses and family members must also remain neutral in the public's perception. That includes avoiding partisan political activity--- even via social media.

There are a wide range of interpretations of the Hatch Act and diplomatic regulations and protocol floating around out there. Rick and I tend to go with the most conservative versions, both to be on the safe side and to be righteous in following the intent of the law, not to exert undue influence. So I've been avoiding any positive or negative comment or even a "like" on public forums such as Facebook. As you might imagine, this is pretty difficult for me, and Rick is always a little worried about what is going to come out of my mouth! It hasn't affected my private conversations, and I can comment on issues. (Though just about any issue seems to be partisan these days.)

We also are not allowed to participate in Mexican political activity, protests, etc. nor to be seen as meddling in Mexican politics or trying to influence affairs here. Fortunately, I haven't found myself in any situations where that would be at all tempting!

Migration

An iron fence extending the length of one section of Chapultepec Park provides the perfect venue for an ever changing outdoor gallery of posters and photographs. The exhibits change every few months and there are usually two or three different collections, each devoted to a particular theme. There is usually a display of photos from an individual Mexican city or state. There is often an environmental theme. Other themes have been Day of the Dead, the construction of the Mexico City Metro system, the Mexican comedian Cantinflas, the history of the Communist Party in Mexico. Occasionally a foreign country will be featured.

Soon after our arrival in Mexico the gallery featured a collection of winners of a poster competition on the theme of human migration. Although this is obviously a topic of immediate relevance to Mexicans, there were entries from all over the world, from anywhere there are people longing for a better life or to escape violence. Regardless of your views on immigration and how it affects your country, I hope these images at least give a glimpse of a different perspective.

Decent treatment on his journey is the right of the migrant.

To be an immigrant is not to be invisible.

Wall of the immigrant

It is estimated that over 75% of migrants do not arrive at their destination country. More than half are women.

To migrate is not a crime.

To migrate is a right. We are all migrants.

Migratone--- Protection against sexual abuse, assault, kidnapping, racism, exploitation, slavery, discrimination, human trafficking, violence, and other troubles along the journey

Human rights accompany you on your journey.

Migration: The route of an eternal dream.

Migration: Involuntary journey

They are only seeking to pass.

The other side of the tortilla: 400 human remains are found per year on the Mexico/U.S. border.

Looking for the way out

How much longer?

When I was a teacher aide for the Head Start program in Aberdeen, South Dakota, a little boy came to the center every day, even in January, without socks. This really angered my fellow teacher aide, a single mother herself. "I don't care how poor she is! If I couldn't afford to buy socks for my kid, I would steal some." I think of her words every time I hear someone say "But they are breaking the law!"

40 years and counting!

Last month Rick was honored with a Length of Service award: 40 years working for the U.S. government. Since his job is considered a Limited Non-Career Assignment, he is not subject to the maximum age at start (60) nor the mandatory retirement age (65) for a State Department Foreign Service Officer. We think he might be one of the oldest, if not the oldest, American serving in Mexico City! There are Locally Employed Mexican Staff who might be older--- one of them was also honored for 40 years of service, though she did not attend the ceremony. As a reward, he gets to have this goofy photo posted in my blog!

No, that is not the Ambassador. It is the Deputy Chief of Mission.

When we drove our Country Squire station wagon to Colorado Springs in the summer of 1979 for Rick's three-month Social Security training class (and three months of lounging by the apartment pool for me) we hardly imagined that it would eventually lead to life in Mexico City! Even though Rick was inspired to apply for a Civil Service job by his Uncle Bob, who spent his entire post-military career with Social Security, it was hard at the time to imagine any job stretching that many years into the future. As time passed, Rick worked in offices in Aberdeen, South Dakota; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Dayton, Xenia, Springfield, and Zanesville, Ohio; and Springfield, Illinois. He also did a brief stint at SSA headquarters in Baltimore before eventually becoming Area Director for Southern Illinois and Indiana. This was the logical top step on the career ladder, and it would have made a lot of sense to stay in that job until retirement. Instead he took another step, not further up but further out--- out of our comfort zones and out of the country, to manage the three Federal Benefits Units covering the entire country of Mexico. It's been a wonderful opportunity for us, sometimes frustrating, sometimes exhausting, but always amazing.

Our time here has flown by so quickly. Originally, Rick's assignment here was for three years, ending in December, 2020. We talked a lot about it and decided that we just were not ready to think about leaving. Rick has more things he wants to accomplish in his work and we both have many more places we want to explore in Mexico. We want more time to improve our Spanish and spend with the friends we have made here. And on the practical side, each year we spend here is very advantageous for us financially. So Rick put in for, and was granted, a one year extension. We will be here until December, 2021. I can't promise I will become more diligent about posting about all our adventures, but I will try!

Marathon Trip Part 3: La Frontera

I have many excuses for neglecting this blog (a month of visitors, Day of the Dead, visiting in-laws in Reno, surgery to remove foreign body left from previous surgery, a month of Christmas, etc.) I have many things to write about, but not before doing justice to the last part of our marathon trip back in September. When we told people we were going to take three separate trips, they were very envious of the first two. "Merida is so beautiful! Nearby ruins and a beach!" "Zacatecas is the most beautiful city American tourists never visit!" But a drive along the U.S. border from Ciudad Juarez to Tijuana? That one drew grimaces and head shakes. To be honest, it wasn't my idea of a lovely vacation, but I figured I needed to see as many different sides of Mexico as I could. Was I misjudging this part of the country?

We flew into Ciudad Juarez, spent the night, and took off bright and early with Office Supervisor Oscar and Field Representative Gerardo. Since State Department personnel are not allowed to drive along the border inside of Mexico due to cartel activity, most of the drive took place on the U.S. side. In addition to visits scheduled for Mexicali, Tijuana, and Ensenada in Mexico, Rick and his colleagues also planned to visit Social Security offices in Yuma, Arizona and El Centro, California, as those offices deal with many of the same kinds of issues as their Mexican counterparts.

Our first day took us from Ciudad Juarez to Yuma. There were several Border Patrol checkpoints along the highway on the U.S. side. One agent was curious about us, prompting this exchange:
     Border Patrol: U.S. citizens?
     Gerardo: Not me.
     Border Patrol: Why are you traveling?
     Gerardo: For work.
     Border Patrol: What company do you work for?
     Gerardo: The U.S. government.
     Border Patrol: Are you lawyers?
     Gerardo (without missing a beat:) No sir, we're decent people!

A rest area in Texas proved an unexpected diversion with these rather confusing signs. (Zoom in.)

There was actual scenery as well, much of it starkly beautiful, with saguaro cactus as far as the horizon. I had never been to this part of the U.S. and it was quite impressive. Fortunately it was not quite as hot as the last time Rick had made this trip, when it reached 112. But it was definitely hot and I could not help thinking about migrants making their way across the desert under the relentless sun.

The next day we stopped in El Centro, where my companions dropped me off at Target for some shopping and a flu shot. We reunited at one of the few U.S. fast food chains that is not represented in Mexico.

The rest of the scenery was quite stark, with piles and piles of rocks and only an occasional sprig of vegetation most of the way to Tijuana.

In many places the highway ran parallel to The Wall.

We finally crossed the border back into Mexico at Tijuana. Though I've been to San Diego many times, I had never taken a day trip to Tijuana. The city gets a bad rap and I would agree that it's unfortunate that for many Americans it is their only experience of Mexico, as there are many more beautiful places. However, what we saw of the center of town was vibrant and colorful. And Gerardo and Oscar made sure to take us to Tacos El Franc, featured in the Netflix series The Taco Chronicles. The TV series has undoubtedly been a gold mine for this place, but deservedly so. These were the best tacos I had ever eaten in my life! I would go back to Tijuana just to be able to stuff myself with these amazing tacos! Watching the taqueros was fascinating. Don't miss this video:

Taqueros at work

Mmmm!!!

The next morning, Gerardo and Oscar took us to see the park where the border wall ends in the blue Pacific Ocean. This was the most moving place we have visited in Mexico. People have painted their stories, their hopes, dreams, and frustrations onto the harsh, rusting bollards. The wall keeps going out until it is washed by the sea. People stroll around the pretty park. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

We left the wall behind and headed down along the coast to Rosarito. Rick had made me quite jealous with his account of eating lobsters by the sea on a previous trip. I refused to go along on this trip unless I could experience this for myself. I was not disappointed.

Our hotel in Ensenada, further down the coast, was pretty nice too.

The next morning we went along with Gerardo and Oscar for some field visits in the hills above Ensenada. Back when we lived in the Dayton, Ohio area, the opening of a "Mexican" restaurant next to a busy freeway exit sparked protests. The exterior of the restaurant was painted to look like crumbling adobe, adorned with scenes of "village life" (lazy sleeping guy in a sombrero, mangy dogs, burros, etc.) It was just a mite offensive, a gringo's impression of what Mexico is like, and the restaurant never made a go of it. The hills above Ensenada come the closest to what might have inspired that stereotypical impression: dusty streets, clothes hanging on dusty lines, and yes, lots of dogs and chickens. But rather than lazy sleeping guys we saw enterprising people operating small businesses from their homes, many selling used clothing.

The next day we started back north through the beautiful Guadalupe Vineyard country in Baja's back country. We stopped to taste some wines and relax on a lovely patio.

We reluctantly pressed on towards our destination, Mexicali. To get there, we had to drive La Rumorosa, once considered one of the world's most dangerous roads. Still not for the inexperienced driver, with steep grades, sharp turns, and often high winds, at least now it is a divided highway with two lanes in each direction. I can't imagine driving it when it was just a two lane road! I was glad to leave the driving to Gerardo so I could enjoy the magnificent views.

Mexicali is one of the least attractive cities I have seen in Mexico. The most interesting aspect to me was the preponderance of Chinese restaurants, over 200, more per capita than in any other city in Mexico. Chinese laborers, many of whom had worked on the railroads in the U.S, arrived in the area in the early 20th century to work on a huge irrigation system, and Chinese people outnumbered Mexicans until the 1940s.

This trip was the one I had been least excited about, but it ended up being one of the most interesting. I need to give a giant shout out to our compañeros on the two driving adventures: Carlos, Jose Luis, Oscar, and Gerardo. These gentlemen, especially Jose Luis and Gerardo as Field Representatives, spend many hours behind the wheel on lonely roads in all types of weather conditions, investigating fraud and giving presentations to expats and Mexicans alike. Whenever Rick travels with them, by himself or with me, they not only look out for our safety (no small thing in some of these areas,) but they are always looking for interesting things to point out to us and thinking of stories to tell us. They are unfailingly kind and good humored and just all around great companions. Rick couldn't do his job without them.