Cosas Que Los Extranjeritos Van A Extrañar

On Thursday in Guanajuato, Sean and Oscar
made a parachute.

For a year in Mexico, in addition to being güeros (pale types), we have been extranjeros -- foreigners. About a month ago, the kids started talking about things they will miss when we go back to the U.S.; I took notes.


V.I.P. sushi rolls (yes, there was sushi in our town and yes, it was delicious and there's a 2x1 special on Tuesdays)

Las Canastas, the beautiful field up in the mountains where we played ultimate on Sundays

PEOPLE: "all my friends," kissing people on the cheek for hellos and goodbyes, boy-girl friendships, easy laughter and "all the time laughing"

Cooking at school, especially when you helped grow the food and harvest the food

Donuts

The artisan market

The carvings on the front of Santo Domingo iglesia

The trampoline at school

The pool at school

"Having things a lot more reckless"

Bougainvillia

A group of Wilhelmina's friends
came on Sunday to bid us goodbye.
We're taking this bouquet home.

Our backyard

Our house, "especially Mom and Dad's room"

Horse, bunnies, turkeys, dogs, and cats at school

"I sometimes like the weird smells in the backyard...is that weed?"

Birds: they sound so weird, so loud and shrill

Hummingbirds

Sleeping next to the water heater -- "rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr"

Fireworks!!

All the VW bugs

The sound of rain of the skylights

Rivers in the streets when it rains

The smell of wood smoke

The sounds of different trucks and trying to understand what the sounds mean: the gas truck, the water truck, the trash man, the fruit sellers all have different sounds

FRIENDS: Wilhelmina says, "My friends are funny and have wonderful unique laughs and I think in general have a better sense of humor than most people in the U.S."

Jokes and pranks at school

The absence of teachers at school, pretty often

Babies at school (the school has a daycare and preschool associated with it) -- we like to give them nicknames like Oompa-lupito ("little Oompa-Loompa" for Matias) and Pitu-fito ("Smurf" for Sebastian)

"Escolta!" (says Oscar) "Maybe..." (says Wilhelmina). Oscar continues: "The competition sucked at the moment...but what can you do?" and Wilhelmina allows: "Practice was fun...and it was a good experience."

Coffee plantations

"We do NOT like bloqueos..."

Goodbyes are hard.