Easy... and Not So Easy

Easy:
-Taking garbage out - 5 minute walk to the garbage truck parked up the street. Take it anytime between 7pm and 5am-ish.
-The weather - 80s during the day and 60s at night.
-Supplemental grocery run - there are little tiendas all over the place open all different hours to pick up milk, eggs, bacon, cereal, etc.
-Making gringo friends - they hang out at the school bus stop for 10 minutes at drop off and pick up.
-Getting a stranger to say "Hola" or "Buenas tardes" and smile, too.

Not so easy:
-Watching your children struggle with a new language and listening to their heartfelt frustrations.
-Keeping your car clean - cobblestone streets and some dirt roads means you can write 'wash me' on 90% of the vehicles here.
-Getting most of what the pharmacist or shopkeeper or schoolteacher says, but missing that 1 or 2 key words that hold the essence of the message.
-Making Mexican friends - after "hi" and "how are you?", the conversations start getting tougher.
-Getting breakfast tacos - ya'd think they abound. But not a one! We are thinking of opening a Taco Shack down here at the bus stop.

More to come....