so....many....questions.....

I’ve had lots of questions about our upcoming move to Durango- about the city, the school, where we'll be living, etc. So I thought I’d address those qestions that I’m able to, now. 

But you don’t speak Spanish. How will you communicate? The American School of Durango is a fully-credited bilingual,  bicultural school.  The students speak English. So that shouldn’t be a huge issue. However, I studied Spanish in college and I’m hoping that it all trickles back, as I’ll be immerged in the language. I’ve been told that although Caden may have a difficult adjustment period, he will soak it up like a sponge, and be almost fully bilingual by the end of our first year. I’m stoked about that.  School website is here: http://www.cadurango.edu.mx/

What are you doing with Sadie? She gets to come with us, but not right away. Mexico has weird laws about when pets can travel across the border, so hopefully, we will get her when we come to visit at Thanksgiving or Christmas. Or,  if someone comes to visit, they can bring her, any time after September.

How are you going to find a place to live? The school is providing us with a furnished apartment. I haven’t seen pictures yet, but I’ve been told it’ll be a 2-3 bedroom apartment, in the heart of the city, within walking distance to Caden’s school.  I’m responsible for utilities; the water bill is usually around $10 a month, electricity around $30 every two months, telephone $20-30, and gas is around $50 every month, all depending on consumption.

What about your car? I’m planning on leaving my car up in Seattle with a good friend so I don’t have to pay for storage or let it sit for year. It’s not paid off, so I’m still contemplating selling it, so I don’t have to make payments, but I haven’t decided yet. Everything is reachable by foot or a quick taxi ride in Durango, so there’s no need to bring my car.

Will you have the same phone number? I don’t know yet. I have to contact Verizon and see what sort of plans they have, figure out my options.

What’s the weather like? The annual yearly temperature is around 78 degrees, with low humidity.  The seasons are a little different than those most of us know. They still have 4 seasons, sure, but there, it’s about 72-75 in the fall, 50-60 in the winter,  72-80 in the spring and 78- 85 in the summer. Sounds good to me. Give me a patio and a margarita. Hold the ice.

How can you drink a warm margarita? How will you get around not drinking the water? I took this straight from the faq the director sent me: Most everyone goes through an initiation process that involves a bit of Montezuma's revenge and general upset stomach.  It basically just takes a bit of getting accustomed to the new set of food and bacteria in a different place.  You can easily find Pepto and pretty much any other tummy medicine here.  The hospital where we have our insurance arrangement is accustomed to attending American School teachers for such problems during the first few months of classes and tend to prescribe your basic antibiotic to fight off the bug.   

What about your house in Texas? Hopefully my house will sell before I leave. If not, I’m going to have to let the bank have it. I really feel like I don’t have any other choice as I am not interested in going into the rental business. As far as all of the items in my house, everything is going to be sold, or given away before I leave. (even my BOOKS!) It’s good to purge every now and again. My art, my Keurig, some clothes and a few sentimental items are the only things making the road trip with us to Seattle, where my cousin will babysit them until our return.

What are you taking with you? Compared to what I currently own, I’m taking basically nothing with me. Caden will pack a box of toys and books that my parents will ship over for us once we get settled. We will take suitcases with clothes and a few toiletries.  I will ship over my classroom resources directly to the school. The apartment is supposed to be furnished, so we’ll see what their definition of furnished means in August, when we get there.

Can I come visit? Are you near the beach?  Yes, come visit us. The nearest beach is Mazatlan, on the western coast. It’s about a 2-3 hour drive, according to google maps.  We’ll road trip to the beach. It’ll be grand.

Are you going to marry a Mexican?  Well, duh.

I’ll post more answers to more questions a little later.

Adios!