Ready to Return

 

Looking down on the neighborhood that will soon be my permanent home

It's only been three weeks since I last returned from Mexico City, but tomorrow I am flying back.  Hopefully this is the last trip before I make the permanent move.  The owner of the condo that I am going to buy is currently in Mexico.  We are going to meet with a friend of his who is a realtor, lawyer and notary to make the transaction.  I will also be obtaining my Mexican residency visa.  Because I am married to a Mexican citizen, I can get it in Mexico City rather than having to go to a Mexican consulate in the United States.  I also need to get a private mail service, because the Mexican postal service is slow and untrustworthy.  I will go to an office of "Mailboxes Etc." (a company which used to exist in the U.S. but was bought out by UPS).  They will assign me a post office box in Florida which will become my new mailing address.  The mail is then shipped to Mexico, and I can pick it up at their office in the Mexico City neighborhood of Condesa.  

In addition to all of that, I will be playing tour guide for a few days.  If you have been reading this blog for a while, you might remember my former student, Meredith.  She and her husband traveled with me to Mérida, Yucatán, where I showed them the sights.  Well, in June, Meredith's sister Megan (who was also a student of mine) and her husband are coming to Mexico City for a week.  They have some friends that will be joining them halfway through their stay, so I don't want to intrude upon their plans.  However, I have told Megan that I am at their disposal if they need someone to show them around.  Alejandro and I have already told her that we would be happy to pick them up at the airport.  On their first night we are going to take them to our favorite restaurant, Angelopolitano.

So, it's going to be a very busy four weeks in Mexico City!

I have everything except my laptop packed and ready to go.  I printed off my boarding passes this morning, and a taxi has been called to take me to the airport tomorrow.  I just have to finish cleaning house today.  

I am keeping my fingers crossed that my flights will go smoothly this time without any of the hassles that I had on the last trip.  The volcano "Popo" seems to be quieting down, so with luck it will not cause any problems.  The forecasts here in Cleveland and in Houston, where I have a layover, are for good weather, so I don't foresee any problems there.

My flight leaves at 6:40 AM tomorrow morning, and the taxi is going to pick me up at 4:00 AM.  I would need to get up at 3:00 AM, so I decided that I am not going to bother going to bed tonight. 

Tomorrow at this time (knock on wood), I will be on my way!