Greetings from the Great White North

It's interesting reading old letters you have posted...especially one you posted 25 years ago as a Christmas message to our left-behind friends in Mexico. I have edited some parts namely the descriptions and involvements of our lives now that we were back in Canada.  But it is mostly intact. It is a brief picture of our assimilation back into Canadian culture after an absence of a year.

“After a solid month of abnormally low temperature (read -30'sC) where going outside became a real chore and a challenge, it has really struck home how much we enjoyed and miss the tropical weather of Guadalajara.  There has been much moaning and groaning about the weather.  Often when Patti disappears for an hour or so, I am tempted to check the airport knowing that she would be Mexico bound in an hour's notice. Oh, how she misses Mexico!

This past June (1990) was a hectic month for the family --- packing, bidding tearful farewells to friends we made in Mexico, and taking one last trip to Guanajuato, a beautiful city with warm friendly people in the interior of Mexico.

It took 2 combis (modified Volkswagen mini buses) to get the 4 of us plus our 10 hockey bags, 2 large boxes which almost herniated the Sky Caps at the airport, 4 carry-on bags, 4 carry-on boxes, and 2 sombreros (giant size)!  We were boarding a direct flight for Chicago and I think our luggage outweighed the luggage of the other 90+ passengers, most of whom were Mexicans returning to Chicago after a short visit to their homeland. The majority only had on carry-on bags. We knew we were going to have to pay mega-U.S. dollars for being so much over our weight allowance! However in the ten minutes it took to process our tickets and luggage, Nathan and David, two blond kids with their fluent (for gringos) grasp of Spanish, won over the heart of the agent. When it came time for us to pay the approximate $300 U.S. dollars (1990 values), the agent declared "Gratis" on behalf of Mexicana and told us he was glad we had enjoyed his beloved city of Guadalajara so much and for us to come back soon! What a wonderful gesture!

When we arrived in Chicago we had to get a trolley wagon and a Sky Cap to get us from the Mexicana terminus where we had gone through American customs, to the Air Canada terminus, a distance of about a kilometre. No Sky Trains, no baggage x-rays, no patting down, just a welcome and be on your way for the next leg of our journey home.

We had an 8 hour layover. After the boys had filled up at the water fountains countless times- it was cold, pure, and right out of the tap, something not possible in 1990 Guadalajara - they started talking to the Air Canada agent. Nathan assisted the agent by translating for her and some Mexicans who were Montreal bound. This helpful act again benefited us when it came time for us to check in with all our over-weight baggage.  The agent in appreciation for Nathan's help, she waived one-half of our surcharge fee.

Our first night home was a mixture of feelings. It was good to be home with family and friends. Our one member of the family who couldn't come with us to Mexico, Boots, our black part poodle - part spaniel, was beside herself with joy at our return. I still carry the picture of her in my mind when we are leaving for Mexico of where she had her nose poked through the crack in the gate and crying because she knew she wasn't going on this trip with us! It must have been a long year for her!

That first night at around 10 p.m. I walked to the service station on Henderson Highway for a Winnipeg Free Press. It was so strange, so quiet! I thought the city was deserted. There was almost no traffic and there were no people on the streets. Gone were the familiar noises of non-mufflered VW Bugs, boom boxes blaring lively music, animated conversations in the streets amongst small groups of Mexicans. Gone were the corner taco stands with their little knots of people eating and visiting in the soft yellow light of the street lamps. No dogs barked at me. No laughing children rushed by me playing their games of tag, hide-and-seek, and soccer. It took many week to get used to these sounds of silence!”

I ended our letter with: “We have settled into what seems a frenetic life-style, often thinking wistfully of our slower-paced year in Mexico. It would appear that now that we have tasted the delights of another country and its culture, we will soon be thinking of going on the road again.”

Sad to say that didn't happen. But Patti and I were fortunate enough to experience the delights of new cultures through our work in the International Program in our school division. I know our year out of country made it easier for us to feel empathy with our foreign students and to help them acclimatize to our Canadian culture for the short times they were here!