You know, if someone would have told me five, ten, or twenty years ago that at the age of 38 I would be living in a house with no heat or hot water, walking to work, and making $4 an hour, I would have thought that my life had taken a terrible turn for the worse. Nothing could be further from the truth. Indeed, my life has taken a discernable turn for the better in many ways. True, I now lack many of the “things” that I was accustomed to in the States, such as a washer/dryer, dishwasher, microwave oven, home internet connection, car, and the aforementioned heat and hot water, but honestly I don’t miss those things much. (Okay, I DO miss the hot water, but I like to look at the bright side in that my 60-second showers save lots of water.) And as a “tree-hugger,” I like the fact that I can do my laundry with zero electricity or gas, and that I can get to work in 25 minutes…on foot. Good-bye car maintenance, insurance, and gasoline costs! (Sorry GM.)
One of the few drawbacks of moving to Mexico is being away from my family and friends living in and around the great city of Detroit. So I hope, in some small way, this blog brings us a little closer together. I have posted numerous photos covering different topics, so feel free to browse those and also to post a comment–it would be great to hear from you!
27 responses so far ↓
Cowbell // January 22, 2007 at 5:50 pm
Hey Tree-Hugger! Good to hear from you and well done with the website. A very respectable effort for someone who doesn’t have a internet connection at home. By the way, how do you find the time to do this without one?
Keep up the good work and good luck with the senoritas!
Antonio // January 22, 2007 at 6:13 pm
Que haces en Méjico?
Triple Twenties // January 23, 2007 at 3:23 pm
Cut your lawn for goodness sake. Show a little gringo pride!
kboysandjuandelrio // January 23, 2007 at 3:37 pm
Michael–”Lawn” is such a generous word. I like to call it “Nature’s Garden.”
Renee Starkey aka Webmistress // January 23, 2007 at 5:00 pm
Don – glad to hear that you are getting touch with yourself and having a good time…bet it is quite a life experience. How do you get on the web to create such a site with limited means?
Ms Shelly // January 23, 2007 at 6:14 pm
Hola Don! Que pasa? nice website. i’ll be back to stalk you regularly now.
Cousin Stephanie // January 23, 2007 at 10:11 pm
HI there! Sorry we missed each other at Christmas….it was a busy time! Sounds like you are doing well and enjoying your change of location.
Roos Family // January 24, 2007 at 12:52 am
WOW are we impressed!! What a great missionary you are. We all speak like we’d do something like this but only a small few actually do it. We are proud of you!!
Tim Core // January 24, 2007 at 11:47 pm
Good to hear from you, Don! Sounds like you have adjusted well. Good luck with the rest of your journey…..
Sue Waldrop // January 25, 2007 at 12:29 pm
What an awesome adventure you’ve embarked upon! Good to see you’re doing well and having a ball! Take care of yourself and keep in touch. P.S. Bet you don’t miss the 15 degree January weather in Detroit!!
Tameria Warren // January 25, 2007 at 12:38 pm
Hey Don! Glad to see you’re enjoying yourself down there. I can only imagine how rewarding it must be to have this type of opportunity. Hopefully everything continues to go well and you get a great experience. Take care and God bless!
Papa V // January 25, 2007 at 1:14 pm
Glad to see you seem to have acclimated to the sparse condition. Oh, wait a minute, that’s what I said when I found out you lived downtown. Mexico must be comparative luxury! In all the seriousness that I can muster, I hope this mission is what you were looking for when you decided to emigrate. It certainly looks like you have gotten off to a good start. May good luck follow you in your travels.
Mark D. fischer // January 25, 2007 at 3:10 pm
Don,
How are the Senorita’s ? Hope everything is going well. Just think, eventhough you have a computer, your not ansering PRM-SE questions like all you friends back in Detroit! Keep in touch and take care, hopefully you will be able to see or hear the Tigers in 2007.
Fish.
Weiss-Glaza // January 25, 2007 at 3:49 pm
Glad to see you are doing well. Keep smiling and enjoying life! Sounds like you’ve got a pretty good thing going on. Soak it all up and have fun exploring in your spare time.
kboysandjuandelrio // January 25, 2007 at 4:21 pm
To the GM crew: Thanks for your kind words. I think about the PRM-SE everyday…and smile.
Jack Buckley // January 30, 2007 at 1:18 am
If people fly down to visit, is there a nearby Ritz where we can stay? Seriously, who needs heat when the temperature is 70. Of course the daytime water temperature running through your make-shift shower head is probably at least 55 degrees F.
Ara // January 30, 2007 at 5:31 pm
Bueno, bueno.. no se si este cambio de imagen te viene bien. Creo que estás mucho mejor sin perilla.
Entonces este blog pretende mostrarnos los motivos por los que hay que ir a visitarte?
Lodi // January 30, 2007 at 5:43 pm
Hola Stinker!
I’m impressed. So you’re actually washing your clothes by hand?! How white are your whites?
What’s this crack about the car? You’re seriously encroaching on my future with GM. Okay, I can handle you footing it everywhere, but I better not find out that you picked up an old VW bug!
By the way, your new cell ….er, I mean…home looks “sau gemutliche.”
Tengo noticias: I am working on removing “eh” and “right?” from my vocabulary and will be adding “Y’all.” I’m relocating in March to Tennessee.
Cuidate!
Bob campbell // February 1, 2007 at 4:03 pm
Translate from ARA?
Good, good. not if this change of image comes to you well. I believe that you are far better without knob. Then east blog tries to show the reasons to us by which there are to go to visitarte?
kboysandjuandelrio // February 2, 2007 at 4:46 pm
Bobby–
Your translation from Ara was…in the ballpark. While my Spanish is still terrible, the essence of her email is:
“Good, good. I don’t know if this change in image is good. You are better without the goatee. Does this blog try to show reasons why people should visit (Mexico)?”
kboysandjuandelrio // February 2, 2007 at 4:47 pm
Lodi,
Interesting news! So you’re going to build Saturns, eh? I hope it is what you want.
And thanks for your German compliment…
The Indy // February 6, 2007 at 11:29 pm
Don, eres el mejor!
Ms.Shelly // February 9, 2007 at 5:09 pm
Donnie boy! Where are you? Come back, tell us what you are up to!
kboysandjuandelrio // February 13, 2007 at 3:57 pm
Ms. Shelly–You will be interested to know that this weekend I am going to see a play called “Vaselina.” Yep, you guessed it, “Grease” is coming to San Juan. I only hope that Olivia Newton John will join the troupe!
Triple Twenties // March 20, 2007 at 5:56 pm
I’m looking for a photo of Cynthia–has one been posted? Seriously, Don–does she really exist, or is she like your girlfriend from Canada? I have another friend (who will remain nameless) who has a “Brazilian girlfriend”. Funny–no one’s actually seen her either…
Triple Twenties // March 20, 2007 at 5:57 pm
If I come to visit, do they have anything besides Mexican food?
kboysandjuandelrio // March 23, 2007 at 6:45 pm
DEAR TRIPLE TWENTIES,
While, ironically, they do specialize in Mexican food here in Mexico, there does happen to be a McDonald’s nearby. And regarding the missing photos, patience my dear friend, patience. I haven’t had the chance to fabricate…I mean…post them yet. DON