These last few months have been quite something.
Moving out of Ireland was hell. I mean, how much crap can a person (well, a person and her 4 children) gather in only 10 years?? And not even that! I mean, we went to Ireland in an Opel Corsa with a normal sized trailer... And we moved 5 times since! Every time our heap of crap would get smaller. We'd only just moved into our last house, and I threw out LOTS of stuff before we did. I really can't grasp it that there was still SO much left after that.

source

But let's jump to the good part. Our life here. Yes, I've written about it before but I feel I need to express a lot more gratitude, and there's so much to tell. I like to keep this online so I can come back to it and see how far we've come later on too.

Every day I am counting my blessings

We got out! And I mean that in the most literal way possible. Ireland had been starting to feel much less of a home for a long time since we moved there. I don't want to get into the details right now but that's the truth.
Then this plandemic came, and that made things just so much worse. The few friends we had, they had either moved away, or we just never saw them. And just like that, this place that was at least still bearable because it was just beautiful, had become our prison. Or at least, that's what it felt like.

I saw my youngest daughter, who was otherwise so lively, and always on the go with her many sports and matches, go from being a happy, outgoing child, to a girl that was slowly sliding into a depression. The others weren't doing great either, but they somehow coped better.
When I started noticing these thing, I knew, I had to get us out of Ireland...

I didn't know I was depressed until we came here...

This, I also mean in the most literal way. I think that I managed to get through the days by keeping myself as busy as possible. I was working 40 hours a week, and sometimes did over time. And besides this, I had to pack up a whole house, decide what to bring and what not, and get rid of whatever I could. Then, when there was some time left in that busy schedule, I would just bring the kids to work with me (when I was still driving in my old job) and sneak them to the beach, which we weren't 'allowed' to go to. How did we let this craziness happen? I asked myself this every day.

And now? Well now, when I take my lunch break, which is 8 am local time, I go outside, and I have the biggest smile on my face. If people would see me, they'd think they're seeing a crazy woman. When we arrived here, it was as if the weight of the world was lifted off my shoulders. I hear the birds come to life in the morning and I smile. The warm sun on my skin makes me smile. The view of the pool: big grin on my face.
If I were to describe what I feel every morning when I set foot outside the door, it would best be done like this:

Source

Yes, I feel like the character Maria, portrayed by Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music. Without the dress and scenery. Whenever I set out for the beach, or even just go outside for a quiet moment at the pool, I feel like twirling around like that.
There are no words that can describe how grateful I am to be here, and how happy it makes me to see the kids have friends, friends that don't judge, because somehow, they don't do that here...
And how happy it makes me that my youngest just gets along with everyone, children and grown ups...
That my teenage daughter has finally found some Emo friends (is this a teen girl thing by the way? We found 5 of them within short vicinity) And aside from that, two new friends-for-life in Acapulco.
It makes me happy to see that my eldest daughter and her boyfriend actually go places, and do things, instead of watching TV all day, or play with their phones.

It makes me happy to see the little birds bathe themselves in the pool, and the big male black bird trying to impress the ladies, who then swiftly take off. Not interested.😆

I smile when I feel the soft breeze coming from the ocean, and when I hear the waves of the Caribbean sea crashing into the shore. Softly. Never wild. Well, not now anyway.

Not the Caribbean Sea but the Pacific

It makes me smile to see neighbors, because most of them are friendly, and smiling. And there is so much more that I'm smiling about, and am grateful for.
Yes, Mexico has its issues. And it's not always kind to everyone, especially the poor. However, things can change, and I hope to be part of that change.
But so far, Mexico has been nothing but good to us. And in return, we try to be as good as possible back.