What's in a name.

I decided to name this blog Casa Alvarez and have it be focused around our home and life here in Mexico for a few reasons.

One obvious reason is that we're so far away from my family and friends which makes it hard to share the daily goingson of our little family. I want to be able to give people a peek into our life so you can see that a lot is different and a lot is the same. I think there are often so many things that I now consider normal, but to many are unfathomable, hysterical and/or just plain bizarre.

Another reason is that this is kind of a self-help outlet for me living abroad. One of the hardest parts of adjusting to life here has not, in fact, been getting used to the chickens and goats next door, the clowns on the bus, constant fireworks or marching bands on any given evening. (all true) The hardest thing has been trying to make Mexico "Home."

When you travel, you get to see the best parts of a place; when you immigrate, you get to see it all. Yellow chicken and no Cheez-its goes from being a weird nuisance to a daily reality. I could probably find a deeper analogy, but its early in blog history to get sappy.

As my understanding of this place has evolved, I have learned that to really make Mexico home I have to work hard. I'm not nor will I ever be a Mexican. But, there's a real chance that I may never live in the US again. Home is where I make it, how I live it, and what I make of it. I have decided to make my home here, right now in our tiny 1 bedroom apartment. It's small, it's got cement columns that make it seem smaller, but it's ours. It's home, it's our first Casa de los Alvarez.