Regatta de Globos 2011: This was the coolest thing ever.

So, yesterday we attended the Regatta de Globos in Ajijic, Mexico and it was AWESOME!  Different groups get together over the year and begin to make and assemble these amazing balloons.  They are constructed entirely from tissue paper, glue and tape.   

Then layered for thickness , but only 2 layers at most (Did I mention it’s only tissue paper).  Then they assemble the pieces into all different types of shapes, sizes and characters.  Once they have the balloon finished, every year at this time they set out to launch the “Globos” from the village futbol field.  It is so much fun to be in the middle of it all.  We set up our blankets and chairs, brought food, drink and snacks.  We met up with about a dozen friends and all of our kids.  The first launch was around 3:00pm and the Globos were really cool, but soon to find out rather small.  As the day progressed on, the Globos got bigger and bigger with a few small and medium ones set off in-between the big ones.  Now the way they launch these things is by starting with a chimenea.

Once they have it 90% filled, they take a towel and roll it tight in a circle, then soak it in petroleum.  Then they light the ring of fire which is wrapped around the bottom of the Globo on a metal ring.  The hot air forces the Globos up up and away into the sky.  If the wind is calm, they just keep going up and up, but if the wind causes them to tip side to side, the paper catches on fire and you have an inferno of paper falling along with the blazing hot metal ring and towel.  I gotta tell you that there is NO way you would ever see anything like this in the US or Canada.  OSHA would have a heart attack if they were here.  It is so freaking cool though, the Globos went up and burning ash and metal fall from the sky.  

 Not a single person got hurt, burned or singed, except for their pride when the Globos would just go up in flames before the even launched.  Here is a short video from the day.  Once again, living here feels so free and easy at times.  Everyone out enjoying the incredible weather, family, friends and a really cool spectacle of balloons, ahhh a true slice of heaven.

School has started, Futbol, Nana and PopPop Johnson visit and More

I will begin this latest blog with 4 words, “THE ADVENTURE HAS BEGUN.”  So, school is now in full swing for the boys and they seem to be settling in much better then we had anticipated.  The boys both get to school early in the morning around 8:00am and stay until 2:00pm.  The day is divided into ½ English and ½ Spanish.  Zach has no English speaking kids in his class and is picking up the language thing really quick.  Andrew is in class with all Spanish-speaking kids, but all have been studying English for 3-5 years.  They are both making friends and seem to be enjoying the school day.  Homework is a bit tough for them, because his parents don’t know enough Spanish to really be of much help, but with Google Translator, were getting by nicely.  The boys do wear uniforms for school which makes our lives really easy when it comes to buying school clothes and they look super cute.

Zach and Andrew have both taken up futbol (soccer) and are playing 2 days a week with mostly Spanish speakers and loving it.  They do drills and play for 2 hours each night.  The couple that puts on the practices is from Canada couple that worked with the Canadian National Team for years and it shows.  They are getting all these kids to really focus and work hard and still play hard.  In 2 weeks we have already seen a huge improvement in Andrew and Zach, who have really never had any formal coaching in the game (no offense coach Frank).  The best part is they LOVE going and getting in the middle of it all.  I am amazed at how well they both just jump in and start making friends and participating. 

Nana and PopPop Johnson just came for 2 weeks and we had such a fantastic time.  We took them to Guadalajara, showed them all over town and decided that they really need to move here for at least a few months a year.  Not sure if they agree, but they were looking at places to rent for a few months next year. Yippee!!

I got my first round of food poisoning from a dish that I knew better then to actually eat.  It was fantastic tasting going in, but coming out was horrible, two days later it was all over and I was back to 100%.  Hey I did say this was going to be an adventure didn’t I.  Then the crazy part of all of this has been with Andrew.  He has been complaining of a stomachache for 2 weeks now and we kept thinking it was all due to nerves.  He was in a new school, new kids, …  well this week, we decided to call his bluff and go get him tested.  We did a blood panel and a fecal test ad then waited two days.  Well the results come back and everything looks really good, except for Big Capital Letters that say he has an Amoeba in his gut and we need to treat with antibiotics.  Once we found out he did have something in his gut, we were actually relieved.  This is something that we can help with, if it would have been depression, anxiety and nervousness, which was a bit more daunting for us to consider.  He is feeling much better now just with the information that he really is feeling and experiencing a stomach issue.  I think he thought we were crazy by not believing him.  He has always been incredibly intuitive about his body.  Guess the lesson here is to really listen to your kids, they know!

All in all things are fantastic for us.  Tracy is in a Lip Sync Fund Raiser for the local theatre.  We just finished our Level I Spanish class after 7 weeks and begin Level II on Monday.  Finding our way around is super easy now, I got invited out for the first time to go listen to some live music, we have all our paperwork now and submitting things to the INM (Immigration) to get our legal working papers.  Tracy loves her Yoga class.  I have a great gym that I am back at, with the exception of the week off from the food/stomach issue.  In the past 3 weeks, we have met 3 more families with young kids that have moved here for a better quality of life. 

This place is truly magical and we are loving being here.  I wish I had photos to share but the camera got dropped on the floor and the view-screen is now shattered.  I will get around to buying one soon, juts need to find out where the best deals are.   Miss you all a ton and hope you will come see our slice of paradise someday soon.

Light and love,

Brian