Moving in Mexico

100 Days of Camping Day #7

Saturdays in Mexico are a time when residents party, and we saw a lot of it during our visit to help our friends move in Rosarito.  They rented a home right on the beach and had to move out on short notice.  The new home is really cute although probably a temporary location.  It was really hard to find a place since many people flock to Rosarito during the summer.  After exhausting all of the homes their local friends referred them to and everything the real estate agent had to offer, they received a phone call from a woman they had gone caroling to last winter.  She remembered their family and how sweet their children had been to her.  She owns a home that has been vacant for 3 years because she is afraid to rent it out because of some of Mexico's homesteading and squatter laws.  But when she was told our friend's circumstances, she called them and offered them a deal in their home.  What a great blessing!  I am so glad that everything worked out for them.

There are aspects about moving in Mexico that are very different than in the states.  First of all, storage units are readily available here, but not so in Mexico.  The nearest storage unit was in Tijuana, and it cost almost as much as full rent.  Second of all, finding a moving truck was quite a challenge, but they did find one in the end.  Yay!  Finally, hiring help was an even bigger challenge.  They hired a few people to help them move one day, but when they came, they mostly just stood around.  They wouldn't help dismantle furniture saying they were only there to move things.  In short order they were told they no longer needed their help and random beach goers were hired in short spurts to help with some of the larger things, but it was very inefficient.  How crazy!  This family is like family to us and I am feeling very glad that we got our passport cards to do dental work and were able to be nearby and help them.  Michael has gone down a few times, we have friends who had an abundance of moving boxes, and Saturday our family finally went down so that our kids could play together and Mom could pack things without them.

The kids had a blast!  They were hyper and go-go-go most of the day, pausing only to eat and slowing down only as the night hours began to tick awy.  They were generally very well behaved, but they kept me busy!  Luckily the man and boy they hired with the moving truck were very helpful and it was a productive day.  We didn't arrive until noon and didn't leave until 2:00 a.m., so it was a full day for us..

The three children in this family are so delightful.  The oldest loves to sing, the second loves to share bible stories and play such games as having the power of God to defeat Goliath, and the youngest boy was more shy and reserved because he wasn't used to being away from Mommy.  He was mostly happy because his siblings were there and his Dad came in and out, but at one point I tried to comfort him by showing him that his toys were now in the house.  Forget the toys!  His face lit up as we approached as he exclaimed "BOOKS!"  I feel blessed that our children have been able to play and develop friendships with them.  What an adventure for all parties!  And what a big day.