criplomats

On Thursday, we headed to Ajijic and had Thanksgiving lunch at a little place out there. We walked around a bit and poked our heads in a few of the shops, then came back to Guadalajara. We had a piece of pie, then taught Cathy how to play Settlers of Catan (she beat us!).

Saturday she and I went to Tonala to do some power-shopping. It’s a crazy place with not a lot of tourists, but a lot of the crafts you find in nice stores in Guadalajara are made there, so the prices are a lot lower. We had a lot of fun.

Yesterday Cathy, John, and I drove to Tequila. She and I toured the Herradura distillery and really enjoyed it. It’s on the grounds of the family’s original hacienda; there are a few small casitas where families of workers have lived for generations. My favorite part was in the old distillery that they used in the late 1800s – very neat!

On the way back to town we stopped at our favorite Argentinian steak restaurant for a nice meal, then came home and played Settlers.

I’ve really enjoyed having a friend here for the week – lots of fun!

A couple of photos from the Herradura tour:

We went to a fun party last night at a co-worker’s house – she made delicious pizzas. It was nice to get out and socialize.

The rest of the week was pretty normal. It felt like a long week, even though we had last Monday off. I helped with the local guards’ English class on Wednesday evening. Yesterday I went to the office to clean off my desk and work on personal paperwork that I never seem to have time to do (insurance, etc.). It feels great to have some of that kind of stuff done!

It’s a nice cool morning in Guadalajara today – we’re enjoying having the balcony doors open and listening to the birds while we enjoy our coffee from the new machine!

Sunday we got our gym workout in, then we laid on the beach all day, reading and listening to the waves – so pleasant! It wasn’t nearly as hot as Vallarta, and there was a constant breeze blowing.

This morning we worked out, had a great breakfast, then made our way back to the airport – before we knew it, we were back home!

The work week prior to this little jaunt was interesting. I had several interesting cases, plus I volunteered to help teach English classes to our local guard force at the Consulate. They are fun students – so eager to learn. The classes are after work – I helped with a beginner’s class on Wednesday and intermediate on Thursday.

Friday I went to the court in Chapala to check in on a case. There was a lot of standing around, trying not to get wet from the gloomy skies. After a few hours, things got resolved more or less and we headed back to the office in time for employees’ children to come trick or treating. The different offices within the Consulate really go all out with spookiness – the kids and the adults had a blast!

At the beach, I read a book called “The Other Side of Sadness: What the New Science of Bereavement Tells Us About Life After Loss.” I found it very interesting. In addition to discussing how non-Western cultures handle death and bereavement, he talks about his research into the topic. In short, he disagrees with Freud’s “grief work” or Elisabeth Kubler-Ross’s five stages of mourning (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance). He feels that people are much more resilient and more often than not are able to carry on just fine after a loss of a loved one (often coming out stronger or even happier than before).

My view on Sunday