Family Visit
(Originally posted October 2015)
Last week my parents came for their first visit to Guadalajara to see the city where I’ll be living the next couple of years. I was lucky to catch them on their busy travel, sporting event and art retreat schedule. We had a blast exploring the city, both my favorite spots and finding new nooks together.
They arrived during the school day on Friday and with the support of Spanish/English notecards arranged their taxi from the airport to the apartment they rented. As soon as school was out, I flew downtown to meet them and found that they had just arrived outside. We got them settled in to their place, sat on the patio for a few moments, and walked to a grocery store for the week’s essentials. In the evening, we dined at La Cafeteria with two of my good friends here, Ale and Vicki. We enjoyed enchiladas and a bottle of wine.
On Saturday, I got them up bright and early for a double decker bus tour around the city. My friend, Mandy, toured the city with us for the day. As a fellow Wisconsinite and Packer fan, she’s practically family. We first rode (and ducked low hanging branches occasionally) to Tlaquepaque, once a separate town, it’s now completely connected to Guadalajara but maintains a lovely town square with churches, cafes, and shopping. In the town plaza, we watched the voladores float down around the pole as the men shared their indigenous tradition. We ate brunch while listening to live music at a small café and roamed the streets until the next round on the bus. We saw most of the historic center from on top of the bus, with the threat of rain approaching. Around the main historic center, we walked through the Catedral and the government palace with a mural by José Clemente Orozco. In the evening, we dragged ourselves to eat in the popular Chapultepec area.
Sunday was another active day, especially for two jetlagged retirees. We started at the Via Recreativa, where every Sunday morning a few main roads are shut down for miles and miles so people can walk, run or bike. At one end of the Via, we went to the enormous Mercado San Juan de Dios, the largest indoor market in Latin America. We purchased Chivas gear from a guy that grew up in Beloit, Wisconsin. It’s a small world. From there we stopped at a wings bar to watch the Chivas play soccer. They lost to the Pumas but one of my Dad’s goals on this trip was to watch a Chivas game in a bar. Next time we’ll make it to the Omnilife Stadium. In the evening we went to Stacy’s house to watch the Packer game with her family and other fans. We ate bratwursts, drank beer and cheered on the good guys. The Packers won. All’s right with the world.
On Monday, I sent an Uber for my parents and they joined me at school at noon. They surprised my students at lunch and stayed for the afternoon. The kids greeted them with hugs and kisses on the cheek. My mom has seen me teach many times at Green Central but it was the first time my dad has seen me in the classroom. I put them to work with our math stations. My mom reviewed double-digit multiplication and my dad supervised students using iPads while I taught long division. Just like at Green Central, I saw my mom give the “teacher mama” eyes to a boy that got distracted on his work. It was also nice to show them around the school and introduce them to my new teammates. Next, we walked to my favorite workout spot, Parque Colomos, and walked through the forests and garden. Finally, we ate dinner at La Chata with my roommate Lisa and our friend Jamie. Can’t have enough enchiladas and wine, right?
The rest of the week, they slowed down and relaxed. During the school day, they enjoyed museums, plazas, old churches and cafes. In the evening, I joined up for dinner and family conversation. They departed on Friday morning with several activities on their checklist for the next visit.
I enjoyed sharing my new city with them. They saw ASFG, the new school where I’m working. They hung out at my new house and around the neighborhood. They met the quality people that I am fortunate to be surrounded by and supported by here in Guadalajara. They felt my happiness and level of comfort with some much change in the past few months. I can’t wait for their next visit!
