Home as a playground

It's the time of the year the jacarandas are blossoming. It's so beautiful. We don't get to enjoy the beauty as much as we would normally but we are still grateful to be in Queretaro and not in Montreal. 

We have a bigger place here, so the quarantine feels less like a prison. 

In Montreal we would feel very trapped as our apartment couldn't be less suited for a family of 3.

It's interesting how mixed the emotions are these days. I have to say that in general I became better at being grateful ever since I got pregnant and even more so since I gave birth. I'm grateful for being in such good health. I'm grateful that my baby is in such good health. I'm grateful my husband is in such good health. Something I wake up thinking every single morning. I'm grateful to have such a smily and beautiful baby boy and that he has a father and a mother to smile back at. I'm so grateful that I still have parents I can smile back at, even if it's mostly through a screen.

I try to focus on this and not think about the uncertainty we have ahead of us. The financial uncertainty, the uncertainty of when we will be able to fly home. The uncertainty of where home is. I have lately, more than ever kept on asking myself: "why did I ever leave Finland?". 
At the same time I tend to tell myself I wouldn't be part of this lovely trio we made if I had stayed. So that's why the question has turned to "when and how can we move back to Finland?"

I miss feeling safe, I miss breathing in fresh air, I miss being around people who mean what they say. I miss the tall trees, the cool wind, the walks in the woods ... and the food. Don't get me started on all the food I miss. I miss my family, I miss friendships I used to have. I miss biking for pure pleasure or as a mean of transportation. I miss running by the water. I miss the good quality of things. I miss the logic in people's thinking. I miss how people take strangers in consideration and that you can trust that they will. Oh and all that candy... boy do I miss all the great candy

The list is way longer... but I think you get my point.
What about the things I don't miss? I don't miss our flat lands, (I love mountains). I don't miss the none winters and summers we tend to have, I don't miss how expensive most things are. I don't miss the sarcasm that comes with our culture. I don't miss the role alcohol has in our culture. I don't miss being called a "hurri" because I'm a Swedish speaking Finn and I'm a bit scared how my husband will be treated because of his skin color. 
But back to reality. Here we are in our Queretaro home, not going anywhere for now. We are making our home our playground. Exercising and relaxing and trying not to worry too much about the future while enjoying sweet family time...

the trick is to keep breathing

Last time I wrote every woman in the country was supposed to stay home for a day. Now a bit more than a week later the entire planet is supposed to stay home, however not just for a day. 

Today my parents normally would be here. They were supposed to come and visit us for 2 weeks. Tomorrow we  would go to the most beautiful restaurant that I have ever visited. We would celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. Talk about an occasion worth a bottle of champagne.

Hacienda la Laborcilla is the place and absolutely wonderful both during day light and in the evening.

https://www.lalaborcilla.com

But none of this loveliness will take place. It's been 6 months since my parents got to hug their grandchild and who knows how old he will get before they get to meet again.

Tonight at 9pm Ricky Martin was supposed to perform at the hippodrome here in Queretaro. We got tickets as a birthday gift for my husband and it would have been our first outing as a couple since our son was born. We were so looking forward to getting out and dance a little to shake our bons bons a bit.  But none of this will happen.

What will happen, well that we have no clue of. News from different countries are all about the COVID-19 and how it's handled in their corner of the world. The social media full of false information and jokes about the same subject. Our e-mail inboxes are full of explanations on how different companies are handling the virus situation.

From the female perspective, I just feel for all us women. This is a complete nightmare for all of us. Unless you are a non-nurse, non teacher single lady or lesbian perhaps. 

Either you will be getting a mental breakdown with the work overload at home. Having to cook, clean, keep the kids entertained or home schooled while you look at your lazy husband hanging out on the sofa doing nothing. If you are a teacher you have to do all the above and give classes to hyperactive children at home. And then there are the nurses and doctors who have to work insane amount of hours, putting themselves at risk and then coming home to most likely a messy house with dinners needing to be cooked.

Not to talk about domestic violence women all over the planet suffer from....

 Scary to think about all of this and not knowing where we are heading. 

As for our trio, we are in sunny Mexico but with a completely idiot of a president more or less inviting the virus with open arms to the country. The cases are still strangely low and it's not hard to calculate that it's because they want to hush up the people, so they hand out false information. I would think you need to multiply the figures with at least 10 if not far more.

So if I felt lost and uncertain about my future before this, well now I know I'm not alone. We are all living day by day having no clue what's up next. I think that's true in general but now we are all really getting touched by uncertainty. 

"If life brings you to it, it will bring you through it" 

I have repeated this phrase to myself for several years now and it has always brought me some calm. Because yes we will get through this for sure... we just don't know how and in what shape.

As for myself and our little trio we are still alive and staying home. We are trying to make the most of it by listening to good music, exercising, eating well and occasionally enjoying some drink of our choice.  As a breastfeeding mother it's been mostly light beer on the menu and as we are in Mexico, well I have chosen Corona light. My choice has nothing to do with the virus, it just happened that it was the first beer I got served this year.

And the song playing in my head when I have it...it's often

Billy Currington's "Pretty good at drinkin' beer"

I wasn't born for diggin deep holes

I'm not made for pavin' long roads

I ain't cut out to climb high line poles

But I'm pretty good at drinkin' beer

I'm not the type to work in a bank

I'm no good at slappin' on things

Don't have a knack for makin' motors crank, no

But I'm pretty good at drinkin' beer

So hand me one more

That's what I'm here for

I'm built for having a ball

I love the nightlife

I love my Bud Light (well here I sing Corona light)

I like 'em cold and tall ...

... and the song continues and so does life. The trick is to keep breathing.

A day without women

Two days ago was the international women's day and here like in a lot of other countries and cities there was a demonstration going on. I didn't take part in it and when I heard how women were spraying graffiti and vandalizing historical landmarks, I was really glad I staid far away from it. I understand our anger and rage against men and the society run by men and I think we have every right to it but there are intelligent ways to go about it. 
Yesterday was a good example of an intelligent way to demonstrate against violence towards women and seek equality. The 9th of March was a nationwide "day without women". Every woman in the entire country of Mexico was supposed to demonstrate by being absent from daily activities. Workplaces, hospitals, schools, streets, parks, bus stations, airports etc being completely empty of women. If everybody would do it, it would definitely be a powerful way to show our point. Imagine if all women working in hospitals, schools, public offices, pharmacies etc wouldn't show up for a day. Wherever you would look around as a man, you would just stare back at another man. I think the impact would be pretty big. You keep on repeating this a bit more often or extend it and something might start happening. I staid home along with my husband and son showing our solidarity but our contribution is not very big to begin with. However, every bit counts. Like it does in voting. Like it does in recycling. It's the uneducated ignorants that think the opposite. 
"My absence doesn't matter ... said 68 million women" That's about what the female population in Mexico is at the moment. 
I understood from the news that here in Queretaro some pharmacies and stores did their share and closed for the day but unfortunately nothing bigger than that. Extremely sad. And as for the vandalism that was done the day before ... well as it's mostly women cleaning the streets here and those women showing up for work and not staying home ... it all came about like women doing harm to women. 

Not to end this text on such a negative note or without any pictures, I will go back to another day a few weeks ago when we did go out in the streets. It was downtown in the historic center and not so much a demonstration as a celebration in the honor of the Aztecs. Very colorful tradition done every year in February and apparently an even bigger parade done every year in September. Absolutely beautiful to watch and listen to. 

My husband got to fulfill a phantasy and try on some warrior gear.

I like how he stands peacefully admiring the gear but when you look at his shadow he looks like a warrior about to attack. I think we women should have a similar strategy in our fight for equality. Peacefully and gracefully dragging the patriarchal machinery to the ground.