Moving on => new blog for a new city

Heads up! I will be changing up my blog to reflect my new address in Philadelphia, PA! Here's a pic from my last day in my office in Houston in June. As soon as things settle down here a little bit, I will start blogging about my activities in Phily...

Adios Mexico, Goodbye Houston, Hello Phily

Hello everyone
I know that most of you have heard my news that I am moving to a new job in Phily as of June 1st... so I will be leaving Mexico on May 29th....

It is with mixed feelings that I leave Mexico. YES, I am more than ready to have a better living situation here but I really like the people and the work I am doing down here.

I am VERY excited about moving to Phily and starting over in a new city. But I am sad about leaving all my friends and family behind in Texas... this will be a definite change for me and it will be interesting to see how I handle/manage all the changes....

I will be in Houston the first week of June to deal with my personal stuff there before I move to Phily. hope to see my Houstonian friends that week....

I guess I will have to change the title of my blog now!!!! it will no longer be toluca focused....

Happy Cinco de Mayo

Happy Cinco De Mayo to all!

I am in a GREAT mood today. Had a great weekend with my Mom and sister here in Mexico . We had fabulous weather all weekend, spent 4 activity packed days of sight seeing and doing touristy stuff here, and they did NOT get sick from the altitude, food or water here! Most of all it was good to spend time with my loved ones again.....

I will post pictures from their trip as soon as I get them from Mom and Alison. we had some good ones...

I have some more news to be posted later this week too - stay tuned! ; - )

Mom and Alison visit Mexico

Yeah! Tomorrow is May 1st, a holiday here in Mexico, and I am so ready for a long weekend. 1. it's been a long week here and 2. I have visitors coming!

I will be hosting mi madre y mi hermana this weekend here and we have fun, activity filled weekend planned. I am only hoping that the weather is nice for their visit here...

Happy Cinco de Mayo to everyone if I don't talk to you before then!

Apartment saga continues

Well.... the apartment saga continues.... I was away for the weekend and expected to come home to a clean apartment with the things finished that I had asked to be finished. oh no. that would be too easy....

apartment is still dirty - I will have to take the cleaning lady by the hand I guess and show her step by step what I think needs to be cleaned. also now the wood floor in the apartment is starting to come up.

the towels were washed like I had asked for however the dryer is not working so I came home to a load of wet towels.... (dried off with damp towels this morning). The sheets were not washed like I had asked, but in light of the dryer not working I guess I am glad?

I have been sick for a week with a chest cold and it is making me very irritable. I just want things to be "done right" without me having to hound people to get things done, and that is just not the way it works here in Mexico. The end result of all this is that I am finding it very hard to hang onto my sense of flexibility and sense of humor about all this....

Valle de Bravo

I had one of my favorite weekends in Mexico this weekend. I was invited to Valle de Bravo with a friend from work and his family. It was a beautiful weekend and great company, so all in all a fabulous time.... the pictures that follow are from the group of us sitting in front of the lake at a little outdoor cafe. We were waiting on our assigned time for our boat ride around the lake.

Mi primero temblor (my first earthquake)

I experienced my first earthquake yesterday in Mexico! I was in Valle de Bravo over the weekend and the earthquake came while we were at dinner last night. It lasted about half a minute and was pretty significant. I saw the lights swaying, the trees moving, felt the ground moving even though I was sitting down... I felt like it lasted a long time but later read on the internet that the duration was only 25 seconds. The epicenter was near the west coast and it measured about a 6 on the Richter scale... pretty crazy stuff. It made me have weird dreams last night

further thoughts on karma

Been thinking today about karma and why I posted that posting on karma last week.... Found an interesting quote on the internet today that relates to karma

How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours. Wayne Dyer

I agree with this comment. Which is why I don't wish ill on anyone who has done me wrong... I don't need to expend any additional time or energy on that. I really want to rise above it and move forward, and spend my time and energy looking forward and not back...

44 hours in Cancun

I took a quick flight over to Cancun this weekend with Yvonne and another lady she works with. We had a great time - nice weather, free drinks, a beautiful hotel, etc... Only spent 44 hours in Cancun but we packed a lot of fun into those 44 hours...

Pic of us on the balcony - look at that incredible view!

let there be light

I had electricity when I got to my apartment last night! Yeah! And there was great rejoicing!

I am SO GLAD it's Friday, it has been a really long stressful week. I am thinking about taking a short flight to the beach and just chilling out this weekend.... I don't care where I go, as long as it's sunny, warm and there are drinks available!

The saga continues....

Well.... my Mexico saga continues. I had a long day and got home around 9pm, just in time for my massage. After my massage I was feeling better and more relaxed of course but just not ready for bed so I decided to try out my washing machine with a load of towels. (interesting machine, it is a super efficient state of the art combo washer/dryer. lots of buttons/options, of course all settings are in Spanish so that took me a few minutes to fgure out).

anyway - my load of towels finished around 11pm, no problem. All was well up until that point - I was feeling very productive and homey - sitting in bed reading a book, drinking a glass of wine, and just chilling out for the first time this entire week. Enjoying that post massage feeling of relaxation. I should have known it wouldn't last!

I went to start the dryer portion and immediately my lights went out. Evidently the dryer starting blew out my breakers... so I go downstairs to the parking garage and wake up the onsite guy who lives down there. He comes up to my apt and tries to reset breakers, no luck. Goes outside to the main box and tries the same thing, no luck... by this time it is after midnight and it is obvious that it is not getting handled tonight. He goes back downstairs and brings me up a tiny little flashlight and promises that the electricity would be handled tomorrow...

so this morning I took a shower in the dark by the light of the flashlight, drove to work with wet hair, and said adios to all the groceries in my fridge that I had just bought Tuesday night....

we'll see if I am hanging out in the dark tonight or not.... I am not optomistic about things getting fixed today.

Long week here

Hello all
Having a long week here already - lots of stress with work stuff and out of work stuff both....

so - here are some helpful phrases in Spanish that folks here have told me. They basically mean the same thing - suck it up, keep going, and keep your chin up!

1. Asi trueno or relampango, seguiremos adelante. (in English - whether thunder or lightning, we go forward). basically means that even when things are tough, we keep moving forward

2. Al mal tiempo, buena cara. Literal translation is "at bad time, good face"

Hope you are all having a good week and got your taxes in on time yesterday....

I survived....

So far so good.... I had my first night of driving home from work last night. Of course it was in the dark and raining and mucho trafico.... I volunteered to drop someone from work off at the hotel (otherwise known as my home for the past 3 months) and that was a BIG MISTAKE. The road was under construction and it took me 1 hour to get to the hotel (normally at 20 minute drive). Major traffic, rain, road construction, nighttime - all in all, I think I had a good initiation into driving here!!!

This morning was my first drive into work from my apartment (which is still not clean/complete yet but that is another story). It was an okay drive, I made sure to leave early enough to avoid the major traffic times... but it will be a 40 minute drive in the mornings for sure.

So - thanks to all for the prayers - keep em coming b/c I will need them - it is CRAZY driving here...

My Mexico Adventure continues

I returned to Mexico on Sunday for the 2nd half of my tour of duty here. My flight arrived at Mexico City aiport at 8:30 pm (early!). However I arrived last night to my apt late - it was 11pm before I got there. The driver was late picking me up at airport and in fact did not ever show up. I ended up taking a taxi from the airport.

This was my first night in the apt - I showed up and found there was no toilet paper, paper towels, soap, etc... GREAT.... Also they provided dishes for the apt but they were not washed so I coudn't even drink anything from the tap water. I realized that I needed to load up on bottled water since this tap water is probably not as good as the water at the hotel tap...

I will need to go tonight and load up on food, supplies, etc for the apt. I start to drive today too so this is a big week for me.... cross your fingers for me this week!!!

My Mexico adventure continues.... Keep watching this site for updates!

Karma is a Bitch

You know, this weekend I heard some news that made me totally change my view of someone... very disappointing to be let down and to realize that they were not the person I thought they were...

All I have to say (well all I am going to say on this blog about this situation) about that is:
Heads up you POS - because karma is a bitch.... meaning what goes around, comes around....

Toluca Diablos game vs Monterrery

I went to my 3rd Toluca Diablos game yesterday with the crazy Detroit and Toronto guys. We had a blast - there was 9 of us at the game and all wearing Toluca jerseys to support our team! We sat in the close up section (palcos) so we were up close and personal to the action. The good (bad) thing about these games is that the beers are only 20 pesos each....

The rains have begun?

Normally the weather in Toluca is sunny and dry, however there is a rainy season that starts in May and goes through September. During this time it rains every day in the afternoon for a couple of hours at least.

Well, today is the 2nd day in a row that I am hearing rain on the roof! And this is heavy, steady rain, like a summer thunderstorm in west Texas.... I am thinking that the rains have come early this year.

Picture of the view from my office window looking west/southwest through the rainstorm. you can see the water on the streets.

Hoy Empieza Una Nueva Vida

I received that message in a package of granola bars yesterday. In English that translates to "Today start a new life" which I thought was highly appropriate given my circumstances. The company (Quaker) has different messages regarding health in their packages here in Mexico and it is all focused around eating right, exercising, taking time for yourself, de-stressing, etc.

In short, the messages we all need to hear and the ones that they need to be putting in their packages in the US as well....

I realize I need to be exercising daily to have an outlet for my stress and to stay in shape so I am taking a cue from my friend Mike and starting a "workout streak". (see Mike's blog for his running streak count, http://mikencarey.blogspot.com/).

I am on day 3, made it to 5 days last week before I broke my streak. I'm sharing with you all in hopes to motivate you to start your own streak.... Hoy empieza una nueva vida! Vamos, tu puedes! (let's go, you can do it!)

Toluca - things to know before you come visit

ok folks, based on the feedback given from my friend Kelly last weekend when she visited, I need to communicate a little more about Toluca so you guys know what you are in for when you visit....

first off, Toluca is at an altitude of over 8000 feet. So be prepared that you will have a little bit of a hard time breathing, and may be a little "ditzy" due to lack of oxygen.... for example, you may feel winded by just walking up the stairs or doing other normal activities. I am used to the altitude by now but Kelly felt bad for the first 2 days of her visit here.

Also the climate is sunny and dry here, so you need to drink lots of water to stay hydrated. that also helps with the altitude adjustment. I read some info today online and it is recommended that you should refrain from drinking any alcohol for the first few days until you adjust to the altitude (sorry Kelly, I just saw that today).

The temperature here is in the 40s at night and in the 70s during the daytime, so bring clothing that you can layer. Also, it is very sunny here so it is easier to get sunburned than you think. by the way, most Mexican women do not wear shorts, they do not consider it appropriate clothing to wear out in public. So I would advise you ladies to bring skirts, dresses, and capri pants if you want to wear something other than long pants.

Hope that helps to give you a more comprehensive feel for what to expect when you come to Toluca. You can take a look at the link below for some more general info on Toluca.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toluca

First Day of the Rest of My Life

OK OK, I know that is such a corny saying but it is a true one and I needed to hear it... So I am posting it and a pic to help me remember that things can only get better from here on out...

Today IS the first day of the rest of my life....

Valentine's Day (belated post)

OK
So I am a little behind on my blogging. I wanted to post some pics and info on how I spent Valentine's Day down here in Mexico by myself. I was feeling very isolated and upset that I was away from my boyfriend and not feeling that he was making an effort to be very connected/supportive/romantic with me. I was determined not to be sad that night and the opposite happened - I HAD A BLAST!

I went to dinner with some of the "crazy Detroit" folks that I had met at the hotel. (I met them and we bonded on Superbowl Sunday as we watched the game together in Espanol and without any of the fun superbowl commercials....)

We went to El Parian, nice restaurant in Lerma with a band with a fabulous singer, a large dancefloor, and a balcony overlooking the valley. Very nice atmosphere all the way around. We had a great time talking and dancing in between dinner courses. We started talking with the singer and she was very nice, took her picture with some of the group. She invited some of us on stage with her to sing - my song was the ever popular when you are mad on Valentine's Day choice of "I will Survive"....

New friends from Canada

I made some new friends from Canada that are down here working in Mexico to support a new plant startup. One of them is Dennis, here is a picture of us at dinner together with his wife of 35 years, Barbara. He is a hoot, always has a story for whatever situation is at hand....

The other person in the picture is my new friend from Detroit, Yvonne.

NOTE- I am wearing my new silver necklace and bracelet that I bought in Taxco.... NICE

Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo

I headed for a weekend in the sun i n Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo with my new friend from Detroit, Yvonne. We had a blast, it was the perfect girl's weekend. We flew out late Friday night on Interjet with no hotel reservations. Found a beautiful ocean view room at the NH Krystal and stayed there the next 2 nights. Spent Sat laying out at the pool and relaxing, Sunday we went to the nearby town Zihuatanejo to check out Playa de la Ropa. Very nice all the way around....

Some pics from our weekend:

My first celebrity in Mexico

I met Hector Soberon at the Toluca Diablos futbol game (soccer in english) early this month. he is a very famous celebrity in Mexico, especially with the women. ; - )

He stars on telenovelas (Spanish soap operas).

Of course I had to talk with him in Spanish and tell him about me moving to Mexico for work, etc etc.... he gave me a hug and kiss on the cheek and told me "welcome to Mexico" ; -)

Here's some of his publicity photos if you want to see him all gussied up and in his younger days...

http://www.latinassorti.com/hectorsoberon/album.php

As you can see in the picture, I am wearing my Toluca Diablo Red shirt!
Yo se le voy, le voy a Toluca!!!

Taxco

I went to Taxco on Sunday with the crazy Detroit folks ( I will have to do a separate posting on them). Taxco is the center of the silver industry in Mexico, home to some truly spectacular silver jewelry shopping..... fun fun! it is a 2 hour drive from Toluca, over some hills/mountains and on some windy curvy 2 lane roads. Taxco is a small town with a charming center square, of course the center of the town in the beautiful church in the square. the roads are zigzaggy up and down out of the square, all the roads in the town are like the famous road in San Francisco! it made me very glad that I was not the one driving!
Of course I bought some jewelry for myself - I will post a pic as soon as I can figure out how to upload one.... I also bought a much needed $9 hat to shade my fair skin from the sun.... not to rub it in to all of you, but the weather here is SOOO NICE. Sunny every day and highs in the upper 70's/low 80's.....
After we left Taxco, we stopped and toured the caves outside Taxco. (Grutas in spanish). These are similar to Carlsbad Caverns, with amazing formations of stalagtites and stalagmites. It was a 2 hour walking tour inside the caverns (1 hour in and 1 hour out) if that tells you how far and how big the caverns are.....

San Mateo

I went to San Mateo, shopping area in Toluca, this Saturday with some other folks I met at the hotel I am staying at (more on them later). Imagine several blocks of stalls and shops, selling everything from shoes, jewelry, leather, clothing, handmade crafts, etc. It was almost overwhelming, there was so much to choose from. of course, some things were junk and some were very nice. I bought a handmade leather purse for $35 and I am very happy with my purchase. it was a great day to be outside shopping around.

Best airline ever

Interjet is the Southwest Airlines of Mexico and I am in love with them. In fact, I am changing my occupation to Interjet flight attendant!

They are based in Toluca, my home base here, and fly to a number of Mexican towns for very cheap. I flew them last weekend to Puerta Vallarta (only $150 USD round trip) and was very pleasantly surprised - nice big Airbus planes with leather seats, free cocktails, service in both english and spanish, ontime service with no issues, etc. I had 12 inches of room between my knees and the back of the seat in front of me. I was seated by the window and there was enough room to walk by someone in your same aisle without them having to get up and let me out. I look forward to taking advantage of them being based here in Toluca for some future weekend trips while I am here in Mexico! let's see where all they go..... http://www.interjet.com.mx/Routes.aspx

And the prize goes to....

And the prize goes to Kelly S... she is the first person to book a trip to come see me in Mexico! She will be here over spring break, which also coincides with another 2 Mexican Holidays. I'm very excited and can't wait to have another blond girlfriend here to go hit the nightlife with me...

Kelly will be here March 20-23, so that weekend is taken.

here's some pictures of Kelly, Karra and me from our Oktoberfest trip last fall.

For those that didn't get the email, this was my email update from my first week in Toluca (Jan 6-13th)

http://www.bestday.com/Toluca/
Good website with info on Toluca, Mexico, where I will be living for the next few months.
I had a good first week here, the people @ the site are very friendly. People in general here are very friendly and appreciative of the fact that I am speaking Spanish with them. they tell me my Spanish is very good, so I am feeling proud of that already. There is a lot to do however and it looks like I will be working very long hours though, most nights we left work after 7 pm which they tell me is very common. Day starts @ 8 am like in the US and we only take 1 hour for lunch too, so it ends up being a 11 hour day....ARGH!
As I said, my Spanish is very good and already I am writing and talking with the team in Spanish. Also I did my first negotiation yesterday in Spanish which went fairly well. I was pleased with myself
Hope you all have your passport ready to come visit me. Besides being here in Toluca/Mexico City and covering our new plant startup @ Queretaro, I found out this week I will have responsibility for Columbia as well, and will be traveling there once/month starting in February. My boss said it is very pretty there and would be a good place for family & friends to come visit me.... So let's get some things on the calendar!
Had my first night life experience last night. we went salsa dancing @ a local club. very fun! the club has lessons there on Thursday nights, so a group of us are going to be taking lessons starting next week and then will go back to the club on Friday nights to practice!

Welcome to my blog!

Hello everyone,
or should I say hola buenos tardes? I am creating this blog so that all of you can stay updated with what is going on in my world now w/o me having to send multiple emails, etc.

As you know I have relocated to Toluca, Mexico as of Jan this year for a temporary assignment with RandH. I am working in Procurement and Logistics (en espanol, Compras y Logisticas) supporting various projects in our Latin American Region. Main projects will be supporting the new plant starting up in Queretaro (to NW of Mexico City) and purchasing/logistics projects for our facility in Barranquilla, Columbia.

I just finished my first full week here of the long haul. I was here for 2 weeks in early Jan for a business trip and then returned to Houston for a week to do final turnover with my replacement. I flew from Houston to Mexico on Jan 27th on a one way ticket, talk about a crazy, scary, exciting feeling....

FAQ's:
1. no, I don't have a house yet, still living in a hotel. have looked at acouple of places but haven't settled on anything yet. issue is finding a nice place with furnishings that can properly invoice the company. I expect to be in the hotel thru end Feb at least

2. I get one trip home every 3 months, so my earliest trip home could be at end March. However , I will be applying for my Mexico work permit soon. to do so, I have to turn in my passport with the application papers. so.... trip back home to Texas will depend on the timing for that.

3. My email will still be the same (hgranzin@rohmhaas.com or hgranzin@hotmail.com). My personal cell phone number does work here, however the cost is pretty high to make calls so I am using it sparingly. please use email as primary means of communicating with me. I have a work office with a designated phone number, so let me know if you want that.

4. My office is in Toluca at the Toluca plant site. I will be traveling to our other 2 plant sites that are on the other side of Mexico City occasionally as needed.

5. My cats are in Houston at Jason's house. He is graciously keeping them for me for a while, until I can get settled in down here.

6. YES - please come visit me. I miss you and hope to see you here. You need a passport and you can fly directly to Toluca or to Mexico City (1.5 hours from Toluca by car).

That's all for now. Hope you all are well. I look forward to hearing from you soon
Saludos
Heather