We did it!

I have been completely in shock that we actually pulled it off! Dave and I will be talking or driving somewhere and it suddenly occurs to me that we are living in Mexico. It feels like waking up from a dream and finding out it is real and I'll spontaneously announce, "We did it! We are in Mexico!" 

Our first night in Cholula!

After 8 full days on the road with two dogs and three cats, we arrived in Cholula, Mexico in the state of Puebla, on Sunday October 18. We hired a company to help us get through the border and drive down with us all the way to Cholula. It went very smoothly at the border and we were grateful to have hired someone fluent in Spanish for that part! I confess I was a little anxious about having all the right paperwork for all the pets and ourselves and car, but we were fine! It was surprisingly easy!

We have spent the week decompressing from the journey and gently exploring the town and surrounding areas as we look for where to buy the supplies that we need to settle in. We have had lunch out with a friend and even hosted a friend for dinner already and started looking for a long term rental. We are currently in an Airbnb for two weeks just to have a place to land while we visit potential rentals in person. 

The dogs are adjusting surprisingly well to the cacophony of dogs they can hear over the fence surrounding our airbnb. There are fireworks that happen at random intervals all day and night and our Great Pyrenees, Bo, is handling it all with grace we didn't know he was capable of! Our three cats are bonded together tighter than ever after spending so much time in close quarters and dare I say, the naughty cat is 100% using the litter box since we hit the road. It is an actual MIRACLE! 

Bo normally hates the car but was a real champ and just slept all the way to Mexico snuggled in among boxes and stuff. He had his little Ryobi fan and his cooling mat back there and window shades so he couldn't see out and get nervous.

Sunny normally loves the car, but 8 days was too much for his little self. He was starting to get depressed. 

The cats peeking out from their pop up tent set up in the back of the car.

Unfortunately, Porter is feeling homesick and has developed hives on his arms from stress, but we are trying to help him work through this normal, but uncomfortable phase of adjusting to a new country. We are providing a mix of exploration of our new town and comforts he knows from home. We went out for pizza last night and played poker together after driving around and seeing a potential rental place. He completed his interview on Tuesday this week and is beginning his new 12 month long homeschool high school program soon through Global Village School (online). I am hopeful that having the predictable routine of schoolwork again will help him feel more settled. 

Snapshots around Cholula this week. The volcano view is from our airbnb balcony!