You Know You Have Been Living in Cancun, Mexico a Long Time When…….

I have been living in Cancun year round since 1995 and it has been quite an adventure to say the least. The below list is in no particular order and is meant to be taken in the spirit in which it was written- musings from a Canadian Cancunense.

I will probably add more to this as they come to me but for now….

You Know You Have Been Living in Cancun, Mexico a Long Time When…….

• When you dream in Spanish and English
• When you have to stop and think how to spell some words in English as the Spanish equivalent is what first comes to mind.
• When you count in your head in Spanish
• When you eat lunch at 2 pm and dinner at 9pm
• When most of your friends sell Time Share
• When you call your day planner an “agenda”
• When you drink cheladas ( beer in a salt rimmed glass with ice and lime) instead of just a beer
• When you go into taco withdrawal while away on vacation in Canada
• When you can play boggle in two languages
• When you have a party that starts at 10 pm and you tell your friends that its starts at 8 pm so that they arrive on time
• When you use your car horn everyday while driving
• When you just tap the brakes instead of coming to a full stop at stop signs
• When you understand that “mordida” means more than just “ bite”
• When you have favourite Spanish songs
• When you kiss people on the cheek when you enter a room even if you have never met them before in your life.
• When you eat “carnitas” for breakfast on occasion.
• When you can’t imagine life without a cleaning lady
• When you start saying “manana” (tomorrow) I will do it
• When you put habernero sauce on everything
• When you put chili-salt on your fruit
• When you start believing that a shot of tequila will indeed cure your cold
• When you have been to a “bruja” who tells you that you have been “cursed” and you pay them money to get rid of it just in case it’s true.
• When you are used to seeing military soldiers walk down the beach in full combat gear and Uzis and you don’t flinch.
• When you yell out your apartment window “ aqui aqui” (here, here) when you hear the water guy, the gas guy, the guy who sharpens knives, the cheese truck, the tamale guy, or just some guy selling something.
• When you no longer notice the pink, purple, blue, mint green or fuchsia coloured houses on your street.
• When you say you have to go to the “super” instead of the supermarket to do your grocery shopping.
• When 15 degrees Celsius is considered really cold and you bundle up in a couple of sweaters.
• When you can pronounce Xel-Ha, Xcaret, Tzintzuntzan and Guanajuato correctly…just to name a few.
• When you use the shoulder on the highway to pass cars
• When you are no longer surprised when your building runs out of water, gas or the elevator doesn’t work for weeks on end