Not a routine at all

In 12 days it will be a year since the kids and I left Mexico to meet Ru in England. The first few weeks went by quickly, Ru was on vacation and I was settling down in our new life. As it was "the beginning" , it seemed normal not to have the most basic things, such as a kitchen knife or a soup pot. Days went by and I said to myself  "those things are obvious, you're just setting up your house again". So, we spent the first few days "shopping" , it was a holiday atmosphere, relaxed, nice. So, since we were always really busy, I did not  have a chance to think of other things. Along came January and both Iñaki and Ru started school. I was housebound with Iker. The lack of activity brought a terrible feeling, I was bored and feeling sorry for not doing anything, a bit afraid of what would happen, annoyed being at home all the time. So I started looking for activities for Iker as a great way to "take myself out". Eventually, I discovered some fantastic services available for families with young children around York. That's how we started to fill our schedule: Monday the group of toddlers in Heslington Pre-school (next to Deramore Primary... that I keep mistaking by Voldemort Primary); Tuesday every fortnight to library bus, each kid can get up to 25 books, so you can imagine we get new books all te time. At noon, Iker goes to Heslington PRe-school for two and a half hours, that gives me some time on my own at home, which I usually use to tidy up; Wednesday in toddlers group at Little Badgers, that's my favourite because I have met really nice moms and dads from around here, they're all very friendly and always willing to learn something about Mexico and teach me something new about the UK, their traditions, the weather, comedy, regionalisms, etc; Thursday at the University Family Network, a chance to meet my neighbours, have coffee, learn a bit more about them, talk about the needs of the community, share the same feeling of homesickness, solving conflicts among kids... while the GSA girls give us a hand looking after the little ones. Every fortnight, also on Thursday, the visit to the toy bus, the excitement of new toys to bring home is incredible super fun!; Friday, day of singing in Song Box, oh I love the group, I've learned so many nursery rhymes, I've made friends with other moms, and I get to sing without being stared at LOL. Now in the Family Network I've started to feel useful, with problem solving meetings, thinking of ways to improve the well-being of the community is really rewarding,talking about our cultures, exchanging recipes, patting each other in the back for being great supportive moms and housewives. Then Iker started going to Little Badgers three days a week... I started wondering what I would do with all my "free time" and just then, I got an email with an invitation to Korean courses and I said "why not, at least that will help me keep my brain active" so on Tuesday night I started going to classes 6-8 PM. Later on, one day parents were invited to attend the annual meeting at Iker's school, where they asked for volunteers to participate in the committee. And guess what? I signed up. Meetings are on a montly basis, report the budget, fundraising ideas, decisions about what needs to be bought and what not, and so on. On another given day, Iñaki's school issued a letter asking parents to help with the "reading leaders" projects, and I said "I have plenty of free time, why not?" so I signed up too for Tuesday mornings. Because there are people in Mexico who know that I'm also a translator, from time to time I get a translation or proofreading job, some requested in advance, other with extreme urgency. As an extra income the job is always welcomed and I love doing it, even though sometimes it means not  sleep for two or three days . More recently, my good friend Blanca, (aka Lobuki) is helping me fight obesity and has kindly offered to support me setting workouts that make me sweat blood, that's in the days when Iker goes to school, so there are no interruptions and I can exercise, I fell great. Quiet Fridays are days of hanging out with my "boyfriend", we will have coffee downtown, we go for a ride on our bikes, if needed to, do the shopping...easy. I almost forgot, there is also room in our lives for the beloved Doña Mary, which not only makes the most delicious meals for my family, sometimes she likes to share with the Mexican community, with a few "regular customers" who gladly pay for a taste of their country and helps folks not to miss home so much. Next year we expect something interesting, I have proposed teaching Spanish within the activities of the Latin American Society of the University of York, loved the idea and I look forward to beginning the lessons ... And to think that when we first arrived I thought I was going to be boring "housewife". I know that being only at home is not my thing, neither socializing all the time, I get bored. The options that can be combined with work from home are varied, entertaining, interesting, enriching ... at this moment I am happy with what I do, I could not ask for more. Eventually, other things will come up when Iker starts school everyday from 9 to3, then we'll cange again our routine, always looking for something new to learn.