Sometimes a sight, a smell or a taste of food might remind you of the country of your birth. I had that feeling tonight and it took me by surprise. I loved living in New York, but after 66 years, I had enough of the cold and snow and vowed that upon retirement, I would buy a house somewhere, anywhere, where I would never have to see snow again. It just so happened that after years of volunteering here I decided that Colima would be my new forever home. When it gets really, REALLY cold (for Mexico), we will see snow on top of the volcanoes, but never in our village.
Right now it is the beginning of the rainy season here in Colima, Mexico. It barely rained a few nights ago, but every evening and into the night we have rolling mist. Heavy mist that reminds me of ocean waves. The air is cool and you can feel the moisture on your skin.
Tonight I was looking up at the sky, and suddenly had the same feeling I had in the past when it was snowing in New York. The air is cool, the sky is white, and there is absolute silence in the air. Not a single sound can be heard.
Of course, I am in a completely different climate, with foliage that can never be mistaken for New York State, but for the time I was standing outside, my mind was back in New York looking at the sky and experiencing the silence that accompanies a soft snowfall.
mex-pat.org 
The sensations of home pull n the heart strings. I, too, have grappled with staying in the north – snow country, yet never made the move. I am tethered to family and a love of the woods. I also taught Spanish for my entire career, including leading student trips to other countries and wondering what it would take to stay. So, my experience has been the opposite. The taste of lime, the sounds of tango, salsa or ranchero, the glimpse of a flowered patio. . .
I do admire your major move to your forever home. I look for ways to do this winter – differently. Enjoy!
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Thank you, Jan. For me, there was no tether to my family. My family is scattered throughout the entire United States, from north to south and east to west. Though, I did consult with my children before I moved, and they reinforced the notion that we are so scattered anyway that it doesn’t make a difference and I should do what makes me happy. The only difference is that they need a passport to visit me, and I need a passport to visit them. On January 10, 2016, when my plane landed in Mexico one month after retirement, I had the overwhelming feeling that I was home.
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Que suerte! Gracias por tus palabras. I was in Mexico last November – Oaxaca with Spanish Language Institute, a school in Cuernavaca that I have participated with since 1985. From your writing, I feel the contentment. Bravo!
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