Tijuana, I'll miss your tacos

Our tour in Tijuana is winding down.  We have less than 60 days left here now, and yet in a lot of ways, we are starting things all over again.  Jacob started a new school year three weeks ago, and Benjy will start kindergarten in less than two weeks.  New beginnings... and yet, we're wrapping things up and preparing to leave.  It only seems fitting that while marking off the days on our calendar and checking off the millions of things on our to-do lists, I should take a moment to reflect on the good and not-so-good of living in Tijuana.

So without further ado, my favorite things about living in Tijuana (from a skewed foreign service mother's perspective.)

1.  The food.  Ever since the drug cartels scared off the tourist industry a few years back, Tijuana has been working desperately to reinvent itself as a gastronomic destination.  And boy, has she done a good job.  Anthony Bourdain and Andrew Zimmern have both filmed episodes in Baja, because, folks, the food here really is worth a trip south of the border.  From taco stands to fine dining at affordable prices, Tijuana has it all. Your stomach and your wallet will thank you for visiting.

2.  Love of children.  The people here are kind and generous, and the society as a whole loves children.  I can't take my kids to the grocery store without someone touching their heads and telling me how guapo (handsome) they are.  The grocery stores have kid-sized carts to entertain little ones, which is actually sometimes more of a pain than a blessing (and if you've ever tried to control three kids each pushing their own cart through the produce section of a store, you'll know what I mean), but the intentions are good.

3.  Affordable.  While most goods are cheaper and selection is greater in the U.S., services in Tijuana are often better quality and for a more reasonable price.  Domestic help is easily attainable, and while more expensive than other places due to the city's proximity to the U.S., it is affordable.  Dog grooming, car detailing and maintenance, pedicures etc are all much cheaper than in the U.S.  I will miss my $5 car washes.

4. The movies.  While the movies could fall into the affordable category, the movie theater experience in Tijuana is so amazing that it deserves a number all to itself.  If you want to see a movie like a normal person would do--say, in the U.S., you can do so for about $3.  But if you want to be blown away, you have to go to VIP.  The VIP theaters are set apart and feature large black leather loveseat recliners with side tables and service to your chair.  Before the show starts, a waiter will take your order and while the previews are airing, he will deliver your food and drinks to your chair, where you will be comfortably sprawled with your feet in the air.  Whatever you do, though, take a date, else you may end up sitting pretty cozy with a stranger, as I found out while watching The Hunger Games while Chris was at home with the boys.  Awkward.

5.  Perfect weather.  If sunny skies and an average temperature of 72 degrees is not your idea of perfect, then Tijuana is not the place for you, because the weather here really is perfect.  It seldom rains, a hot week has temperatures almost reaching 90, and Mexicans wear parkas when temperatures dip into the sixties. 

6. San Diego.  As her nickname suggests, San Diego is "America's finest city."  From beautiful beaches to abundant parks to gorgeous mountains--San Diego has it all and all the comforts of home.  Whatever you can't get in Tijuana, you can get in San Diego, and it really is just a few miles away.  Whenever you need to escape to the comforts of your homeland, all you need do is cross the border.  However, some days that is easier said than done.  Which leads me to...

My least favorite things about living in Tijuana (from a skewed foreign service mother's perspective.)

1.  The border.  I spend a lot of time waiting in line to cross into the U.S.  It gets old, and the kids and I listen to a lot of books on CD.  It helps, but if you've ever sat with a toddler in a line that's not moving for more than 15 minutes you'll understand how torturous waiting in line can be.  We go to church (because there are no services in English in Tijuana), parks and do most of our shopping in the U.S.

2.  Lack of safe parks.  Tijuana has a few parks scattered around its ill-planned city but finding one that's safe to play at has proven impossible.  Equipment is often broken and outdated and green spaces, in general, are hard to come by.  Packs of dogs run the streets as well, making walking with kids and/or our dog almost impossible.  And so we wait in line at the border a lot.

3.  Schools.  I have talked a lot on this blog about our experiences with schools in both the U.S. and in Mexico.  Neither option is ideal, and unfortunately, the challenges from both have made our time here difficult.  Jacob has returned to a California public school for the beginning of third grade, opting for a long commute and no extra-curricular activities over another year of immersion.  Benjy, on the other hand, will continue at a local school in Mexico, as we felt he wasn't ready for the cross-border commute or the responsibility of keeping up with his important documents.  Plus, his immersion experience was much easier--mostly due to his younger age.  If there were a local school with an adequate curriculum in English, I think I could live here forever.  Except, there is so much of the world left to see. And staying in one place forever kind of scares me.