In Mazatlan, the loudspeaker is the single most common form of mass communication. It is the cheapest, easiest, most effective way to get your message directly to your target audience. Every gas and water truck is equipped with loudspeakers that play a repeating sales message to let you know they are in your area with goods to sell. But the use of loudspeakers goes way beyond the direct vendor-buyer relationship.

And now for the most bizarre twist of events in the continuing saga of our relationship with CFE: our electric bill has gone down – drastically. Our kWh usage has gone up some, from 513 kWh last month to 576 kWh this month. But our bill went from $1,051MXN last month to $368MXN this month. The structure under which we are billed has changed. I don't know what twist of fate or computer malfunction occurred, but I will take it.

The federal electric company, CFE, works in ways I do not understand, and sometimes hurts my brain. Of course, a lot of my confusion stems from the fact that I have NOB sensibilities and ideas about how things should be done. I am sure this will change slowly over time, as I become more integrated into my new home and culture, but for now, I am really annoyed.

Every time we think we are doing well with our Spanish, something happens to humble us. We do pretty well most days, which is what starts to make us think we are stellar students of the Spanish language. But really, most of the times we are speaking Spanish, we are in control of the situation and dictate the flow of the conversation, which means we are usually shopping or eating out.

One of the best things about living in Mazatlan and a tropical climate is the incredible biodiversity around and even in our home. It's something I am simply not used to. In our suburban, planned neighborhood in Fort Worth, which was completely transformed and landscaped by its inhabitants, the biggest wildlife sighting was what bugs were eating my roses. Here, we have daily interaction with animals I never imagined I would be sharing space with.