¡Bienvenidos Familia!

 The much-awaited day is finally here. The Redline Fam has fled the country, under cover of darkness, and is in MéxicoMéxico (as compared to CancúnMéxico). As you can see, they are thrilled to be here.

But really. This is so exciting. Despite the fact that this is my 5^th semester away from home, I still haven't gotten used to that adrenaline rush of seeing my family waiting in a terminal. I always think that I'll maintain my composure, walk calmly towards them, and not make a scene. I always end up skittering across some slippery tile floor and crash into the nearest family member, my coordination completely lost in the flood of emotion and joy.

After recovering a bit from their long journey and dumping the luggage at the hotel (which happens to be right on the bus route to our favorite Wal*Mart and favorite hospital. Win.), I shuffled my poor bewildered family off to my host family's house, where breakfast awaited them. We had a surprisingly successful conversation featuring Mama Olivia's limited English, Mama Redline's limited Spanish, Charlie's complete lack of language skills (don't worry, he has been officially dubbed Carlos), and Sam's Latin contributions. Who knew that the Spain-Spanish word for swimming pool comes from the Latin for pond? Sam did. Despite huge plans to wander through Puebla and take in a night of lucha libre, the travel-weary Redlines had other ideas. Between Dad's stomach ache + chills and everyone else's 3 hour nap, we didn't roll out of the hotel until the sun was gettin' low. Not unlike Flo Rida.

The Redline Fam should get Purple Hearts for Bravery because they followed me all around Puebla, rarely doubting my navigation. Even after I admitted that I wasn't really sure which bus we should take home, took them to a sketchy market to score some cemitas, and marched them right past some riot police. After 5 months in Mexico, this all seemed pretty cotidiana to me. Not until we got back to the hotel and I saw their shocked faces did I realize that this was quite the immersion experience. Over super cemitas we replayed the events of the last few hours and I joined in their wonder over the friendliness of Pueblans, the strange contents and arrangements of mini-shops, and the whole pig's head that we saw in the market.

It's a completely mind-boggling experience to share this city that I've come to consider as a home-away-from-home with new guests. Not only have they never been here, but they don't speak the language. The bossy big sister in me is loving every minute of it. The exhausted traveler in me keeps looking to my parents to make decisions, only to find them looking back at me expectantly. The itty bit of mexicana in me never wants to leave.

And the homesick little girl in me is subconsciously counting down the days until I can open that front door, drop my bags, and breathe in the scent of home.