Well, here it is... my very first foray into the blogging world. I told my good friend I had decided to start a blog and immediately I felt like I was playing paintball with my nephew. What is your blog about? Splat. I haven't decided for sure. What is your focus? Splat. I don't know. Well, what are you going to write about? Splat. Hell-ooo, I said I'm not sure. How often are you going to write? How are you going to get readers? What is your design like? Are you going to post pictures? Splat. Splat. Splat. Splat. Uhhh... maybe this wasn't a good idea.
Seriously... Is blogging really that complicated? I thought I could just type in some thoughts, insert some pictures and share it with friends. Now I find out that is a whole science behind it. A standard. Even awards for blogs! I'm 29... I straddle the X and Y generation, the two most tech savvy groups alive and I feel like my dad - who turns 68 tomorrow (Happy Birthday Daddy) is starting to teach ME about the internet. A disturbing thought since he didn't even understand email until about 9 months ago and I've been on the internet since 1994. Now he shops ebay, google earth's properties, checks emails more than I do... crazy. At least I can still beat him in a typing contest.
In truth, I had thought about the topic of my blog. I chose the name MNandMexicoMix with the intent of sharing some stories about my mixed marriage. I am a true Minnesota girl. Grew up on a dairy farm that I truly believed didn't have an odor, lived in a rural community where everybody knew everything about you, had about 50 family members within a 25-minute drive, ate hotdish instead of casseroles and, apparently, I have a very distinct Minnesota "O-hh" which I wasn't aware of until I went to college and was told by all my charming new friends. =)
My husband is also from a small town... about 2000 miles south in Morelos, Mexico. His family farm was full of vegetables and fruits (which smelled better than my cows, I'm sure), information about people in town spread as fast as the wind could blow, he had 10 family members in his own house all the time, ate tortillas with every meal, and can speak Spanish like he's in fast forward.
Different countries, different cultures, meeting and marrying here in Minnesota. Our journey together these past 6 years has been filled with communication speed bumps and cultural adjustments. Probably there is just as much compromise and understanding in our relationship as in any other. The thing that I believe is different in a mixed relationship is the heightened level of tolerance and acceptance that is neccesary, not only by each of us but by our families.
There are many anticdotes about our learning process I planned on using this blog to share and hopefully benefitting others in our situation. My husband and I recently met a couple that mirrored our situation and spent an evening with them. It was amazing how similar our experiences with each other and our families were. In fact, we had so many of the same stories to share that it was a little eerie. It was a wonderful pleasure to spend time them and laugh over the challenges we've all overcome and muse over the ones in our futures.
The cultural differences between a Minnesotan and a Mexican are very real but not insurmountable. We are having fun figuring things out and look forward to the next few months of traveling.
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