A brief bout of homesickness

So, we're about 6 weeks into this crazy adventure.  And I've been feeling just a bit homesick.  Nothing too serious.   

• A little crabby.^
• Missing a few of my food staples that were easy to get in the US but hard or too expensive here.*
• Feeling a bit frustrated that my Spanish isn't just magically turning into fluency.+
• Just missing family and friends and a place where everything feels normal and doesn't require a lot of extra thought.

I read somewhere that 3/6 weeks and 3/6 months are hard when you move to another culture.  Someone who was a foreign exchange student commented on a personal Facebook post that 9 months is when you really get the new culture, think it's superior, and don't want to go home.  We'll see!  ;)

For right now, it feels a lot like college when the initial excitement has worn off and break seems a long way off or when a new baby comes home and disrupts your whole world.  At this point, we'll keep on keeping on....I'm working on a few projects around the house like a mini-art gallery for the girls, a family calendar and menu board, and some fall decorations.  And I'm really thankful for Skype and the internet access we have!

One of the limited salsa options- $3.50 for almost 16 oz. 
Dave got in trouble for taking this picture and played "stupid foreigner." 
We paid $1.69 for 24 ounces back home.

^ Fortunately, family has been very gracious.
* Foods such as:

• Cheese (crazy expensive, and the standard cheese is nothing like the block or shredded cheese in the states.  Queso fresco is (for our family at least) an acquired taste.  And I really miss the standard cheese that melts into ooey goodness.)
• Salsa (we found it in one store- something like $5 for 8 ounces of Old El Paso brand).  Mostly, it just doesn't exist.  At least I can make some.  You can buy tomatoes, cilantro, onions, limes, and peppers.  It's just a lot more work.  So much so that I haven't actually made any yet.  Maybe I need to teach Flor the wonders of salsa making....
• Corn tortillas (this is more a miss for the fam, but we ate a lot of them in the US thanks to the gluten free diet 75% of us are on).
• Ice cream.  The ice cream here doesn't have cream or milk as a primary (or sometimes any) ingredient.  Instead, it's more like ice milk.  Or vegetable fat and water. Seriously.  Primary ingredient is water, followed by vegetable fat and artificial flavorings.  I don't even eat it, and if you know me, that's saying A LOT.  I miss Breyers.  And Izzys.  And Grand Ol' Creamery.  And any other premium ice cream.  And you can't exactly have someone pack a pint or half gallon.  :(
• Milk.  All they have is UHT (ultra heat treated) milk here.  The girls drink it just fine but it kind of grosses me out.

+ I can get by in regular outings just fine.  But things like the 2 hour required parent meeting at M's school today meant that my brain was completely overloaded and I didn't even get everything they said.  It does give me an appreciation for immigrants.  It's a brave thing to try to get around in another culture.  And I don't even have a job (and still feel like there isn't enough time in the day to focus on language stuff).  I've been talking with Flor (our empleada) and I did a few lessons in Rosetta Stone.  At present, I don't feel like I have time or money to go to a formal language school but we'll see if I feel the same way in a month.