Visiting Mexico

Having grown up an hour from the border I never really felt the need to go down to Mexico.  I could get the great food around the corner, the culture is prevalent here, and there is a huge swap meet full of bargains.

I don't speak Spanish well, although I understand it if it's spoken slowly and simply. The border was a hassle the one time I  went before passports were required and now since the law changed and I never got my passport I never bothered to go back.... until yesterday...

Nogales is beautiful, the food is good, literally everything is for sale and almost all the prices can be haggled over. More than that, the people are kind and friendly.  Even with all this I was reluctant to go through. I was afraid that without a passport I wouldn't be allowed back in the country. With a week and a half before we leave for Illinois what would I do if I got stuck in Mexico?

Obviously, we went anyway, and this is why: cheap prescription drugs. When we leave Arizona I lose my insurance. Hopefully I will find a decent job quickly when we move, but I can't be sure. I'm diabetic, insulin dependent. My doctor here gave me prescriptions to take and get filled when we move, but without insurance, it's more than we can afford.

For less than a one month supply would cost here, I got a three month supply in Mexico. We were also able to pick up a couple months worth of Valley Fever medication for our puppy!

We got post cards for our nieces, we bought a couple dresses for the baby, we had lunch, shopped and generally acted like tourists. We took lots of pictures. Everyone stopped us to smile at our baby and tell us how pretty she is. The waitress who served us lunch just had to hold her and hug her. We had a great time.

With slightly sore feet we walked back to the border. We got in the line for people who didn't have passports and I was so nervous. No passport and a purse full of prescription drugs.... I did have my birth certificate and the prescriptions and luckily that was enough. With very little hassle, our family and our drugs were back in the states.