When Gary and I moved to Hobbs in August 2017, we didn’t like the place at all. We had left Taos, green in the spring and piñón-smelling, snow-covered in the winter.  At first, the dry landscape looked depressing, and the lack of mountains or even tall buildings that could be used as points of references disoriented and confused me. Though it isn’t a big town, I would get lost quite often. I tend to get lost everywhere, of course, but during the first months here, it happened more often than usual.

Seven and a half years have passed. I have had time to reflect and conclude that Hobbs has grown up on me, as some people predicted—I didn’t believe it back then.

So what has Hobbs given me for the past seven years?

Security

 I am grateful to have a steady job with all the benefits it entails. I love my NMJC students and the work that we do together. As much as I liked Taos, there was always the nagging sense that it had an expiration date—which, had I stayed, would have been the COVID years, when my three parttime jobs went out the window. Having a steady paycheck, health insurance and my own office means a lot to me now.

New (Cuban!) friends

Many Cubans have settled in Hobbs recently. Last fall, I had three Cuban students in my ESL class. (Before, I would have one from time to time, and not every semester.) Now I have two close friends, Ivette and Richard, and we meet every Friday to celebrate tertulias literarias. And there has been a new addition, Nancy, a Mexican poet.

Now, we are waiting for a Cuban restaurant, or at least a cafeteria, to open in town!

Time to write

Except for Death Comes in through the Kitchen, I wrote all the other Havana Mystery novels here. I feel more centered and have more time to devote to my writing.

Appreciation of a different way of life

It’s a different culture. Different from my Cuban origins, indeed, but also from San Diego, where I spent 6 years; Albuquerque, where I attended UNM and lived until 2008, and Taos. Not many things to do in town but we have Carlsbad Caverns, Ruidoso and Cloudcroft close enough for a day visit.

A simple life. People who are kind and respectful —this is the first place where I heard the terms “sir” and “ma’am” used in real life and without irony.

A new sense of orientation…and time for introspection too

I don’t feel disoriented anymore, despite the absence of mountains and tall buildings. I have learned to look inside for guidance and to quiet my chatty mind. I feel rooted, like this big tree in front of my house.