Arriving "Green Light"

The photo is in November 1994 at our last visit with Dr. Edwards in the Bow Island Clinic.

On December 6th, 1994, we landed in Mexico City with three very tired children David (3), Levi (2) and Alex (8 months).

Kelly and Garry Paxman picked us and our luggage up at my mom and dad’s house in Bow Island early that morning and took us in their Suburban truck to the Calgary airport. I didn’t want us to arrive in Mexico City and have to travel to Puebla in the dark. My preference was to see our assailants.

We got everyone out of the plane, through customs with our student visas and then waited at the luggage carousels with two liuggage carts to wait for our 9 suitcases. We waited and waited for suitcase number 9 until we were the last ones there. It didn’t come so we had to leave without it. Everyone was cranky and tired as we inched our way to the exit doors encouraging our kids that we were “almost there” at least for this step of the trip and then to we horror I saw it.

In addition to anyone that might look suspicious, Mexico also has a random selection device that looks like a traffic light – you push a button – if a large green light is illuminated it means you pass without the officials going through your luggage, if its red, they direct you to a long counter to open all of your suitcases to go through everything and then they leave you to put it all back together. 8 suitcases tightly and strategically packed by Wendy and three very tired little boys that have been travelling all day and we have to push the button to get out of the airport. I was praying that it would be green. I don’t remember who pushed the button, but thankfully, it was GREEN!

We hailed two taxi’s to take us and our luggage to the TAPO, one of Mexico City’s bus depots, to take a bus to Puebla. Wendy didn’t speak any Spanish yet but we split up, kids and luggage because we couldn’t all fit into a single taxi. We took the “official” taxis which allow us to buy ticket in advance. I sent Wendy ahead with the two youngest boys. I took taxi #2. I was chatting up my driver when he asked me which of the six entrances to TAPO I wanted to be dropped off at. This was in the days before cell phones. How on earth would I find Wendy and the boys that were with her. Another fervent prayer and thankfully we both arrived at the same entrance. We took the bus to Puebla where a friend of mine met us and took us to a hotel in downtown Puebla for the night. The next day he came back for us and took us to Cholula where we stayed in a tiny hotel room while I searched on foot for somewhere for us to live.

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last updated March 29, 2026