At the time of writing this (July 5th), it’s been exactly 1 week since I left Mexico. Honestly, I still didn’t transition 100%. Thoughts and memories of places and people still pop up in my mind on a daily basis. Goodbyes are certainly not easy.
I am lucky to have surrounded myself with wise mentors. Talking to one helped me look into my own internal processes regarding goodbyes. I discovered a lot of pain, and hurt, and longing. And of experiences cut shorter than what I’d like them to be.
I won’t dwell on my emotions for too long. It is what it is. Sadness is sadness, and it’s okay. And like any emotion, that too will change and pass. It does help to put things into words and acknowledge them. It makes it easier.
What I do want to do is to reflect on a few things that I observed during my 6 months there.
#1 Mexico is HUGE. Over 100M people live there. I spent 6 months in the Mayan Riviera (Cancun, Playa Del Carmen, Tulum, Isla Mujeres…) This is just a tiny piece of Mexico, and even there I didn’t get a chance to explore as much as I’d like.
#2 Family matters. Mexicans really have a very different relationship with their families that what I’m used to. Get-togethers are frequent and big! The relationships are stronger and more bonded. Most families are huge and have members all over the place. Any city you go to, there is probably a cousin or aunt there. Hell, even in Europe and the US. It’s crazy.
#3 Mexico is dangerous. I’ve heard plenty of stories of killings, shootings and kidnappings. It’s a real thing. I did not feel completely safe walking around in some places. Especially Mexico City, the city center looked dodgy as hell and shady people were all around. So were police cars, on every fricking block! And not your regular policemen either, most of them have bulletproof vests and a machine gun. I appreciate the safety and carefree feeling of Europe a lot more now.
#4 The Caribbean sea is unreal! This is by FAR the most beautiful sea I’ve seen in my life. It’s literally like it was taken out of some movie. It is overwhelmingly beautiful. Such shades of blue (or gradients haha) are incomprehensible. And under the water, the fish reflect the crazy colors. It’s soooo insane.
#5 Mexicans are warm and passionate and chilled out. Despite relative poverty, I’ve seen many happy people. Big, bright smiles on people’s faces. Even when working long days. Now some people would say they don’t work very hard, but it’s all relative I think. There’s music everywhere. Rhythmic music that makes you want to dance and move your body. Everyone can dance there, so much different from us here in Europe.
So yeah. I’ll definitely go back. It’s a great time zone to work with the US. It’s really warm and sunny in the winter. And there are so many magical places I want to discover, and people I want to meet (again).
P.S. Extra point on avocados. Avocados in Mexico are insane. They are extremely tasty and dirt cheap. I miss those sooooo much. 
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