Teotihuacan-climbing the Sun Pyramid
I am blessed to have enjoyed 10 weeks in Mexico this year. Thank you to my family, friends, loved ones, and God for making this trip possible and wonderful.
Throughout my study abroad experience, I was unusually aware of my environment. Small things, such as the silver-blue spray paint on my dresser, or the natural sweetness of the mandarins, caught and held my attention. For a while, everyday everything seemed new to me. I moved slowly day to day, trying to take everything in.
There was something majestic about the way Santo Domingo stood, glowing golden rays in every direction. There was something exciting about getting up every morning to catch el camion to class. There was something irresistible about the richness of quesillo. There was something empowering about the politically-charged graffiti lining the streets.
I moved slowly in Oaxaca. I saw a lot and I understood a lot. I appreciated a lot and I questioned a lot. I felt small often. But still, I did not rush. Perhaps for fear of missing the white cochineal turn to pink dye in between my index fingers? Or perhaps for fear of forgetting what it smelled like when my host mom made platanos con crema? Or, perhaps for fear of missing an opportunity to make a new friend? Perhaps for these reasons I did not rush. As a result I learned to slow down my state of being, and this has brought me a peace that I did not know before.
As a third year undergraduate, sister, daughter, friend, coworker, and so much more, I can easily feel overwhelmed with responsibilities. Too often I have felt unable to keep up with all of my duties to myself and to others. Too often I have stretched myself too thin and come out exhausted and unhappy. As things spiraled out of my control, it had been easy for me to resort to anger, frustration, or hopelessness. Unable to see the good in what I was doing, I worked for the sake of work and felt unable to release the tension inside of myself.
While abroad I practiced patience. Mexico was so new to me that I felt compelled to pay very close attention in order to learn my surroundings and feel comfortable. I was attracted to the culture, the people, the land, the food, the language-everything about my experience drew me in and held my attention. I opened my mind to all of this newness. Then, I was rewarded. My most wonderful memories grew from experiencing life, rather than rushing through tasks, during my time abroad. And the greatest feeling of all is knowing that this experience is not exclusive to Oaxaca.
I feel a sense of peace knowing that there is always something to look forward to. While I may not wake up to huevos ranchero every morning, I do have so much around me that deserves my care and attention. My 73 adventures taught me to seek the greatness in all that I encounter, every time.
I am writing this two months after leaving Oaxaca. (We can joke here about how I didn’t rush to finish this blog either but that’s not the point I’m getting at.) I am writing this two months after leaving Oaxaca and I still feel part of that beautiful place with me now. While I am not a perfect, patient person (and likely never will be) I am grateful to still maintain that healthy sense of peace within me, and look forward to continuing to grow in such a positive manner.
So, «Why travel?» There are a million and one answers one could give. In addition to the somewhat cliche responses of wanting world exposure, loving people and food or history and all that good stuff, I have learned something new about myself from my time in Oaxaca. I travel because it forces me to slow down. Being thrust into new environments absolutely requires that I am present at all times and truly aware of where I am, how I got there, who is with me (physically and non-physically), and so much more. As a result I am aware of how small I am and constantly in awe of how blessed I am. With every adventure my world grows. But with every adventure I become more and more conscious and grateful of how beautiful every small detail of my life is.
Mitla
Pues, fue un placer conocerte. Gracias por permitirme compartir mis aventuras contigo, amigo. ¡Espero que vayas a Oaxaca! Y ojalá te agrade como me agrada.
Besos y abrazos,
Caitlyn
a street in Oaxaca
73 Aventuras 