89 Days in Mexico: Reflections

It has been weeks since I last looked at Vox, but it gave me time to reflect on all that I witnessed in southeast Mexico. Before coming here, I went to Acapulco in the southwestern state of Guerrero almost 9 years ago. Acapulco is a very touristy area like Cancún, so I didn’t see much beyond the hotel or the city. How do you immerse yourself in that situation? It’s simple – you don’t. I remember talking with a friend prior to the trip about studying abroad in Mexico, and he jokingly replied, “That’s not abroad”. Traveling through four states (minus Tabasco, which we passed through for ten minutes between Campeche and Chiapas) and practically living on the road gave me a chance to see Mexico beyond the resort.

The experience was incredible and I gained much from it. It was incredible to see the contrasts between towns and cities in the states of Yucatán, Quintana Roo, Campeche and Chiapas. Certain places were very cosmopolitan, especially in Mérida (Yucatán) during our first five weeks and Puerto Morelos in Quintana Roo during our spring break. Mérida exhibited many signs of outside influence with its Wal-mart, fast-food chains, and European-style buildings. Puerto Morelos had a huge expatriate community, which made sense for a resort area, but was not quite at the level of Cancún. The beach at Progreso near Mérida was more touristy than the fishing villages of Río Lagartos and Celestún. San Cristóbal, our final city, retained much of its historical and cultural aspects without completely giving into globalization. Conditions were rugged in the biocultural reserve of Kaxil Kiuic and at La Selva Lacandón, but they gave us the opportunity to see amazing places that would be hard to access otherwise such as Uxmal, Loltun, and Bonampak to name a few. The pyramids and the ruins became more impressive as the trip progressed, and the habitat changed from the karst topography in the Yucatán state to gradually having denser forests down to Chiapas. Seeing and learning about the ruins of Calakmul (Campeche) and Palenque (Chiapas) set amongst the dense tropical forests are memories that I’ll never forget. Chiapas was the most beautiful state we visited, but has the paradox of being one of the poorest states in Mexico, which affects mostly those of indigenous descent. I remembered my research on the EZLN a semester before and could figure out where their angst came from. If I could talk about everything, I’d never stop writing.

Another aspect of me that changed was my ability to communicate in Spanish. I took Spanish for years in high school and college, but you can only get so much out of the classroom. The first weeks in Mérida were intimidating for this reason. Additionally, the people here talked fast (I thought so) which made it hard for me to process information. By the time I left San Cristóbal (where it was easier for me to communicate), I felt more comfortable speaking Spanish. I’ve been able to order at restaurants, use buses or taxis, send boxes to the U.S., and see a doctor in San Cristóbal. I guess those are signs of progress, but I hope to maintain the language months or years after the trip.

            The weeks since the trip were a nice change of pace, but still awkward. We got used to doing so many activities during the 89 days in Mexico and seeing amazing places. It’s hard to peel me from the computer since I look at the photos for minutes or hours. I feel happy to be back, but restless at the same time after getting readjusted to having fewer things happening at home and not being around everyone I got to know. Who wouldn’t feel this way?