Traveling Soul

November 20th-22nd, 2015 I'm burning on the blazing sun in mid-November; the temperature here is something that I still have not gotten used  to. Keaton and I are waiting for our taxi ride to meet up with the rest of the rest of the International Student Embassy group for a trip to the Real de Catorce for the weekend. We split the cab drive there and for the first time since I've been here, I bought some groceries for the long six hour ride on the bus. Everyone is excited, the sounds of laughter and a multitude of different languages fill the air. I'm exhausted from the lack of sleep from the previous night and the whole week because I had a 2-hour long presentation in my Art History class. We arrived in the evening, making stops at convenient stores for bathroom breaks and snacks. Finally, we meet up with the rest of the group from the Monterrey at the place, the total comes up to over 50 international people. Once everyone has arrived, we squeezed into the back of pic...

7:00 A.M. 15 minutes before we were supposed to all meet up for our last excursion together, I jumped up out of bed. The light beeping sound coming from my Mexican phone was too easy to ignore and thankfully, I had packed the night before. I rushed downstairs, chugged hot chocolate down my throat, burning it along the way, and grabbed my plastic bag that would be my breakfast instead of lunch. After finally meeting up with the rest of the group, we hustled into the van, claiming spots that would remain ours for the rest of the trip. We were missing Tina and I had a bad feeling that she had overslept. We waited for 30 minutes, hoping that she would magically show up. No one had a number that she could be reached at, so her host mom was contacted, then came Vero and without a lot of options left, we took off. No one was feeling superb that day, but we trekked through and had lunch at a market. I had colda de camaron thinking that the hot broth would soothe my aching throat and clear...

Whatever is holding you back from attending that information session, from starting an application, from participating in one of the most life-changing experiences, let it go. Let go of your fear of leaving the country, of being in a foreign land, of moving away from all of your close friends and family. Let go of the person that is telling you to stay because they can't "live without you", let go of the mindset that you have of any particular country, and open your mind to the new possibilities that exist when you choose to study abroad. Now is the time to make all of the hurtful, unintentional mistakes in your life, to live for yourself and for your community, to go out in the world and learn about a culture that isn't your own, a language that fascinates you and to connect with people from every corner of the globe. It's been over a month here in Mexico and I have already learned more than I could ever in a classroom. Sunday the 4th of October, I was feeling...

If only I could put the feelings and thoughts of this weekend into words, to express the gratitude, the enlightenment, the pure bliss that I felt, I could then transcend the experience without having to say anything. Perhaps only similes could do it justice. Like the feeling of being suspended in the air for less than 5 seconds when you bungee jump. Like the sound of the ocean waves crashing against the rocks on a stormy day. Like the first time his soft lips pressed upon you, sending shivers down your spine. Like the start of a new day when everything is whole again. Like the freedom of a bird who escapes its cage. Like the selflessness of the moon that gives to the sun. Like the innocence of a young child learning to ride a bike. Like the sensational touch of mother's love. Like the taste of fresh coffee on top of the mountain during a morning sunrise. Like the earthy aroma of rain drops watering the plants after a dry season. This was one of the most incredible week...

And somehow, while I was at my favorite cafe (in the whole world), a guy named Marcos approached me about wanting to learn and practice English led to meeting a girl named Abigail (who speaks fluent English and Spanish and is learning French) that was part of an organization that was putting on a dance for international students and she introduced me to a guy named Paco (who was born and raised in Queretaro and is studying to be a musician) who gave my girlfriends and I a ride to the event where we met many more beautiful souls. My favorite thing about traveling (along with so many incredible moments) is the connections, the people, and the experiences that you create with them. Like fleeting moments, forever lost in translation and expression, they are purely captured by those who were there. At the event, I met a guy named Florent, who took me back to Cambodia...having been there himself and living in Laos for 8 years. But his dad's a French doctor and his mom was born in Madagas...

Going on a towel scavenger hut was a blessing in disguise. The strangers that we met while doing that are to this day, still our friends. Roberto and Eder are their names. The following day, they took us to San Miguel, another beautiful town. We took a taxi to the bus, an hour bus ride to the city, and then a bus to the downtown area. I love using the public transportation system in another country, it makes me feel accomplished, but of course, we had a lot of help. The bus station was the first place that I had seen where we had to pay (5 pesos) to use the bathroom. When did necessary needs such as using the bathroom become a privilege? Granted, 5 pesos isn't a lot, but if you had to choose between using 5 pesos for the bathroom and saving it for food, the choice becomes a battle between two needs....Speaking of privileges, the water here (as been warned by many) is not safe to drink. I had a similar problem in China, but for different reasons. The water in China contained metal t...

The people here are something else....they are all so incredibly nice. A couple of days ago, my girlfriends and I signed up for a gym near my house and it required that you either bring your own towel or that you buy one in order to clean the equipment that you use. Of course, when we were signing up, they didn't have any. We went on a search to find a store, but the one that was recommended by my host mom was closed. So we did the most logical thing possible, we asked some strangers on the road. It turns out that one of them is also an exchange student here. They walked us all the way to the store, which was pretty far away, and then they walked us back to our gym. The other day while taking the public bus, I met a girl who turned out to be a teacher for the same school that I was attending. She helped me navigate which bus to take and which stop to get off. This complete immersion, although difficult, is exactly what I need. I can feel myself improving, slowly but surely, every d...