My last session. Wowza. I can’t believe I actually made it this far! Slightly dramatic, I know, but my feelings about Cacalote have dramatically changed in the last eight months. EIGHT MONTHS. I’ve been living in Mexico for EIGHT months. Can we just take a moment to give the glory back to God? If you could’ve seen my bank account during my early twenties, seen my personality, my fears deeply hidden under the cover of familiarity, you wouldn’t have believed that I’d be where I am today. But, God. He slowly worked in me, behind the scenes, shaping this new woman from the inside out, piece by piece.
YOOOO. As I’m writing this, I just felt an earthquake. It was super tiny and I wouldn’t have known what it was if my friend hadn’t pointed it out. (It literally just felt like I had been subtly shaking my legs, so not extreme at all.) It’s at times like this when I think, “Where in the world am I?”
Mommy & Me
This year has started out better than I could’ve imagined. God has been so faithful. I spent three weeks with my family, my friends, and on the couch. Bliss. I was able to cross another thing off my bucket list as my mom joined me here in Mexico for a week! She has never been outside of the country before, so it was such an honor to be able to finally show her another part of the world. This has been a dream of mine for years, so to see God orchestrate that desire of mine brought a new level of gratitude and appreciation. My mother is my best friend, so it was a surreal feeling having her join me and being able to show her my second home and introduce her to my friends, family, and church here. Throughout the week, everyone commented on how happy I was. Lol! It made me think, “do I not smile enough?” 😂 We saw whales and dolphins migrating, she experienced the humidity, transportation, horrible cell service, local grocery shopping, traditional food, and so much more. We would give each other highlights of the day and her #1 continual response was that everything I had described on the phone made sense now. I randomly got sick for two days and having my mom just being there with me was way better than seeing dolphins jump out of the ocean. If you ever live abroad for a long time, I highly recommend bringing your best friend.
Nivel 4
I made some core, lifelong friendships in the last few months. One of my favorites is with Alaina. I first called her the Wild Card, because she “randomly” showed up to start Level 2 and planned on staying through Level 4 with her husband and their dog. But sometimes, God has other plans in store. After prayerful consideration, they knew God was calling them to help their family in another part of Mexico for the remainder of their time here. My other classmate already left for his mission after Level 3, so what started off as an exciting anticipation to graduate with one of my best friends, ended up being little lo’ me, all alone. If you know me, you know I’m a talker. I enjoy being with people and doing life with others. I thoroughly enjoy school, but I don’t learn at the same pace as others. I quickly pushed back the tears because I refuse to let the devil push any more negative thoughts towards my time here. I chose to see the good. One on one time with my teachers has been the biggest blessing in disguise that most students here don’t receive unless they get tutoring help. I learn new material every other day and I ask a LOT of questions. On my last grammar midterm, I received a 99% and was BLOWN AWAY. I’ve never received a grade that high on an exam IN MY LIFE. I miss my friends dearly and feel a little cheated that our time was cut short, but the Lord has provided so much for me academically alone that has showed me He still watches over me, even when I do feel alone.
Random Things
My friend, Hannah and her sister visited for two weeks (she was my closest friend and housemate during Level 2). My adoptive family (from Level 1) came back so their daughter could do Level 2… which is a surreal feeling because now I’m translating for them and we started at the bottom together. My new housemate is from South Korea and he often says things like “I don’t know anything about the black community, can you teach me?” and “I’ve never met any American like him before.” (For context, he knew five Americans prior to this conversation. LOL) He agreed to make me ramen if I buy the stuff and I’m teaching him slang words. It’s a pretty good deal if you ask me!
My hair is growing so much and this rate, I just want to chop it off again. Mango season is approaching and I’m just praying the tree in our yard will produce ripe fruit before I leave. My bathroom smells like sewage every morning and it’s TERRIBLE. I kept forgetting to by a silicone drain cover on Amazon because it takes forever to arrive here and I haven’t found a store that carried one until recently and praise God it was only $2 USD. It legit made my week! I discovered that I thoroughly enjoy night swimming at the beach, but maybe don’t go with three people who heavily depend on their glasses to guide you through the jet blackness of the night.
I’m ending my journey with 476 tortillas consumed over the course of 222 days in Mexico. I planned a Galentine’s Day party for the Spanish school ladies and we had an absolute blast! My friend made crepes and we spent the morning laughing and getting to know each other a little better. I sold my bike, Honey, to my friend here who recently taught herself how to ride one a few weeks ago (I helped a little at the beginning, but not much)! I went to use the bathroom in a trusted store (very clean, you don’t have to pay, toilet paper is provided, and has air conditioning) but they’re no longer a trusted facility. Last week, there weren’t any toilet rims (starting to think there never are at this place) and the lights went off while my friend and I were still in there. Not a fun time.
We did a bioluminescence swim a few weeks ago and I’m happy to report that my mermaid powers were officially activated that night. It was SO COOL. I can’t give you the technical terminology behind it, but basically, when the water is disturbed, it glows blue and attaches to anything in the water. When you swim, your body is blue, the fish were blue, my hair was blue… EVERYTHING WAS BLUE. The Spanish school director said it was the best he’d ever seen. So so so cool.
La Pluma Hildago
When I first read about all the Spanish school had to offer, I saw that they take a trip to a coffee plantation every year in January. When I decided I was indeed staying for Level 4, being excited for the coffee field trip would’ve been an understatement. Early on I learned that we also visit a pottery shop and you’re able to see how things are made and even purchase items. Ceramics will always a huge portion of my heart, especially after I learned how to do it in college. I was like a kid in a candy shop, looking left and right, wanting to touch everything and nothing all at once. I purchased some statement pieces and we spent the night in a small mountain village and it felt like I was in a movie. At night, we walked downtown and just enjoyed the atmosphere, coffee and bread aromas filling the air around us. In the morning, I woke up at 5:30am, sat in a hammock, and watched the sun rise from its slumber. We spent the morning learning about how coffee was made, saw their process, and were able to purchase beans of our own. Hands down, one of the best weekends here.
But that’s not truly life with OMG. Oh, no. Don’t forget, I’m still in Mexico after all. What I didn’t mention was our van breaking down on the way there. Or the fact that it’s a one lane highway, at the absolute worst part on a dangerous and twisty road with cars driving 80+ mph right in front of a blind spot. After finally falling asleep in our very hot van, I woke up to our driver on the phone telling the others that our van wouldn’t start. I look down and there’s ants all on me. Why? I have absolutely no clue. (Side note, why are ants so obsessed with me?) After 40 minutes, we decided to cram everyone from my vehicle to three others and towed the 15 passenger van to the closest town. Traveling back, the van still wasn’t fixed, so we fit all 32 people in a van, a truck, and a car and we rode like that all the way home for five hours. The worst part was when we’d hit a speed bump, but that felt like it was only every 10 minutes or so.
La Gente
I love Puerto Escondido. My church is there, the markets and large grocery stores are there, and most importantly, the variety of food. My friend and I were headed home a little later than usual after eating and couldn’t decide if we would use the bus company she preferred or the one I preferred. We went with hers because she claimed it was closer, but this company is notorious for making the foreigners pay extra. We showed up to no space available to sit, but with the uncertainty that another van would come this late, we needed to get home. So, my friend sat in the middle between the driver and passenger seat, while I stood in the aisle… with three other men. Before we took off I heard two couples discussing something intense, but could only comprehend “girl”, “boy”, and “make space”. All four shifted in their seats and made a small gap for me to be able to sit. All five of us were uncomfortable, but I was no longer standing. That was one of the most uncomfortable 40 minutes rides I’ve ever experienced here, but it was still better than standing! The kindness of a stranger is not lost in Mexico. They care. They protect. They are quick to give up their comfortability if it means helping someone in need. In that moment, I was once again reminded why Mexico will always be part of my definition of home.
It’s almost time to go. At this rate, I’m counting down the hours and it’s a weird feeling. I think I’m in denial that my journey at the school is coming to an end. Sorry the update is later than usual, but between taking a break from socials and trying to be present here, so much happened that it was hard to choose the best (and worst) things to share. To answer the #1 FAQ over the last 10 months, no. No, I have absolutely no clue what I’m going to do with my life after I leave. I know I’ve changed, and so has my heart towards a lot of things I was once passionate about. It feels weird. The possibilities are endless and part of that scares me because for so long, I felt that my life was limited. I’m still support raising for the remaining $100 of my tuition here so if you feel led, you can click here to be directed to the different money share options.
“What do you want to be true of you during your time in Mexico?” My friend asked me this shortly after I arrived and I never answered. I never knew how! But, my actions spoke for me. I hope that I took time to be still; that I loved my neighbor first. I hope that my friends here felt free to be comfortable around me. I hope people saw His goodness and love radiant through me and thought, “wow, there’s something different about her. She is truly happy.” Everyone said I was going to love it here and I wasn’t going to want to leave. I never denied it, because I knew that already. What I wasn’t expecting was the deep connections I made so quickly with others I barely knew. Many have come and gone in the last eight months. Many have stayed. What I love and cherish the most about Mexico are the people. My answer will always be the people. Now, I’m about to move back and start a new adventure with no clue where I’m headed, but at least now I’ll be able to be confused in two languages! Just as it takes nine months for a child to be born into this world, I feel as though the Lord has been preparing me the last eight months for something greater than I could imagine, or accomplish, on my own. As this final month approaches, I only have one thing left to say:
A Dios sea la gloria.
Officially one degree hotter (or whatever these kids say nowadays),
Olí
PS, I can’t upload the photos I’d like to share, so check out my Instagram @lifewithomg for all things colorful and vibrant.
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