¡Hola, compañeros!

Two weeks down and I seem to be coming out of the “adjustment period.” After an extremely disorienting week where I was bombarded by a new language, new customs, and new people, I finally feel like I’m starting to find my place in this beautiful country.

The adjustment, which began after a long conversation with a friend who is somehow always able to remind me who I really am, continued with persistent effort. It’s been important for me to make time for the things that center and ground me, the things that bring me back to myself. Coming to a new place, where nothing is familiar and there is no comfort zone to cling to, I’ve felt like it would be easy to lose myself in the abyss of the unknown. I don’t always handle change very gracefully.

Yet the tools work!

And sometimes, time just takes time.

With the help of my camera and a conscientious effort to remain positive, life has taken on a familiar rhythm. I’m beginning to find a new comfort zone, one within myself. In the mornings, I follow a regular routine. I wake up, brush my teeth, get dressed, and then go to the kitchen where my host mom has prepared breakfast. After a quick plate of fresh fruit and coffee, I head to the bus stop, where I will catch a bus for a meditative, hour-long bus ride to the university. Now when I smile at people, they smile back (or perhaps they always did… I hear attitude shapes experience, so who knows). I spend 4 hours in Spanish class and now when I leave, I don’t feel completely drained and like I need an immediate nap. In fact, I can talk in Spanish for hours and not get tired! Usually, I return home for comidas and then head to the local coffee shop to get on my homework. Sometimes I spend time in El Centro with my tutoras, touring the local art museum and learning more about Mexican history.

This past weekend the study abroad group took an eventful trip to De Jefe (Ciudad de México), where Murphy’s Law was in full effect. First, we spent hours lost in the pyramids of Teotihuacan and afterward some students got food poisoning from the chicken at a local restaurant (which is just one more reason I love being a vegetarian!).

That evening, we were unable to reach our hotel because of the protest that was blocking the doors. We finally made it to our hotel, but the next day, during a trip to the Palacio Nacional, one of the badges for our group went missing, and the armed guards wouldn’t let us leave! Apparently the badges are a National Security issue, (not enough for them to keep track of the numbers or anything, but enough for them to keep us trapped for an indefinite period of time). Eventually, after about an hour and a half hanging out in the jardín, they let us leave. I still don’t know if they found the badge, realized it was a miscount, or were just waiting us out to see if one of would break and admit we had thrown it away, but we were relieved and hungry!

After that fun time, we visited the Museo de Frida Kahlo, which one of the students missed because of a nice trip to the hospital to get 13 stitches after she cut her leg on a spear (Yes, a spear — another student had bought it as a souvenir for her family), and then, when the student finally got back from the hospital, our bus wouldn’t start. It was fun to watch a tour bus get a jump from a taxi. Ultimately the adventure, which started in frustration, ended in our laughter and complete acceptance that we just couldn’t control things.

So later that night when we couldn’t catch a taxi and had to walk home, we just enjoyed the walk.

It’s been a beautiful, messy, painful experience learning to let go and enjoy the ride; to let things be what they are and to learn to trust myself to handle whatever comes up.

I’m feeling ready for the next adventure!