Homeward Bound

Well, the day has finally come. Today is my last day in Mexico. I spent a little more than 10 weeks here, and I can definitely say that it wasn't enough. At the beginning of my trip I had planned on visiting Guatemala and Nicaragua also, but I ended up enjoying every place I visited in Mexico so much that I stayed much longer than I intended. And I still didn't get to see everything I wanted to see. But there's always the next trip! I really am going to miss traveling. I'm going to miss the food, the music, the adventure. I'm going to miss not knowing where I might end up the next day. I'm going to miss that feeling of arriving in a new place and knowing nothing about it, except that I am eager to explore. But most of all I'm going to miss the people. Locals and other travelers alike have been the real highlight of my trip. For me, one of the blessings of traveling is realizing that wherever you go in this life, people are all the same. I've made some really great friends in this trip, some in the least likely of places. Some I never even knew their names.

Rinus Hartsujker, wherever you are... good luck with all those troubled teens. Roan and Jens, what can I say, except: Lucha Libre and the golden lustre of the Dorado! In Guadalajara, Mike and Claudia were my cohorts in the tequila tour. Emilia, you know how much I appreciate everything you and your family has done for me. My stays in Baja wouldn't have been the same without all of you. And I can't forget to mention Tim from El Patron who was something of a mix of an older brother and a cool uncle to me. And Nate and Matthew, when I started this trip I never imagined our paths would cross, but it was awesome to spend time with you guys as always. In Guanajuato, I'll always have my "otra familia" with Sra. Hernandez, Hugo, Cynthia, Juan, Dafne and Osvaldo. Not to mention my friends from the school, Jeff, Katy and Laurie. I still owe you one Jeff, and I'll pay you back even if I have to fly out to Salem. Laurie and I met up again in Oaxaca and she showed me around a bit, including taking me to a Mexican League baseball game. Good times. In Chiapas, I grouped up with Mauro from Switzerland and Kayo from Japan on our jungle trek. They both humbled me with their deft spanish speaking skills. In Morelia, Patzcuaro and later Mexico City I crossed paths with Trevor, a medical student from Tennessee. We were able to enjoy a cool evening of live music in Patzcuaro with a local trobador. In Paracho, I sampled some hand made guitars with a cool fellow from Australia. I never got his name. And finally, I spent my last evening in Mexico City hanging out with a firecracker named Yesbelin, from Venezuela, who swears there are 6 girls for every guy in Venezuela. I wonder if I can change my return flight from Chicago to Caracas??

Although they may not always appear in the blog or the pictures, these are the real stories behind my trip. Meeting all these people is what makes it possible to bear being so long away from friends and family. But they are more than surrogates for the people I miss; some become good friends in their own right, and the rest make up the beautiful collage of memories that I will always have of my time in Mexico.