Mmmm, today is the first really sunny and warm day I´ve had since getting to Mexico, and it is certainly lovely. I arrived last night in Oaxaca City after a loooong 13 hour bus ride. Yay for ipods, and friends with good taste in music. It certainly makes a long bus ride a lot better.
Originally I was going take some Spanish classes in Guanajuato, and when I first got there it seemed like a great idea. However, as beautiful as it is, it is basically in the middle of the desert, with not a lot to do around it, and I wanted to be somewhere where I could have some fun activities to do in the afternoon, after my grueling four hours of classes....besides that, what I wanted more than anything was to meet some people I could talk to. It would be kind of like heading to the middle of Montana ;) and hoping to find a lot of people who spoke Chinese, and then wondering why you were lonely. Well, maybe not quite that dramatic, but still. I had become like an English junkie, looking for my next fix. I´d be walking down the street and someone would catch my eye wearing shorts and flipflops, and my mind would race wildly, wondering if they were German or Canadian. I´d hear some American slang tossed around lightly and my heart would race. I was becoming desperate.
One of my favorite days there, I was walking back to my hotel when I passed a girl with a hula hoop slung casually over her shoulder. I immediately did an about face, and being the English\hula hoop junkie that I am, began to covertly follow her. I tracked her for as long as I could before it would be really creepy if she caught me, and then asked her in crazy French\Spanish if she spoke English. Happily, she did and we walked to the zocalo, where we spent the afternoon hooping with these hilarious teenagers. I think there might be nothing funnier than watching ten 13 year old boys try to hula hoop. It was so fun, and really inspiring, because she was awesome. It made me wish so much that I had brought a hoop, especially with 3 months of relatively free time to practice. After spending the afternoon together, she gave me her hoop to use for the rest of my trip! This made me soooo happy. It´s such a fun way to connect with people when you, ahem, don´t speak the language, and I am going to rock by the time I get home...
So, now, I am in Oaxaca City, and am going to start Spanish classes tomorrow. Thank God. I had thought about skipping Oaxaca, because I was here on my last trip about 6 years ago. But really, it was my favorite place from that trip, and I didn´t get to explore it nearly as much as I wanted to. So, at least a week here. I met this great girl, Nina, from Brazil this morning, and we spent the day wandering around the markets and going to some huge beautiful cathedrals. I had been thinking about adding Brazil to the itinerary, mostly because Flora and Lane are there, and meeting her and hearing about some beautiful places definitely pushed me further in that direction. And the dancing too...Maybe a month there?....who knows.
This trip has been so challenging so far (after only one week), and has brought up a lot for me about what independence and being alone means. My first instinct has been to run to wherever my friends are (like Brazil), and do everything I can to be with others. I consider myself so independent, and of course I am to some degree. But I realize that my independence is bolstered in large part by having incredible friends and family and the many things I use to define myself, like my house, my career and even Bernardi (geez I miss that whippersnapper). Taking all of that away, and thrusting myself into hard and uncomfortable situations certainly has brought up a lot for me about who I am and how I present myself to the world. How I WANT to present myself to the world. As much as part of me wants to head off and find my friends, another part of me realizes maybe it´s not quite time for that, and I should explore a bit more by myself before I take that route.
Hmmm, there´s so much on my mind lately that it feels like I have lots to think about. I think I´ll go have a beer with Nina instead.
Love and such,
Kira
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3 comments:
Clearly you are the most adorable creature ever (not comparing with the Bernardies and Fees of this world). I have been thirsting for another update, and you never fail to satiate. It is interesting, life. You with time to think, and me with so little, though I have lots to think about. You are aching for some talk, and I am aching for some quiet. Let's help balance each other out, kay. I do miss you already. I miss your wisdom and your perspective, and always I miss your laughter. I am so happy that you have decided to follow your route to language school, and that you were gifted with a magical hoop along the way. While I wish I were drinking a cerveza con tu y Nina (huh?), instead I get to eat fajitas with Jenya, which also sounds nice. (And smells delicious). Portland is wet, windy, and cold. You would hate it.
Sheesh. Rachel's comment was nearly as fun, smart, and witty as your blog entry. (I wish I'd written that)I'm so glad you are having fun...and hooping your way through Mexico and points south. I mean...how perfect is that?..you being who you are and all.
I love you. mom
hey sis!
what a rockstar you are! i can't wait to see you soon after all this travel nonsense that you and i have been up to is finished in the wonderful portland summer of fun and laughter and friends and long days and warm nights with a glass of vino. cheers and love!
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