We recently scheduled a little break and headed to Mexico for some much-needed introspection.
Now, I know what you're thinking: "But wait, Mexico? Isn't everything just a hot mess right now? Are you sure it's safe?"
And you're right, it's hard not to think this way when we're bombarded almost daily in the US with news about Mexican cartels.
There are good reasons not to venture south of the border. So, let me share a few of my experiences of just how "unsafe" Mexico is.
During the first part of our trip, we stayed in an apartment located in the historic center of Morelia in the infamous crime-ridden state of Michoacán.
Every morning, at dawn, I went out alone for a three-mile walk. I walked down empty streets and alleys and, through parks, accompanied by stray dogs.
Occasionally, I would pass someone on their way to work, and we would exchange a verbal "Buenos Días" (basically, "Good Morning"). At crosswalks, cars would stop and motion for me to cross, and I would return a thank-you hand wave. Street sweepers (people with handmade brooms, not machines) would stop their cleanup, let me pass, and deliver a "Buenos Días."
I never felt threatened.
In all fairness, I did feel threatened when I walked into an ice cream/cafe shop. Seated was a young man and his girlfriend playing the card game, Uno. I motioned a thumbs-up. In perfect English, he asked if I played Uno and if I would like to join them for a few games - they would love the challenge. My sense of fairness was threatened since I hadn't played in years and probably couldn't give them the challenge they were looking for.
When we moved on from Morelia, an experience occurred in Queretaro that I feel compelled to share.
We were enjoying a late-afternoon meal, just people-watching and soaking in the atmosphere in a large, family-run restaurant in the heart of Queretaro's historic district. An older woman walked into the restaurant and took the table next to ours. As she walks by, she says, "Provecho" (meaning "enjoy your meal" - a phrase used by wait staff and others in the restaurant when they enter or leave and pass your table).
When it came time to ask the waiter for the check, I noticed that the woman was gone, but her purse and scarf were still hanging on the purse rack in plain sight next to the table where she had been seated.
The restaurant was mostly full, and as I scanned the room, I noticed that not a single other person paid any attention to an empty table, claimed only by a black purse and scarf.
Thinking perhaps she had gone to the restroom, I stalled in paying the bill, though my next thought was "Oh no, who leaves their purse at the table, someone's gonna snatch it!"
Then my thought took a different turn: what if she were experiencing forgetfulness? I thought of how panicked she'd probably feel when she couldn't find her purse and or her house keys.
I felt extremely vulnerable about this situation, and put myself in the position of purse guardian; I was NOT going to leave until her purse was in her hands.
So, I went to check the restroom. It was a tiny two-seater, and there was a line. The woman wasn't in line, so perhaps she was behind door number one or door number two.
I returned to our table and waited and waited. After the best bill-paying stall I've ever pulled off—a twenty-minute doozy —I notified the waiter about the purse, scarf, and missing woman. He smiled, assuring me that she was simply in the restroom.
A few minutes later, she returned to the table, and the waiter immediately brought her lunch.
Provecho.
If this took place in (name a city in the US), what do you think would have happened?
As our trip wrapped up and it was time to head back to the US, I felt this knot in my stomach that just wouldn't go away. It was like I was about to dive headfirst into a pool of piranhas! The thought of leaving behind all that tranquility and stepping back into a world that feels so threatening right now, with all the chaos, grief, anger, confusion, and hate? Oof, it was almost too much to bear.
Is it just me, or does the US feel like one of the most unsafe places on Earth lately? It's like I'm voluntarily walking into a haunted house, knowing full well that jump scares are around every corner.
My mantra: Chin up, buttercup! You've got this. And if all else fails, Mexico is right next door, where feeling threatened is real, especially when it involves ice cream and Uno.
Leave a comment