March Newsletter - Katie in Mexico

Visiting Hours are now over...
Cuernavaca, Mexico Newsletter
March 2008
By Katie

Well, here I am. It is the end of March and this month flew by with two different arrivals of visitors and Mexican Holy Week celebrations. In a couple of days it will be April and I am seeing the fast-approaching end of the year. But before I launch into some of my personal reflections and musings... an update.

At the beginning of March three of my best friends from high school (Katie, Jill and Molly) came to visit me in Mexico. It was a long weekend of fun, travel, girl talk, and reminiscing. We did a whirlwind tour of Cuernavaca and Tepoztlan while also enjoying quality time with some quality girlfriends.

At the end of March my parents and best friend from college, Angie, came to visit. In addition to the tour of Cuernavaca and Tepoz, we also went to Mexico City and the archeological site of Teotihuacan. Once again, it was great to have visitors that wanted to catch a glimpse of the Mexico I know. Although, I have to admit that it is a formidable challenge to explain the experience I’ve had over seven the past months to my visitors who can only come for seven days. It feels limiting, but it is undoubtedly better than nothing.

We ate at some great meals and I ate up every moment with them. We saw the sights and I saw our relationships through new eyes. I am blessed to have such incredible friendships in my life in which we love and support each other while giving each other the freedom to grow and change and seek new paths. It is an awe-inspiring and humbling moment when I realize that we celebrate our differences, embrace the ways we challenge each other, and still love each other with such loyalty and strength.

As always, having visitors is such a blessing and reminds me of the people waiting off stage that are supporting me, cheering me on, and looking forward to seeing me again when I return from this great adventure. However, it is also a balance of maintaining and recognizing my identity as a volunteer in Mexico while also eating out, staying in hotels, and visiting museums. Not only does it take me away from my “purpose” here but it also takes me away from the relationships that I have formed here in Mexico. I love visitors and always will, but I also love who I am and what I do here and I have a hard time shelving that for some vacation time.

By the time I read, reread, edit, reread, edit, reread and finally send this short newsletter, it will be April. April! My departure from Mexico is sneaking up on me and I know that it will come sooner than I can imagine. I am feeling the pulls of being ready to return home, but I also feel my time here flying by. Seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, I am reenergized and ready to pour myself into every moment of these last three months. I am ready to recommit to my work and students and coworkers that bring me such fulfillment. I am ready to plunge back into the friendships here that continue to give me so much life, joy and hope every day. As I enter into April, I take a deep breath, sigh and think to myself, “I am ready.”