Bienvenidos

I have two BIG loves in life: Billy and the Spanish language. Until now, they were two different worlds, two different parts of who I am.

Somewhere around high school, I developed a passion for the Spanish language and learning about Hispanic cultures. The language came easily to me, and the music made me want to dance. I developed a girl crush on Shakira and had all but convinced myself I was supposed to be born LATINA! I studied abroad in Spain and always imagined I’d move back there or to a Latin American country. My plan was to settle down into some exotic lifestyle, teach English, and probably marry a guy named Jose or Felipe (sorry, Bill haha.)

When I met Billy, life started to make sense. How lucky to have the greatest guy I’ve ever met as my partner in crime for all of life’s adventures? I pictured us settling down in the suburbs and having kids one day. I’m not saying we won’t still do those things, just not yet. I knew we’d travel and enjoy the finer things in life… I just never imagined we’d be travelling so soon. :P

Arriving in Carmen, a former rural fishing village turned oil city, one quickly notices they are in a different world. Decaying buildings dot the streets and the people here drive like bats out of hell. When you stop at a red light, the less fortunate are always hustling for a peso by selling fresh fruit, washing your windshield, or dancing in a clown outfit. Despite the fact that I should feel completely out of my comfort zone, since we have arrived, my heart feels happy. That’s the only way I can explain it. Something happened by moving here that I never imagined would happen… my two loves became one reality.

I know it’s only Thursday, but Billy and I are both really proud of ourselves with how well we are doing with navigating the city and our new life together. We don’t feel as out of place as we expected to feel. We take advantage of the two hour lunch break (not too shabby) by eating a quick lunch in the hotel room, working out, and then take an AMAZING dip in the pool (best part of the day.) We will be living in this hotel until the house we found becomes available.

This weekend is Billy’s birthday, and knowing we would be away from friends and family, I had to come up with something that would make it just as sweet. After speaking with my friend Richard who lives in Monterrey, we came up with the brilliant plan to venture over to Progreso and Merida, a 4-5 hour drive. We will stay at Hacienda Xcanatun which is on the outskirts of Merida, closer to the beach and Mayan ruins. I’m not sure what all we will fit in, but if our past vacations are any indication, I know we will have a wonderful time.