The Journey Continues
So, here we go again, and this time I’m headed to Latin America to visit Mexico 🇲🇽 and Cuba 🇨🇺. This will be my first time south of the US border and it’s an opportunity to experience the language and culture first-hand. As always the goal is to get to know as many local people, to eat the best food I can find and to drink wonderful local concoctions, all while enjoying it in a backdrop of each city’s wonderful sights and sounds.
For my trip to Mexico the focus is primarily on two cities: Mexico City and Oaxaca. Now, Mexico City doesn’t need much explanation I feel like, but Oaxaca was an odd one even for me, it’s both a city and a state, all the way in the south. It came highly recommended by some locals I met and I quickly discovered that it is a town especially geared for those with food interests, a laid back relaxed lifestyle.
In Cuba the focus will be primarily on Havana with a day trip planned out to a relatively nearby Viñales. Other than the fact that it’s beautiful and going to be a lot more ‘local’ than Havana, I don’t know that much about it. But I don’t feel the need to go overboard with research, as usual I’m just going to show up and see what’s happening there.
Why more?
It feels therapeutic in so many ways. I’m not really running to escape my job, I really like my job and the environment I’m in, the learning and growth opportunities have been fantastic, even if occasionally stressful. I continue on with the journey because now a year later I see the massive benefits I’m getting from exposing myself to these uncomfortable situations. Another reason for going is to heal the hurt of losing someone you love, not so much with the expectations that things will be 100% better and resolved when I return, but more as a proof that life does go on and that positive, wonderful and sometimes painful other things await. Whereas in the past I balked at the price tags of travel, my approach now is to treat it as an investment in myself, my growth and happiness.
The other perspective I’ve gained from my last trip is that no matter where I end up there I’ll be. It seems self-evident when stated, but the true magnitude of that needs to be experienced to be truly appreciated. I go to these beautiful countries not to find myself yet again, but to put in practice some of the knowledge and understanding of myself that I’ve gained. By taking myself out of my normal environment for 2 weeks, surrounded with none of my standard distractions and creature comforts will help me shed the things that normally bog us down in our daily lives. To that end, my luggage this time around is only a single backpack consisting of: 5 shirts, 5 pairs of socks and toiletries.
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