Family Arrived

Finishing off the first month of my stay in Puerto Escondido, I am now in a new house with my family who have come to visit me for the next week. It’s a much closer walk to the beach, and has a pool that we can use when we don’t feel like going down to the ocean. It’s a cool spot, but I also know that I will miss my old place for a good while after leaving it. Leaving my first house, I left a host family who was very welcoming, and created such a safe and friendly environment for me to live calmly in a foreign country to me. They made me food, and made salsas which they would offer when I made my breakfasts in the morning. They lent me their guitar while they were out of town, and even offered to pick my family up from the airport when they arrived. Unfortunately, I took them up on this offer, but then made them drive out for no reason, as the flight was delayed an hour and half. The host however was completely understanding, and drove me back to their place, that I was already supposed to be checked out of, so I had a place to stay while waiting for my parents to arrive. They told me they would like to meet my family sometime during their trip, and even insistently turned down money, when I tried to thank them for their hospitality. We plan on hopefully getting together to introduce everyone, and I am hopeful that we will be able to find time to. I am beyond thankful to have spent my first month in such a cool place, and I plan to return to Puerto Escondido in my future to return to this exact place somewhere down the road in my life.

To recount some of my recent events, I have quickly adjusted to a much more sustainable schedule where I am waking up right around sunrise, and falling asleep before midnight. This is not something I have done often in my life, and it really does feel good, to naturally fall asleep early, wake up early without the aid of an alarm, and set out to the beach as the sun rises over me. The air stays cool, and I can appreciate some time outside before the peak hours of the day make it difficult to walk down a street for a block without breaking a sweat. Then as the sun’s intensity diminishes, I can get back outside. With more people out and about, the weather is once again enjoyable. Around 3 or 4 in the afternoon, this is when I usually spend more time going down to the ocean, and swimming during this time, and then watching the sunset which is always a relaxing thing to do with the sun falling over the ocean. I have also been surfing some, and look forward to continuing to do so.

I also was able to try for the first time driving a motorbike, and of course also the first time driving one in a foreign country. This was very fun, and it made me want to rent one, although there was a little bit of a learning curve, and the host who was letting me ride her bike, sat on the back of the bike, and I don’t think she had as much fun as I did. I was thankful for the experience though. Driving through the streets, I look around the streets as cars weave back and forth and find the best route to their destination. It is definitely important to check behind you a decent amount, and I realized I definitely should have moved the mirrors before starting, so I found myself looking over my shoulder quite consistently. In the end we arrived safely, and she parked the bike, ensuring that I did not hit her truck or her flowers driving the bike up the narrow space in the driveway. Understandable. Didn’t hurt my pride even a little. Okay maybe just a tiny bit, but still understandable. :)

In a week, when my family returns home, I will be moving on to the hostel and diving into a whole new set of experiences. Having my family here right now has been very nice, and it has allowed me to relax in different ways than how I recently have, not having to think quite as much about how much I am spending on food or when my next meal is, and it is a nice weight to have off of me for a little while. It is also really nice to be with my family who I have not seen in a month, and it definitely makes me realize I still have a lot of time here, and I almost want to consider returning a bit earlier than the middle of June. The temperature is continuing to rise, and I think by June the days will be warm enough that I may just prefer to be home, where the weather will be nice again, and I can start saving up money again, and get to spend time with some of my friends who will be in town for the summer. Since I am going off to college in the Fall, I realize I really won’t have that much time to spend with family and friends before I leave again, and it might make more sense for me to do things this way. Whatever I end up doing, I know I will be happy with the decision I make, and I will keep my options open. For now, I will enjoy where I am at, and make the most out of each and every day here in Mexico, surfing when I can and meeting lovely people from around the world. Thank you all for reading, and have a good day. :)