Vivo Escondido

It’s been a bit since I have written much of anything. I have found the current leg of my trip to be very different from the previous parts of my journey thus far. Initially, I had lots of alone time when I was staying in an Airbnb, a bit farther away from the beach. I also spent time sick during that part of my trip, and so there was lots of time spent, in my room working on my laptop. But now I no longer have my own room. Now my bedroom is strictly a place to store my clothes, and to sleep at night, and there really isn’t much other reason to be in there. Initially, when I thought about sharing a room with eight people, I thought that it was going to be a very weird adjustment, and I believed it may be quite uncomfortable. This was not the case whatsoever, and I actually found it much easier to acclimate to than I ever could’ve guessed. Having to be considerate of others, I find myself going to sleep much quicker because I come into the room and use it just as a place to sleep, and I don’t spend time on my phone or reading, or anything before sleeping. Everyone is super respectful of each other, and I have never had trouble falling asleep because of other people in the room. I really didn’t know what to expect my first time in a hostel. Thankfully, I think that it has exceeded my expectations in practically every way. There are new people every day from new places, that you share space with and get to learn about and get to know. You get to see different ways individuals live their lives, and hear different perspectives.

The fellow staff that I work with here at Vivo Escondido are also volunteers, and because of the minimum one-month stay, there is actually a chance to get to know these people for a longer period of time than the rest of the people who go in and out of the hostel, from one place to the next. With this group of people, I have made friends from Spain, Australia, England and Mexico as well. They are all close to my age, and all traveling about, with different journeys seeing different places and experiencing different parts of the world. This group has given me the opportunity to really relax during this trip, and have a good time, going to the beach, playing football or frisbee, or playing pool at the hostel. We have spent time in the swimming pool as well, and also just sat around and talked for hours from time to time. We loosely take turns, making each other meals, doing dishes, and dividing up work equally to all take care of each other. I hope that if I ever go visit any of these places, I will be able to reconnect with these awesome people, and catch up and hopefully have some tour guides. And on the other side of that, I would also be thrilled to host any of them if they ever ended up in the states, and show them around some of my home. Because of this difference in pace, I have not found lots of time to write and work, but this is something I am completely okay with.

I believe that being in a hostel environment, it is important to pay attention to the habits you make, with cheap beers at the ready any time of the day, and plenty of people who enjoy partaking. I found myself sometimes having drinks more often than I really needed to, just because someone offered one. With so many people coming in and out, I had to realize that I can’t accept every beer offer that is thrown my way, unless I wanted to find myself drinking every day of the week. It is a nice way to get to know people sometimes, but I think it’s just about recognizing that there is a time and a place, and it’s important to find a personal relationship with it that works for each person.

With that being said, I have had some very good times with everyone, going with the flow of things and just enjoying time with others. The time here in the hostel has flown, and my trip will be over before I know it. Besides the volunteering shifts I do here, there is not much of any schedule I follow, which is really quite freeing. I have time to think about my life, and reflect and get to know myself, and find out what I want in life in new ways. Just recently, I have decided what I will major in next year in school, and I feel like something clicked and I knew what I want to do. I had been considering engineering for a while now, but was also considering going to school for a degree in psychology. I talked recently with many people about how I am somewhat torn about the decision I want to make. Bouncing my ideas off others has helped me understand what direction I want to head, and while I would like to learn more about humans and psychology, I do not want to go to school for psychology. Engineering on the other hand, I think will set me up with a career I can hopefully make genuine difference in the world, while also setting myself up well to enjoy the time I have on this Earth. Ideally when I am done with school, I can land a career working with renewable energy, and be able to contribute effectively in this field. During my early career, I would also like to work toward buying a house, that I can rent out, and then ideally travel and work from a laptop throughout the years. To put it simply, I am excited for what lays ahead in my future, and it’s a very nice feeling, having some confidence in the direction I want to point my efforts toward.

To catch up on the recent events here in Puerto, I would like to paint the picture of my first experience in a Mexican holding cell. Waking up on the concrete floor of the small cell, two locals laying on the floor as well; I had to take a second to recall where I was and why I was there. I never envisioned myself waking up in a jail cell, never envisioned myself being arrested. This was an interesting perspective change. Sometimes things happen that do not align with how we view ourselves. Thankfully, I did not actually do anything that earned me a long time in this cell, and I did not do anything that went against my morals.

Walking outside of the dance club the night before, I left my new friends I had just met from the hostel. I walked down to the beach to move away from the chaos for a second. There was no one around and the sky was dark, so I walked over to a group of bushes, figuring it was a fine place to quickly relieve myself. When I was done however, I turned around to three Mexican police officers walking my way, fanning out a bit as if they were forming a bit of a net. I had heard that the police patrol the beach, looking for people participating in various illegal activities such as intimate interactions or getting their next line from their pocket to their nose. What I didn’t consider however, was that what I was doing was also illegal, and the cops on the other hand, did seem to consider this. Thankful for the Spanish that I know, I was understanding what they were asking of me, but unfortunately, I did not have 500 pesos on me currently, otherwise we all could have gone on with our nights with a simpler 20-dollar bill. Instead, I was informed that I would be having to come with them, for some free accommodation. Only problem with this free accommodation was the fact that I couldn’t leave, unless I waited either 36 hours or paid 1500 pesos. The price went up weirdly, after I spent time in their hands. So, as I rode with them to the station, I went along and answered their questions, waiting to get out and get my phone call. Sadly, it was a couple hours past midnight and when I made a phone call to a friend I had been talking to earlier in the night, he did not get to the phone, and just like that I was brought to my new home, without anyone having any idea where I was, neglecting the officers who generously brought me here.

I actually slept quite well, considering the circumstances. It was now time to sit. And then continue to sit. Then maybe stand for a bit. And so on. Pretty quickly, I was ready to get out of here, and at one point I was even considering trying to fit my head under the bottom of the large, grated metal door, which I am glad I did not follow through with. First of all, because my head wouldn’t have fit. Second of all, because then I may have had to buy a new phone, as well as a new ID, and I may not have been able to make my way back into my home country. At the time though, it seemed like a viable option. I spent the next few hours, letting my brain spin about how I was going to get out of here, how annoying it was that I was in here, and how I was going to get through the next period of time here. I spent a good while feeling fairly frantic, and eventually had to relax into the fact that this was the situation which I was in, and it didn’t do me much good to sit and pout. The heat of the day was starting to pass, around 3 in the afternoon, and I had been here for a little over 12 hours now. The police had still not come over to the cell at any point, and I was desperate for water. One of the Mexicans that were in the cell informed me that if I had money, the police would go buy me food and drinks if I asked them too. I thought I had heard him wrong because this seemed surprising, especially since they hadn’t brought us water yet, even throughout the crazy heat of the day. I spent hours, sweating off what felt like the last of the remaining liquid inside me, without any way to replenish it, and I did not want to waste any energy I didn’t have to. Knowing that I could maybe get water was a god send. With this information, I poked my hand through the door with an empty water bottle one of the other inmates had actually generously shared a bit of with me. I waved it around, looking out toward the station which was sort of diagonal across the gravel parking lot. This seemed to do nothing, and so I had to shout as loud as I could eventually “DISCULPA!” This did get their attention, and finally someone walked over and I asked them if they were able to get us some water, and they thankfully reluctantly agreed to. I then pushed on and asked about my phone, which she was even more reluctant, but agreed to bring me as well. She didn’t return for a while, and I thought I was shit out of luck, but eventually she returned. Thankfully, my phone had not died, and I was able to call my new boss, the owner of the hostel. I started by apologizing for missing my second day of work, and then followed up asking for a small favor. Not a great first impression, but at least I did not end up spending 36 hours inside of this cell.

With this experience behind me, I was able to walk outside and breathe fresh air with a whole new perspective, and I could not have been more pleased to be free, appreciating everything with more depth than I had in a long time. I am now a bit more careful where I decide to take a leak, and additionally make an effort to keep a little extra money in my pockets when I am out on the town. Some of the experiences that I am having here in Mexico, really were unexpected, but really are helping me shape my perspective. Thank you all for reading, and I do hope that you all take a look around you, and appreciate all of the small luxuries you have on a day-to-day basis. :)