2 weeks. 14 days. 336 hours. 20,160 minutes,
1,209,600 seconds, however you look at it that is exactly how long of my exchange
year remains. It’s hard to believe that my whole exchange has come down to
these two weeks. Hard to believe I have spent my whole year building a new
life, becoming part of a new family, and making new friends, and now I just
have to walk away. This part of exchange is unarguably the most bittersweet
part of it all. I feel so happy to be able to go home to my friends, family,
and life in the USA but on the other hand I and so sad to leave my friends,
family, and life here in Mexico.
Leaving Mexico, I will be leaving my year long
summer, and laughing when my host mom told me to get a jacket (like legit
winter coat) for 75 degree weather. It means I will leave all the friends I
have made in and out of school, knowing that there is no way I will see every
single one of them again. It means having the only tear filled “last day” of
school I will ever have. I have learned so much this year about myself, and
about how the world works, how it’s different and how it’s similar, and I
couldn’t have done it without every single person that I have met in my
exchange, from the teachers at my school, to the housekeepers in my house. I am
unsure about how it can be possible to leave a life that I just made and not
know if I will every come back to it. I know for a fact that even if I do
return to this city where I have lived my exchange, it won’t be like it was
when I was on exchange, and this fact is scary to face. I have two weeks left
to finish my life here, two weeks to do everything I haven’t gotten the chance
to do yet like, two weeks to say all my goodbyes, two weeks to cry until tears
stop coming. I’m leaving Mexico, leaving Spanish, leaving hugs and kisses as a
greeting, leaving the friendly people of Mexico, and leaving being “la gringa”.
“La gringa” how can two words even mean that much?
“la gringa” means “the American girl” or “the white girl”. Some people find it
offensive but I honestly love it. “La gringa” has been my identity for 10
months now. There are not many people that look like me in Mexico, and less in
the south where I live, so when someone said “la gringa” you could be 99% sure
they were talking about me. Whether it would be the obnoxious men that screamed
it while I was walking in the street, my friends in school, or someone who
didn’t know my name but wanted the person to know who they were talking about,
being “la gringa” mad me stand out, and made me different, but I embraced it. It
was so fun having eyes on me wherever I went as if I was a celebrity and
honestly I am going to miss that very much.
Along with all of those things, I think my stomach
will really miss the food. From tacos to chilaquiles, gringas (yes gringa is
also a food) to mole, even hot soup on a hundred degree afternoon, I will miss
it all. I will miss fresh corn tortillas, and using those tortillas as
silverware with almost every meal. I will miss Mexican BBQs and homemade salsa
and guacamole. Rice and beans with every meal, and jamaica and horchata to
drink. I will miss Mexican candy like mazapan, and mango suckers. I will miss
eating milanesa and cochinita, and all the other food I have tried during this
year.
Apart from missing Mexico I am extremely excited to
come home, to see my family, friends, and to eat all my favorite food and do
all my favorite things. I want to drink Dutch bros., drive a car, go to Pacific
City and climb the sand dunes, eat at Chen’s the chinese restaurant, and eat
red robin and buffalo wild wings, I want to go to my school and plan my senior
year, see my best friends, and sleep in my bed. I want to start training for my
senior year of softball, I want to cheer on the football team, and participate
in spirit week at school. I want to decorate my room with all my exchange
things. I want to tell everyone about my trip and make them fall in love with
Mexico the way I have. But what I really can’t wait to do is go to my Nana’s
house and see all the animals, and sit in her house because it’s the most calm
and relaxing house in the world and it’s like being there makes you feel like
nothing bad can happen. I can’t wait to see my crazy annoying family and know
it’s mine. I can’t wait to sit in my boring small town and complain that there
is nothing to do. I can’t wait to be home, and feel home, and fit in. See you
in two weeks Dallas.
Now I have realized that I have never written in
Spanish on my blog and as I am leaving I would like to leave a little something
for everyone that has been a part of my year in Mexico so here it goes.
Bueno, aqui llegamos al fin de mi año aqui en México
y aunque es algo muy triste yo creo que tambien es algo muy bonito. Todos
ustedes han tenido una parte muy grande de mi intercambio. Muchos me han apyado
cuando no sabia ni una palabra de español y fue muy dificil comunicarnos. Ahora
tengo el Español bien y podemos comunicarnos para siempre. He tenido lo mejor
año de mi vida en México y fue un placer concer a todos los que conoci en
Villahermosa y en todos los otros lugares donde fui. Conoci muchos lugares muy
bonitos en Mexico durante del año, por ejemplo Guanajuato, Zacatecas, Cancun,
Playa del Carmen, Guadalajara, Leon, y Ciudad de Mexico. A mis familias que me
enseñaron tantas cosas, gracias por hospedarme en este año loco de mi vida. A
mis amigos, gracias por ser mi todo en este año, los quiero como nunca pueden
saber. Gracias pore star a mi lado en todo lo que paso en todo el año de verdad
no se que voy a hacer sin ustedes. Me enseñaron casi todo lo que se de Español
y por seguro me enseñaron hablar choca wey. LOS AMO! Siempre tienen una casa
esperandote en Oregon en Estados Unidos y de verdad espero que visiten pronto.
Besos y Abrazos,
Allison
