“We travel initially to lose ourselves; and we travel next to find ourselves. We travel to open our hearts and eyes and learn more about the world than our newspapers will accommodate... And we travel, in essence, to become young fools again – to slow time down and get taken in, and to fall in love once more”
- Pico Iyer
Just over a month ago my life was
suddenly turned upside-down when I got the job I never imagined could exist,
which people respond to with puzzlement or disbelief when I try to explain. Officially
I am an Information consultant, unofficially I am a Dreamer (from the Dream Year
if you hadn’t already guessed). Apart from the job being so exciting in itself, it’s rather unique
as I am one of five lucky people who over the next 11 months will have the
pleasure of working from four very different locations.
I
now find myself in the vibrant, colourful and beautiful city of Xalapa, ( in
the state of Veracruz) Mexico! Xalapa has been described in “The Peoples’s
Guide to Mexico” (Franz and Havens) as one of the most important artistic and
cultural centers in Mexico, and I cannot wait to experience all it has to offer.
So far, Mexico is different from anything I have ever experienced, although I
have only been here a few weeks I already feel at home! This, I attribute to
Mexicans being some of the most hospitable and friendly people I have ever had
the pleasure of meeting. A smile or an impromptu conversation (even from a complete
or passing stranger) is never hard to come by… I have already been invited to the homes of people I have just met, as well as being introduced to their friends and family members. One of the first nights here
after going to a Mariachi concert with Emma, we stumbled upon a restaurant,
which apart from one other table in the far corner was empty. Before we had
even ordered, a woman from the “neighbouring” table had introduced herself, and
given us recommendations on what to eat. Before the end of our meal, which
turned out to be the first spectacular culinary experience we had here, we had
met the entire table and gotten their home number, “just in case you need
anything whilst in Xalapa”.
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| From the local park |
Everywhere I turn there is something that excites me, be it the contrast of colours on a building, a vintage car, peculiar fruits or vegetables I haven’t come across before, or the lavish biodiversity and lush exotic plants everywhere, or simply a magnificent glass of homemade ice-tea.
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