Things don’t always turn out as we’ve
planned them. Plans for travel, plans for apartments, and plans for the future can all be turned upside down in a matter of hours. A
plan that was over a year in the making—earn a teaching degree, interview, get a international teaching job, and to move to Guadalajara to be with a beautiful woman and begin a life of working and traveling around the
world -- didn’t happen.
The only plan that did stay the same was the job at the American School Foundation of Guadalajara. I just moved here on Sunday by myself to teach 6th grade science. The path to move here was full of detours and surprises.
I originally set out from Grand Junction, CO to meet up with Caitlin in Oregon and then sea kayak all over Vancouver Island. At least that was the plan... After a short hang up with some white water rift-raft (including my brother) in northern Idaho I was late getting to Oregon. This was the final blow to the ultimate plan of being a traveling teaching couple.
What was I to do? The only thing I could do. Go kayaking. The next three weeks were filled with hundreds of bald eagles, deserted island camping, paddling into wild sunsets, orca whales a few feet from my boat, and sight-seeing in Victoria and Tofino. Although these distractions helped, they didn’t completely relieve the fact that my whole world had turned upside down.
Finally I had to say good-bye to my fellow paddlers and board multiple buses and ferries while lugging around 180 pounds of my material existence on a red dolly.
It feels good to be back in Guadalajara. The second largest city in Mexico (around 4.3 million) it serves as the capital for quintessential Mexican estado of Jalisco. The birth place of the mariachis, sombreros, pinatas and tequila, Jalisco claims fame to much of stereotypical Mexican culture. The Spanish founded the city in 1542 when they found the altitude and climate much more appealing than the lowlands near Puerto Vallarta and the coast (as is the case in much of Latin America).
Even with over four million inhabitants the people maintain their closeness to humanity. Nearly every restaurant, shop and business someone will go out of their way to make conversation. At least if you're not going to Starbucks all the time (where I'm at right now).
So the plan now is to forget long-term plans, be open to meeting new people, new places and work hard at my new school in Guadalajara.
Yesterday I moved into my humble studio apartment. The apartment sits above my landladies’ house a located only two blocks from the school I’ll be working at. Her name is Ana Maria and she has worked in several countries around the world in Mexican consulates. She has been warm and welcoming since the day I came to look at her apartment. I'm sure she has lots of stories from her expat life.
need and I'm not spending my entire housing allowance. The main room (TV, kitchenette, computer) opens up onto the main houses roof where I'm thinking about setting up a few chairs and a table.
