Day Four: Reflect and Return Home
My flight was at the crack of dawn on Tuesday morning, unfortunately marking the end of my time in Cholula. I didn’t get much sleep the night before-- apparently all of the foods that I had indulged in over my time there had finally taken a toll on my digestive system-- a common occurrence whenever I spent time in Mexico. Of course due to the fact that the water isn’t potable, I questioned whether it was because I wasn’t being careful enough with making sure I didn’t ingest the water, or whether it was just because I was trying new things that my body wasn’t accustomed to. Either way, I hoped it wouldn’t be a big issue for my son and I when we returned.
I was nervous about whether or not I’d be able to get an Uber at 5am, but there were actually quite a few within 10 minutes of me. Our driver arrived promptly and quickly and safely made the first stop to drop me off at the airport before continuing on to drop my friend off at the local bus station. As we approached the Puebla airport, I noticed that it was MUCH smaller than the Mexico City airport, and that I probably could have stayed in bed an hour longer. However, it’s better to be early than late, right? Well, in this case I was very WRONG. Why? Because just like all of the homes there, the airport had no heat.
The entire ride to the airport, I had been looking forward to finally sitting in a warm and cozy environment. I figured that since it was an airport, they had to have heat. There’s no way that they couldn’t, because you know, “back at home”, places would completely shut down for the lack of heat. Well, they certainly proved me wrong. It was frigid...and I was furious. One of the English-speaking ladies who worked security at the airport stopped and made friendly conversation with me about my trip to Puebla. She then apologized for how cold the airport was and said that it was actually best to stay in the waiting area up until the last minute, because it only got colder after I passed through Security. Colder? How on earth was that possible? How on earth did people actually survive in these conditions? As I waited the 1+ hour for my flight to board, all I kept thinking was, “This is absolutely unacceptable!”
But then I looked around at all of the other families and passengers waiting for the same flight (which apparently was the only flight out of the airport at that time). No one was complaining, or even looked angry. Yes, they were bundled up, some with additional blankets, but other than that, it seemed as though I was the only one bothered by the lack of heat. It again served as a wake-up call to me at how incredibly privileged (yet blessed) we are in the U.S. to have everything we wanted and needed at our hands, and how it often gives us the mindset that we are entitled to those things wherever we go. Yes, the cold was uncomfortable, but the airport was clean, had excellent security, and still served its purpose: to get me safely from Point A to Point B. I told myself that it was only temporary and while it would take some getting adjusted to, it wasn’t going to kill me.
I took these thoughts with me as I boarded the plane and watched it leave Mexico behind. The purpose behind my decision to move my son and I abroad was not to live the same exact life that we lived back in the states, but instead to fully immerse us in the language AND the culture of another country. This meant living like a local and becoming accustomed to all of the things that Mexicans and Poblanos deal with on a daily basis. This meant dealing with not having a central heating system, not having access to all of the conveniences that we usually do, and mentally preparing ourselves to spend more wisely and efficiently, regardless of how much cheaper it was than home. The purpose was to get out of our comfort zone, not stay within the box we’d been in up until then.
So that being said, the official planning will commence with a goal date of July 2018. I’ll be sending the paperwork off to renew my passport, and once it returns I’ll be applying for a Temporary Resident Visa for my son and I and crossing my fingers that it will get approved. The adventure continues!
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