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 Vallarta Living | June 2006 
Viviendo en México - Guadalajara
 Korah Winn - PVNN
| | One thing that I really enjoy about living in a larger city like Guadalajara, is that because there is a higher population density, there are usually always interesting things that you can do that are within walking distance. |
One thing that I really enjoy about living in a larger ciudad (city), like Guadalajara, is that because there is a higher population density, there are usually always interesting things that you can do that are within walking distance.
You can go to a little café and grab postre (dessert) with friends then find a gym to workout in within five minutes of your house. I live close enough to my job that I can actually walk to work within fifteen minutes. I can really feel a difference in my calves now that I have opportunities to walk so much.
Back in the United States, I really do not have any reasons to walk anywhere. I live farther out in the country, so I have to take my car everywhere. If I want to walk, I have to purpose in my mind that I am going to take a walk. It is something that gets put into a schedule instead of just being a part of daily life.
I think one of the things that makes going to a campground or resort so much fun is that you do not need your car to get around. People can take walks from campsite to campsite and a sense of community is allowed to develop. The pace of life slows down quite a bit and families have a chance to relax and spend quality time junto (together.)
Even though walking more has not caused my life to slow down more, it has given me the opportunity to spend more time thinking without the distractions of driving. Each day I walk to school, I enjoy the fact that I have fifteen minutes to clear my head before jumping into the day. Each night when I leave school I have time to think about what I want to do with the rest of my evening.
Lately, I have been leaving my job around the same time every day and I have been running into an older gentleman taking his evening walk. The reason I first noticed him was because as I was passing, he moved closer to the road so that I could have the protection of walking closer to the wall.
The next time I saw him, he greeted me with a "Buenas tardes." (Good afternoon) It seems like progressively, we have become familiar strangers. I now look forward to seeing him on my way home.
Two weeks ago he actually initiated a conversation with me by asking if I was a teacher, which was quite evident by my full backpack and a couple libros (books) in my arms. The next week, I found out that he is from alemania (Germany.)
I have learned not to make the assumption that just because someone is a certain skin color, that they speak a particular language, but in this circumstance though, I listened to how he spoke and it was easy to realize that he was not a native Spanish hablante (speaker.)
I cannot say that I will not be happy to get back to a car because there are times you just want the libertad (freedom) that comes along with your own vehicle. It sure is nice though knowing that I can live quite sufficiently without it. It is not impossible nor is it that much of a carga (burden,) it just requires a change of mentality in order to pull it off. |
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