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 Vallarta Living | June 2006 
Viviendo en México
 Korah Winn - PVNN
| | "Mexico has helped me see a lot of things differently, and even though this might seem superficial, it is still something that would not have happened if I had never come here." |
After traveling extensively for several years now, in my mind, home is no longer just a location. Home is where my grandparents are, because I know that no matter where in the mundo (world) I am, and whether what I do is a success or a failure, I have their love and open arms to come back to.
Home is drinking sweet ice tea with my Aunt Lisa on her porch while we watch my cousins play badminton. Home is taking impromptu walks down to the creek with my dad to see if the blackberries are close to being ripe. Home is telling my brother Jonas an exciting story and him pretending to fall asleep during the middle of it just to try to get a reaction out of me.
Home is the sequence of actions that are so simple yet so dear to me. It could be playing a new song on the piano for my mom or sitting on the porch swing with Grandma watching Grandpa mow the yard. These are the things I miss and these are what have significance for me.
Houses can be replaced, camas (beds) can be bought, but the people who are dear to you cannot be replicated in each new location you settle. I suppose this is all heavy on my mind because it is very likely that my childhood home will soon be sold and even though I come home in July, I will probably be off again very soon after that.
While in Mexico, I have lived in three different houses and stayed at numerous hotels and homes of friends. A room is just a room to me now. The more I have moved, the more I realize how little I need. Living a simpler vida (life) allows me to focus on the things that are most important to me.
That means when I move home, I am not going to be catching up on all the movies and TV I missed. What it means is that I am going to be sitting and holding my grandma's mano (hand), picking tomatoes with my dad and joking around with my brother as much as I can.
I can get everything else whenever I want it in our entertainment driven world, but I cannot download my family whenever the mood strikes me. I do have to admit though that technology has played a gigantic role in allowing me to keep up contact with the people I love.
I have very willingly become a net ciudadano (citizen) who loves checking email, myspace.com and my website to see if someone from home has reached out to communicate with me through the net.
A friend asked me recently what is the first thing that comes to my mind when I think of how Mexico has changed me. I find it hilarious, but my first thought is groceries. Back in the states I would fill up a cart with groceries and then load them up in my car a take them home.
Here, I only purchase what I can carry back with me or ride on the bus with. It has really made me a whole lot more conscious about the purchases I make. In turn, I am less wasteful now because food does not sit in my refrigerator for so long. This is one of the things I want to keep with me when I get "home."
Mexico has helped me see a lot of things differently, and even though this might seem superficial, it is still something that would not have happened if I had never come here. |
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