Why I'm Here

I’ve realized that some people reading this are more up to date on the details of why I’m down here in Mexico but others are like “uh, when did that happen and what are you doing?” So I thought I should attempt an explanation.

Over the past 5 or so years, my interest in Mexico has grown increasingly stronger. In October 2000, I made my first trip. It included time in Mexico City, a week staying with a family and studying Spanish in Guanajuato (a cute little city that feels like a small town about 5 hours by bus northwest of Mexico City), and 2 weeks traveling with Paul, my boyfriend at the time to the states of Chiapas (which borders Guatemala and has a strong indigenous influence), Oaxaca, and Puebla. In October 2002, I dipped down into Mexico for a few days from El Paso to a small town south of Juarez called Nuevo Casa Grandes which had some cool Paquime ruins. Then last October, I was back down to Mexico City again for the start of the relay run that I photographed as a project for a photojournalism class I was taking at Parsons. That project brought me back to Mexico again in November and kept me in contact with a group of people involved in the run who worked for Asociacion Tepeyac, a group in NYC who is dedicated to providing services (legal, education, etc) to mostly Mexican immigrants. The more time I spent with Mexican people, the more I realized that I knew so little about their culture (even if it was more than the average person) and it just felt important that I learn more, especially because of the growing population of Mexicans in NYC. And most of my photo projects happen to be about Hispanic people so I feel I really need to go deeper into learning the language.

Early this year, the landlord of the building I was staying in started eviction proceedings to get my friend Jamie and me out of the rent stabilized apartment so they could jack up the rent. Knowing I’d have to move somewhere, I started to contemplate a larger move. I’d been unhappy in my job for years and I wasn’t in a relationship so I thought maybe it was the right time for a big change. I was very happy in my NYC life but thought, “Is this it? I have a great life but is this essentially the same life I’ll have for another 20 years?”

So at the end of May, I made a week trip to Mexico to visit the second largest city Guadalajara (GDL) and the coastal town of Puerto Vallarta (PV). I chose GDL because 2 friends (Lili and Lepez) suggested I check it out. One is from there and another went to college there. It’s often described as a city that has all the good things (art, music, education) Mexico City has and less of the bad things (traffic, pollution, crime). You might remember PV as a stop on the Love Boat and I can’t deny that Charo was a bit of a role model in my formative years (“Cuchi Cuchi!). It was also a place where my friend D had come last year to shoot a piece for the Oxygen Network about destination weddings. That got me thinking that there might be a need for wedding photographers, something I was interested in breaking into.

I stayed with some great guys in GDL (friends of Lili) but found the city both too big and too small. It didn’t have the same energy that Mexico City has, but is also a large, spread out, and potentially alienating city. PV was much smaller and more approachable and everyone I met was open and friendly and completely encouraging of my idea to move down. There’s a little more to the story of my last trip but since that’s now a legal matter, I’ll leave the details to a future entry.

Today Amy (who owns a great coffee shop/restaurant with her husband Ben) was saying that everyone here has their story and a lot of people are running away from something. And then tonight I was hanging out in the pool with a guy Cristian (who happens to live across the hall from Alden so it’s the same pool I’ve been swimming in – how weird is that?) who also commented that since he works on a cruise ship, his experience is that on board and here, most people are running away from something and he wanted to know what my story was.

I’d like to think I’m here because I’m running to something. Often times I feel like I’m here because I was pulled here, not necessarily because I just wanted to come here. I feel like it’s where I’m meant to be right now. I do ask myself “Why here?” and “Is this the best place for me?” because it’s not your stereotypical Mexico. But anywhere has its pros and cons and right now, I’m feeling the pros. When I talked to A tonight, I told him how I thought we’re both starting to settle in and how it feels good.