If I really start to think about when the idea to move to México came about, I would have to say the seed was planted when I saw the movie Coco. Everyone who is Mexican, even Latin American can attest to what a beautiful movie it was and how it touched somewhere deep in our childhood. I think the general public recognized what a wonderful movie it was because of the story and how beautifully it was told. But for us who connected with the culture, the connection was almost ancestral, deep in our souls. From seeing our own abuelas in Abuelita, Mama Coco, and even Mama Imelda. One of my favorite scenes was when Abuelita kept putting tamales in Miguel's plate. How many times have we experienced this in our own lives? This has literally happened to me every day that I've spent in Mexico with my abuela and my tias insisting that I eat more.
The idea was already there and I think I continuously made small decisions to prepare me for it. I was already planning to come to México since the previous time in December in 2016 I spent most of my time in bed with the flu. As I was preparing for my 2017 trip to México I was in the process of getting a new phone plan. We went with T-Mobile not only because it was cheaper but the thought that crossed my mind was that I would have no problem using my phone while being in México, not just for the weekends I go to Tijuana, but just in case I decided to stay long term.
Sure enough when December came around and we spent a week in the rancho I recognized how all of the stress of my daily life melted away. Every morning when I would wake up, after having breakfast with my abuelos I would look outside of the window to the patio and just think to myself, I can really live here. The simple life.
After having to leave the day the fiestas started because of work, I began to really consider moving to México as an option. Do I want to spent time and energy at a place that has no flexibility with my vacation time for the fiestas that made my childhood worth remembering? As I sat at work the day after flying back, drinking my chalky protein shake, I began to wonder about the life I wanted. Did I prefer to sit in an office having a bland breakfast, or being in México having farm fresh eggs and the softest tortillas you have ever had? This is where I really began to consider that I was the one accountable for the kind of life I wanted to pursue. There’s so many other reasons, but the main one was the feeling of México being home and I not understanding the extent of it and wanting to explore more and learn more about my own family history.
Now that I am here, I have this sense of peace. This feeling that the weight of the world, or even the weight of my “success” doesn’t lie on my shoulders. I can be simply me, the most simple version which just wakes up, eats, does the chores, spends time with family, reads, writes, eats again, listens to story time, and sleeps- I should really throw in some exercise in that equation considering the amount of tortillas I’ve been eating, but that will come. But all that I do here, I do with a caring basis for my abuelos to not only learn from them but to make their life a little easier and take care of them while I can.
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