Part 3
SO, overall, I am so glad I did this. Again, there are things that I wish had happened differently, but that's life, right? Live and learn. Going to Mexico hasn't made me into a completely different person or anything, but it has given me a new, different outlook on life. Of course I knew before that there are other countries and places in the world, but now I understand more how it is and I realize that I want to go more places. I feel confident about returning to Mexico or any other Latin American country, and intend to make many more trips. I intend to visit Mexico at least every year because I want to visit my children and say hello to people that were so nice to me. And that's another thing- people on a whole were so nice down there. I will never forget the kindness of some people. Of course there were times when people did something rude to me, but I never took it personally. Yes, the men do shout and yell things at you, yes, the bus drivers can be rude sometimes, yes, some of the students at TEC can seem a little snobby, but as a whole, the people of Mexico, especially the everyday, average people were so good to me. I will never, ever forget that. My intention is to send a postcard and photo to a lot of the people that I was friends with so that they remember me and know I'm thinking about them
One of the last things I want to mention in the journal is that my experiences can't, by any means, be taken as the norm or as what happens to everyone in Mexico. Sometimes I think about the fact that there are soooo many things that I either forgot or decided not to talk about in the journal, and that is so true. For example, one of, if not the biggest part of my life down there was those children that lived across the street from me, and I forgot to mention them until the last day in my journal. There were so many things that happened, so many people I met, that sometimes I just couldn't talk about them all or share everything. There were things that happened down there that I wouldn't dare write in the journal. As a result, take this experience simply as my experience, and not what will or will not happen to you.
Finally, I want to encourage everyone, no matter your age or experience, to learn a new language and go to a country that speaks it. Even if not for a short time. It is such a wonderful, amazing experience and you will learn so much and you will find yourself trying to share that with everyone you meet. You will have perspective that other people don't have and can never understand. Also, being a tourist is completely different from being an inhabitant of the country, so give it a try for a few months if you can.
So, that's it and I think I will wrap up the journal now. To tell the truth, it's getting kind of sad to write in it now. I associate writing in it as something I did in Mexico. I thought about continuing it for a while here in America, talking about my feelings and experiences being back, but I feel like it's time to close this chapter. I will, of course, put up the last photos that I took, mostly of people and places in Cuernavaca, where I lived, so be sure to come back to see those. They will be up in a few days. Also, I want to do an advice page for those of you considering study abroad, so be on the lookout for those.
Okay- everyone take care and thanks for letting me share this experience with you!
