I traveled to Cozumel, Mexico numerous times over the last 7
years; while on my first vacation to the island I knew that I wanted to call
Cozumel my home. Although I knew that I would eventually live in Mexico, I did
not know how long it would take for me to wrap up all of my “loose ends”. It
took me a lot longer than it should have because I was scared. I was afraid to
move away from my entire family, whom I am very close to. I would see my
parents, brother, grandparents, aunts & uncles, and cousins on a weekly
basis. I constantly went through an internal struggle with whether or not I
could actually survive without them, physically, but more importantly
emotionally. I was afraid to part with my best friend and close friends. I was
heart broken to leave my best pal behind. I did not want to miss out on the
numerous events and traditions that made up my life. I was so scared of loosing
everything I had spent 27 years building. After hearing many people tell me
their regrets of not traveling when they were younger I decided that I needed
to stop talking about moving and actually move. At that point I stopped looking
at what I was “leaving behind” and starting focusing on what I was going to
acquire by moving to Mexico.
Looking back on the preparation, the legalities of moving to
another country, the drive through Mexico, and overall process of renovating
and building our Bed & Breakfast the Dive Inn Cozumel, I can honestly say
that I would never have enjoyed this experience like I have if it were not for
Weston! I always thought that I was strong and brave enough to move to another
country on my own. Although I am both, I would not have fully enjoyed the
experience if I was not able to share the goods and bads with the person that I
love. The fact that Weston was willing to drop his life back home and make this
move with me makes me appreciate and love him even more than I thought
possible. I am not trying to discourage people from traveling and relocating if
they are doing so on their own, I am simply letting you know that it is hard
either way, but it is a relief to have someone to talk and share all of the
events and emotions that come along with moving to a foreign country.
Weston and I were both looking forward to the laid back and
slower pace of life that Mexico offers. That is until we were needing to make
our house livable. Everything takes longer in Mexico. EVERYTHING. Tasks that we
could accomplish in 2 hours back in Austin takes us 3 days in Mexico. Items are
not delivered at the times in which they are promised, people do not meet you
at the time that previously arranged, and there is no such thing as a
one-stop-shop. Initially, Weston and I
were beyond frustrated and constantly criticized the non-punctuality of locals.
We felt as though it was selfish and rude for people to make us wait around all
day for them to deliver a mattress or repair a leak because they thought it no
big deal to show up 8 hours or 3 days later than they originally said they
would. Although this still gets under our skin occasionally, we have finally
accepted that this is the laid back and relaxed life style that we sought out.
Now we are at least able to make a joke about it and not let it ruin our day.
