Amo Mexico...

My experience in Guadalajara, Mexico last year, was quite different from the one in Oaxaca this year. I was more on my own this time and as my stay winds down and I reflect on the past month, I realize Mexico isn't always an easy place for a traveler. There are many things that I love, the sun, the food, the learning experience of what it means to learn a language "in country", the friendliness of most Mexican people and of course, their resourcefulness. But, I must also say it is, at times, hard. Cultural differences, poverty, noise, pollution, litter, even cramming way too many people into a vehicle have at times made me uncomfortable.

But, of course, every country has its problems. Maybe Mexico has more than most, I don't know. It doesn't change that I still find this country fascinating; a study of contrasts. I have found here a basic truth about what it means to be human. Shadow and light. I think in the states we tend to put a veil on the dark stuff and in some ways want to think it isn't part of life. Here the darkness and the light are entwined. It is found in the calle (street), the art and in the broken down sidewalks set amidst the many churches laden with golden interiors...