Since arriving in Chetumal back in late August, I have learned so much about Mexico, but even more about myself. I feel like living in a new country with completely different sets of values and traditions has caused me to critically examine my own beliefs in a way that I would never be able to do living in my comfort zone in the United States. I am so grateful to be here, learning from and interacting with so many different people.
While living in Chetumal, I have made friends with mainly Mexican students, along with some other American teachers, a British teacher, a French teacher and some foreign exchange students from Belgium. Meeting all of these new people and just having simple, day-to-day conversations always causes me to reflect much more than I normally would with conversations back home.
For example, for New Years Eve, my American friend and I were trying to plan a party with our friends. We soon found out that this was not going to be possible because almost all of our Mexican friends already had plans with their families. We discovered that New Years Eve is a holiday almost exclusively celebrated with family in Mexico.
