I recently took a trip to Mexico as part of a Spanish class that focuses on Mexican history and culture. We traveled to Mexico and spent four days in Mexico City and three days in Cancun. I absolutely fell in love with Mexico. Maybe it was the group I was with, or maybe it was the amount of things we did during our time there, but one way or the other, I fell in love with the country. And what’s not to love? Mexico has a rich history and Cancun has beautiful beaches and amazing food (if you think Chipotle is good, you need to try some real Mexican food). There’s not much to dislike about Mexico.
When people ask me what my favorite part of the trip is, they are often surprised to hear my answer. I often tell people that the best part of Mexico was seeing the realities of the Mexican people. Perhaps calling it my favorite part of the trip is misleading, but it was certainly the most interesting part. Rather than stay on the beaches when in Cancun or staying in the touristy sites in Mexico City, we spent some time seeing how the locals live. Although I highly advise against walking into Tepito, one of Mexico’s most dangerous and largest black markets, which we witnessed against our professor’s wishes, I do recommend spending some time in the actual city of Cancun.
With spring break rapidly approaching for many students, Cancun is often a very popular place for people to go. And I understand why. The nightlife is incredible, the beaches are gorgeous and the weather is perfect. But I wonder how many people ever actually wander into the city, where the people live. It is an interesting little place, and English alone will likely not get you anywhere. But the experience puts so much into perspective. The people are poor, but the people are friendly. They are generous. We go there with all of our tourist money, and our American money literally put Cancun on the map (look up the history of the city if you are interested). But that is not the reality of Cancun. For many of the Mexican people, they do not experience Cancun the same way we do. For them, Cancun is home. And I think that is important for us to see when we go there.
It is so easy to get wrapped up in our own good time and our happiness, and we never get the chance to be thankful for that privilege. I know we think we’re thankful by sipping fruity drinks on the beach and not having to do school work, but I’m talking about the privilege of being an American college student. Anyone that is able to take a spring break trip to Mexico is privileged in one way or another. Most college students are privileged alone in the fact that they have the opportunity to go to an American college or university. But being in Mexico and seeing how happy the people in the real Mexican cities and seeing how they live gives us a reason to be thankful for the opportunities we have been given.
