Saturday, April 23, 2005

To gulp or not to gulp? Is that the question?

As I make my way around Mexico, I don't really feel like a vacationer. I feel more like a visitor to someone's home, even though that "home" is a huge country. I feel comfortable there, and people everywhere in Mexico are always more than willing to take a break from their day to have a conversation with this 'extranjera' and answer all of my questions about their life and their country.

Even though I've been visiting and studying Mexico, her language (well, one of them), her people, and her cultures for over 10 years now, the more I visit there, it seems the less I know and the more I want to learn. There is truly so much to discover!

With each visit I learn a little bit more, like taking small sips of a drink. But I'm so impatient. I just want to down it all in one large gulp and know everything immediately.

Or.....maybe I don't. Perhaps it's comparable to drinking a fine tequila. You can't appreciate the taste unless you sip it slowly, savoring each sip, and feeling it work it's way from the taste buds on your tongue to the mild burn in your throat and finally that satisfying feeling in your stomach.

So, I will continue to appreciate and uncover the beauty of Mexico in small sips, to be thankful that I am able to keep on visiting, and to know that the glass is always full and waiting for me to return.

Cat

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