As an American living in Mexico, I often get asked the question “Why Mexico?” Well, put simply, I didn’t choose Mexico, Mexico chose me.
My Spanish Skills
While I was in college, I always knew that I wanted to use my Spanish skills by living and working in a Spanish-speaking country after graduation. Because of this, I was involved in a few different international organizations, which led me to think that perhaps after I graduated, I would go to teach English in Colombia for a while. One day, I was browsing my Facebook feed, and what do you know – a friend of mine from one of my international organizations posted that he was looking for a Spanish-speaking American to come to Mexico to work with him in one of the largest, most prestigious accounting firms in the world. I thought, why not? So I applied, aced the interview, and next thing I knew I was booking my one-way flights to Mexico City. And just like that, “yo no eligí a México, México me eligió a mí!” Now, I’ve lived here almost two years, I have a job that I love, a cute little kitty, many wonderful friends, and I’m living in one of the most vibrant cities that I could never have even imagined.
How to go with the Flow!
I hope that through this little anecdote, you can see a few very important life lessons I learned throughout my travels during university:
1. Get involved! If it weren’t for my participation in these extracurricular activities during college, perhaps I never would have even met the person who posted on Facebook and brought me to Mexico. Additionally, by joining these activities, I was also able to practice my interviewing and resume skills, which helped me land several jobs after graduation.
2. Go with the flow! Honestly, I had never even considered living in Mexico before. Now, I’m the happiest I’ve ever been. I had to be open-minded to the idea of moving to a country I’d never even visited before! Sure, there have been challenges (for example, taxi drivers really like to overcharge me – so I just use Uber), but learning and growing from these new challenges is what makes it fun and exciting. Just realize that life is always going to throw problems at you. And remember, everything is going to be alright in the end – and if it isn’t alright, it’s not the end!
3. Have fun! I know so many people who don’t make the most of any given experience simply because they are afraid something will go wrong, or because they don’t want to try new things. Heck, my own mother took almost two years to come to visit me! But when she finally did, she was so glad she came to see how I was living my life abroad. You never know what opportunity will present itself to you next, so enjoy what you have while you have it, and trust me: you won’t regret it!
#YOLO #adventure #chooserisk
