How did I end up in Mexico city and what did I learn while I was there?
When I started out planning this vacation it was intended to be a trip to do an art installation in Greece. With the every changing climate that has been brought about by a pandemic, it never ended up being a go.
Then a tour of America was planned after a friend decided he would come to Canada around the same time as the holiday. At the last minute that never ended up happening either.
With it being so close to the time I was going it would have end up costing way to much to cancel New York. So off I went.
Normally solo travel never bothers me but being alone in New York after planning a trip for two people just made me feel very lonely. With a city that big with that many people it left me with a strange sense of isolation that I have never felt on any other trip.
So what's a girl to do?
Book a cheap flight to Mexico city with your airline credits and grab a cheap airbnb.
Now when you tell people you're travelling alone to Mexico city there is a very collective gasp of "omg why did you go there you're going to get kidnapped"
But here is what I learned.
Mexico city is like any other big city. You can find the good and the bad and need to stay alert about your surroundings. But overall, for me, I found it a pleasant city. As with most places the media tends only to tell you the bad things so when hit with the good it is a beautiful surprise.
Spanish is helpful especially outside of the touristy spots. I am so used to travelling in Europe where a large percentage of people have at least basic English. It was a interesting thing to be in the middle of a country with my own language skills being so basic. But somehow communication was still not as hard as one would figure.
Art is definitely an international language. One of the things I love about being an artist is that no matter where I go, when I sit down and start sketching or painting or whatever I'm doing that day, there is usually a human connection.
It took a long time for me to even be able to be comfortable with creating in front of other people. That old stigma of thinking that everyone is judging you. When even if they are does it really matter?
What really does matter is that smile from someone, that conversation it might start, that interaction.
This trip and most of my trips are usually about refilling my cup. To stop and just let in the beauty around me so I can then take it and put it back out into the world.
Sitting in the middle of a valley somewhere in the Mexican desert under a waterfall melted the rest of the world away. Limited cell phone reception forced one to really be present. In that presence is where one finds the beauty. That warm smile, the kind gesture or a gift of shared culture.
I think the biggest thing on the trip was a reinforcement that my artistic ventures are fueled by much more than just moments of inspiration but by the connection and exchange between humans.
Being an introvert with anxiety definitely makes that difficult for me on my own and I am so grateful that my art has allowed that to be possible.
Jackie ❤️
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