Down to the final countdown

Quick update on my life- nothing much exciting these past few weeks.  After my parents left, I stayed with the Castillos for a few days before heading off on Queretaro. Then when I returned, I moved to a new host family! My Rotary club had ultimately deemed the granny to be an unfit host family for various reasons, and so after secretly sneaking all of my things out of the house under the pretense of needing it all for Queretaro, I haven't returned since! (I think my club was actually scared of her, because no one told her that I was moving from her house, they just told me to get my things out without telling her anything. Oh dear.) I'm actually pretty happy to be gone from there, because while essentially living on my own was cool, the granny was not the easiest to get long with and it was pretty lonely in the house. But now, I am living with a lovely family in Xalisco! I moved last Wednesday, and absolutely adore them. I have a 19 year old brother that was in Thailand last year, a sister who is 11 and in love with One Direction, and two very spunky and generous new parents.

Currently in Tepic I almost feel a bit like I'm in limbo after the excitement of Queretaro and Sayulita, and am struggling to think of things to do before the Ruta Maya. For a few weeks it was crazy travelling, and back in Tepic nothing has changed which is a bit tricky to adjust to. I definitely won't miss the feeling of boredom you experience on exchange. I have learned this year that there is such a thing as too much free time. I'll absolutely take crazy busy over trying to plan social activities all day every day! Maybe I'm weird, but I like having school, a job, some sort of structure because then when you do have free time you appreciate it all the more. But that's me talking now, in a few short months I'll probably be fervently wishing I had some free time to lounge under the palm trees!

So recently in Tepic I've just been out with friends, using Sara's pool to improve my pre-Cancun tan and continuing to work on the beach body for the Ruta Maya. Which is NEXT WEDNESDAY. Oh my goodness. I can't believe that the big trip I've been anxiously waiting all year for is less than a week away! It's a bit of a mixed feeling, because I know that once we're on the trip the time is going to go by even faster than it is right now. And it's already going in fast-forward. On one hand, I am certainly looking forward to coming home for a multitude of reasons. By no means the most important, a few come to mind like going hiking in my beloved mountains, seeing family and friends, having a full wardrobe of clothes (all my clothes here at this point are all very ratty and worn-looking)... But on the other hand, once I leave Mexico this year comes to an end. I will no longer be a special exchange student, adored by or a foreign fascination of (mostly) everyone. I won't have a giant group of awesome, international friends with which I can party or even just hang out and moan about how fat we are (ironically usually while eating tacos, ice cream, you name it). I'll have to say goodbye to the gorgeous weather, beaches and culture of Mexico, and goodbye to all my Mexican friends and family.

The worst part is not knowing when or if I'll see things/people again, and even if I do it won't be the same. I know I'll be back to Mexico, but I'll be back as a tourist, not as a resident (albeit an obviously foreign one). I hope one day the Castillos can come and visit me in Canada, but again it's not a certainty! In fact at this point I'm not even sure what I'll miss, as after a year of living here it's all currently pretty commonplace to me. But when I get back to Canada, I'm sure I'm going to get nostalgic about the weirdest things! I'll fancy a taco and have nowhere to go. I'll miss how everyone here spontaneously starts dancing to a cumbia song that comes on the radio. The giant family gatherings where a lot of tequila and food is consumed until the early morning. Who knows, maybe I'll even miss the slimy cab drivers whistling at me as I jaywalk across the major highway (two no-nos in Canada). But in any case, now that I know the end is near (less than 40 days!) I'm trying to appreciate every interaction and sight here in Tepic. To drink it all in, record the great  moments, because when I get home I want no regrets!  The Ruta Maya is going to be a dream, a jam-packed month of amazing sights and fantastic company. Then I have ten days to fulfill what remains on my Mexican bucket list before getting on that plane. Down to the last month now, no time to waste!  VIVA LA VIDA MEXICANA, so to speak.

Besos

Wendy