Viva la Mexico
I did it folks. I finally made it out of the country. In early May, I had the opportunity to travel for work to Cancun, Mexico for a 4 day work retreat on the beach (the struggle is real ya'll). Only problem was, when I found out about this (3 weeks and 3 days earlier), I still didn't have a passport. I immediately requested a passport appointment that same day(Friday), On Monday, I was successful in applying for a passport. I had it expedited but the minimum time frame expected for a expedited passport was 3 weeks. I was leaving in 3 weeks exactly.
My passport arrived at 10am on Monday May 2nd, and my flight for Mexico left at 6:40pm that same day. Yikes, talk about a close call. So I boarded the first leg of my 4 red eye flights from Seattle, WA to Cancun,Mexico. Once we arrived at our beachfront house for week, it all started to sink in. Luckily, I was one of the first 3 to arrive (perks of taking the red eye). That meant picking out the best room with the best view and getting to nap in a hammock on the beach until the rest of my co-workers arrived( I know, poor me).
I want to interject in to the story here to say how absolutely grateful I am for having had this opportunity. Anyone who knows me well will testify, I have wanderlust HARD! I recently made a list of all the places I want to travel and its exhaustive. And having been granted the opportunity to check off a MAJOR bucket list item (get a passport and then USE it) was HUGE for me. Knowing I have the power to go almost anywhere in the world is exhilarating. The fact that I was given this opportunity by my employer, only made me feel even more touched because it expressed the real gratitude my bosses must have for me and my co-workers. ( They also decided to forgo yearly reviews and instead book us each a hour long massage on the roof at sunset overlooking the waves. So yea.... I win the best job in the world contest).
Back to the trip, I didn't get to explore the area much as once we arrived at our amazing beachfront house, we really never left. The views were amazing. The water warm and so blue. I enjoyed the company of my co-workers and we drank Coronas late in to the night. Each morning we woke to fresh fruit and huevos rancheros. Bottomless guacamole all day long. And each evening we sat and ate amazing seafood, drank Coronas, and laughed. We worked a couple hours each day, minimizing the brutal impact 12 people were having on the remote Mexican wi-fi signal, by taking turns swimming in the ocean and lying on the beach.
When I left on Friday with a little bit of a tan and a little bit of sunburn, I left with the most relaxed mindset I'd had in a long time.
I can't wait to go back to really get out and explore the ins and outs of Mexican culture.