In the Company of Greatness
| June 18, 2013 | Filed under Personal Musings, USA |
It was the trip no-one wants to make. Traveling to comfort a loved one in a time of grief is not the sort of traveling anyone likes doing, to see people we haven’t seen in far too long for all the wrong reasons. But when I heard the tragic news that my nephew Mason had passed away suddenly and tragically, getting on the next flight to Las Vegas to be near to my sister Holly was the only thing I… more
Lessons from the Rain
| June 4, 2013 | Filed under Mexico, Personal Musings |
I’m not bundled into a Jeep heading off on an adventure to the Sian Ka’an nature reserve like I’d planned today. I just canceled the hire car reservation, as the rain is too heavy to drive anywhere. I’ve been waiting to make the trip to the remote fishing village of Punta Allen and the protected more
Livin’ the High Life at El Taj
| May 30, 2013 | Filed under Mexico |
We’re half way through our week of luxury, and I gotta tell you, it’s been very nice. We have the pleasure of staying in a two bedroom, two bathroom luxury apartment with high thread count linen and THREE flat screen televisions. On the first day we moved in to the El Taj, I was lying on the plush King bed in the master suite flicking through the ridiculous amount of cable channels (because I could), and Tyrhone called out desperately… more
Skydiving in Playa: Writing a New Story for Myself
| May 25, 2013 | Filed under Mexico |
I didn’t sleep much at all the night before our skydive. The following morning I practically ran to my yoga class in desperate need of relief from my racing mind, continually envisaging myself falling from 10,000 ft in a state of terror. I did manage to get some relief and had a great class, focusing on my breath and keeping my mind with me on the mat for the most part. When I returned home, I felt the fear returning,… more
The Final Frontier of Fear
| May 22, 2013 | Filed under Follow Your Dreams, Mexico, Personal Musings |
It’s no secret I’m a bit of a scaredy cat. I’ve been afraid for as long as I can remember. I don’t know if I was simply born this way, or if it was a case of instincts gone awry during early childhood. The first ten years of my life were lived under the large dark cloud of my father’s alcoholism, a storm that rolled in occasionally to upturn our otherwise happy lives with chaos and insanity. When he left,… more
Cenote and Ceviche Fun with Jimmy Dau
| May 14, 2013 | Filed under Mexico |
Jimmy Dau is in town. What, you haven’t heard of him? Have you been living under a ROCK?! This guy is big, huge, a force to be reckoned with. If you don’t know him, you should. Google him immediately. The above statement may or may not be true, but it feels more on the true side to me. I’ve only known Jimmy in real life for a few days; and for a few months online before that. The Sydney-sider started… more
April in Playa – Taking What Comes
| May 8, 2013 | Filed under A Year In Playa del Carmen, Mexico |
The thing about plans is they rarely turn out as you expect. This is often a good thing. I didn’t plan to take on another job, visit an ecological community near Playa del Carmen, or experience the ins and outs of the Mexican medical system, but you know what? I did, and everything turned out alright in the end. WORK I took on a temporary, two week role as a social media manager for the company I write for, as… more
On Freedom
| April 29, 2013 | Filed under Mexico, Personal Musings |
Something has shifted for me recently, and I have become very aware of my freedom. I’ve come to value this new-found freedom above everything else that used to drive me – more money, more success, more clothes, more travel, more… more. Now that I have it and I’m aware of it, I’m very protective of it, keenly aware of how easy it would be to relinquish. I have a wonderful life with everything I need and for the most part… more
A Day to Remember
| April 26, 2013 | Filed under A Year In Playa del Carmen, Mexico |
We met Alex last year when he moved into our apartment block. He was attending the same Spanish school we had dropped out of, so we bonded over discussing the apathetic teacher and the mundane, grammar-driven classes. Several weeks ago, my landlord told me Alex was back again, but it wasn’t until a week or so later that I bumped into him and his girlfriend Leah in the courtyard of our building. They were thrilled to tell me they were… more
Keeping Kids In School and Myself Sane
| April 17, 2013 | Filed under Mexico |
I recently came across a local charity organisation, The KKIS Project (Keeping Kids In School), who run a volunteer English teaching program at a primary school north of Playa del Carmen. After traveling the world for a year, settling down in Mexico for a while is the best thing we could be doing, but even still, I am restless by nature and need to find ways to stay challenged. I thought spending an hour each week teaching English to school kids sounded… more
