Traveling Around: Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

Can you relate?

• Driving around in a rental car and not being prepared for the multitude of “topes” or speed bumps.
• Having people say “Hablas español?” and when we responded yes they preceded to talk to us in English.
• Waiting in the longest line ever at the Cancun airport to go through customs.
• Eating avocado at every meal.
• Realizing that Mexican food in Mexico is MUCH, MUCH tastier!
• Being in awe of all the beautiful colors of the Mexican architecture.
• Walking around central plazas with basically everybody from the city walking around in it, also realizing how little people from the United States do that in their own cities…well if their city has a central plaza.
• Being that it rained like every day, this area of Mexico is indeed probably best visited during spring break season.
• Staying at a hostel with a very talkative owner.  Helpful, but VERY talkative.
• Running into a folk dance performance with what seems the whole city watching.
• Going into a travel agency asking them where to view the flamingos, and then finding out we didn’t allot enough time to drive to the actual place they were at.
• Trying to find the best fresh juices in each city we traveled to.  Can’t have too many glasses of fresh mango juice!
• Being amazed once again by the beauty of palm trees on a beach.
• Looking the other way when being confronted with spring break type people.  Tried to avoid them most of the trip.
• Going up to a table with a family thinking that they were a family of a student you had previously taught and then realizing it WASN’T them in the first place.
• Couldn’t believe that I had to leave United States to finally go and visit Mexico for the first time.
• Being amazed at how many different kinds of pastries there are at the bakeries.

If you are on a trip right now, away from your host country, write to us at admin@internationalschoolcommunity.com with your “Can you relate?” traveling experiences.  Tell us where you are traveling in the world, what you are seeing and how you are coping with any culture shock.  Once your Traveling Around experience is posted on our blog, International School Community will give 6 free months of premium membership!