I traveled to Mexico to see if I wanted to move there. After 5 weeks, I found an answer I didn't know I was looking for.

For months, I'd been looking guardant to my five-week solo travel to Mexico, wherever I'd beryllium housesitting successful a beautiful oceanfront location successful La Paz.

I expected I'd person a relaxing stay, and I was particularly eager to study much astir the area and its section civilization to spot if I mightiness want to discontinue location someday. Right now, I'm not tied to staying successful the US and americium exploring options adjacent by.

I planned my travel earlier the charismatic commencement of summer, bought gauzy apparel to screen my arms and legs, and packed a mates of sun hats. I assumed that if I could past going to assemblage astatine the University of Arizona, I could surely grip 5 weeks successful La Paz, which is besides successful the Sonoran Desert.

On each fronts, I thought I was prepared. It didn't return agelong for maine to recognize I was not.

Between the power and connection barrier, my travel quickly became much stressful than relaxing

When I arrived, the somesthesia was already successful the mid- to upper-90s Fahrenheit — overmuch hotter than I anticipated.

And aft 2 decades successful Seattle, my assemblage took longer than I expected to acclimate to upwind that 20-year-old maine was capable to return successful stride while surviving successful Tucson, Arizona, 3 decades prior.

I besides hadn't practiced my Spanish arsenic overmuch arsenic I'd planned, and quickly learned that not speaking the connection made everything much complicated.

I was acrophobic to look for illustration a rude American tourist, wanted to beryllium respectful of section customs, and felt overwhelmed by each location was to remember.

As I ventured retired for my first thrust on the Malecón de La Paz, a seaside promenade known for its sandy beaches, nationalist art, and open-air restaurants, I was filled pinch anxiety.

What if I sewage a level tire? Or had power stroke? Or was forced to suffer the embarrassment of utilizing my constricted Spanish successful a difficult situation?

For 30 years, I'd traveled pinch a partner — first my dad, past my boyfriend, and yet my husband. This time, I was each unsocial pinch nary 1 other to publication the map, make decisions, aliases return complaint successful a difficult situation.

If thing went wrong, location was nary 1 to rescue me, and I thought astir turning back. Then I remembered who I was.

Eventually, I recovered the information to move guardant by remembering really acold I've come

Just erstwhile I thought I mightiness retreat to my air-conditioned villa, my mind flashed done each the difficult things I'd done successful my life, ones I erstwhile told myself I couldn't perchance accomplish.

I'd lived successful a caller and unfamiliar state, I was the first personification successful my family to postgraduate from college, I stood unsocial successful tribunal representing myself during my divorce, and I had raised 2 daughters arsenic a azygous mom successful 1 of America's astir costly cities.

I've accomplished overmuch much difficult tasks than riding a motorcycle on a beautiful waterfront connected a sunny day, and that knowledge gave maine the courageousness to support going, moreover erstwhile portion of maine wanted to springiness up.

At 1 point, I decided to support pushing myself and hunt retired the section tortilleria astir a 10-minute motorcycle thrust away.

It was intimidating astatine first. I near mid-morning erstwhile it was already excessively hot, sewage lost, and erstwhile I tried to bid aft practicing the full way, my mind went blank — each I could do was constituent to the fresh, basking tortillas rolling disconnected the conveyor belt.

But the adjacent clip I went, I knew the measurement without looking up directions, remembered really to bid successful Spanish, and felt welcomed by the workers who remembered me.

By the clip I left, I realized the existent mobility wasn't whether I could unrecorded successful Mexico

I went to La Paz to spot if I could commencement a caller life location aft I retire. Along the way, I realized that I'm personification who tin build a caller life anywhere.

This travel reminded maine really quickly I thin to uncertainty myself and hide my ain spot erstwhile navigating difficult, unfamiliar surroundings, and really important it is to support going and support trusting myself.

I still don't cognize yet if I want to move to Mexico permanently, but I am confident that wherever I retire, I'll beryllium conscionable fine.