Although English is my native language, it was strange coming back home knowing that the language I naturally speak is now the language everyone understands. It was strange knowing that I wouldn’t have to think about verb-subject agreement, verb conjugation, verb tense, etc. The notion that I may never return to Mexico, let alone Mérida, hit me hard.
Mérida had been home for three months; I had become accustomed to walking under the Mexican sun everyday; I wouldn’t be going to Centro de Idiomas del Sureste (CIS, our school) and talking to our teachers; I wouldn’t be eating lunch with my mamá and abuela and talking about silly things everyday; I wouldn’t be heading into Centro looking at all the hidden shops. I wouldn’t be able to climb up Mayan ruins again, and I wouldn’t see the friends I made. I was soon headed back to Athens, the town I hadn’t seen since November, and off to see friends I hadn’t seen since fall quarter. It was strange to drive back down Court Street and realize, not only had Athens changed, but I had changed as well.
Although I didn’t jet-set across the globe, and was on the same continent, I considered Mérida home for winter quarter, and it steadily gained a place forever in my heart. I found myself in Mexico and discovered that I’m a pretty kick-ass Spanish speaker—even if I’m the blonde-hair, blued-eyed gringa (slang for “American”) who’s obviously not from Mexico. I learned that I love speaking Spanish, even just the simple things like the weather and what’s in the news. I may not be a fan of analyzing Latin American literature and poems, but Mérida showed me that if you just try to speak Spanish, native speakers will appreciate your effort. Mérida also showed me the true side of Mexico as well as the Yucatán peninsula; not the touristy side shown in Cancún.
Photos courtesy of Carly Wiita