Mindful Travel | Moving to Mexico City for 3 Months

Exactly 5 years ago, I remember sitting in a taxi cab from the airport to our B&B in Mexico City. As I looked out the window I saw a restaurant/cafe called “chancla” and laughed out loud. If you’re Latinx or speak Spanish you’ll know why I laughed. While the word translates to sandal, it’s hard to describe exactly why it’s funny. Anyway, I took a photo and it was the start of a great vacation.

We visited Mexico City just for fun at the time. I can’t even remember what sparked our interest. Aside from the Frida Kahlo house, the Red Tree House, and both of us have never been — with just a few days there, we absolutely fell in love with this city.

“Do you see yourself living there?”

After we visit places, we like to ask each other “do you see yourself living there?” Not because we actually would but it’s just fun to dream.  For both of us, Mexico City was an immediate yes.

We were still living in New York City at the time so we had no idea we’d be in Seattle a few years after this trip.

Now 3.5 years in Seattle, I absolutely love Seattle and it doesn’t feel like I’m leaving it but I’m ready for an adventure. I never studied abroad, and living abroad has been a dream of mine for so long. I have several friends that live or lived abroad and I’d like to be one of those friends too.

The number one question I keep getting asked…

So what are we gonna do in Mexico City? Followed by, what’s in Mexico City?

And to answer both, nothing and everything. We’re living abroad for three months so we’ll be living our lives and working our current jobs. While travel and play are involved, most days will be filled with “nothing” in a way. But given that we’ll be abroad most days will be new so we’ll be doing everything!

We don’t have any ties to Mexico City or any friends there so everything will be new and fresh. Another question I get asked too is if I’m Mexican. I am not Mexican, I’m Salvadorean-American — a completely different country in Central America. I was born in Los Angeles which has a huge Mexican and Mexican-American population so, of course, familiar with the culture and adore all my Mexican/Mexican-American friends. But just because two countries speak the same language does not mean they are the same thing. Mexico is not the same as El Salvador or Guatemala or Belize or Honduras. I find it interesting that in the US, these are our neighboring countries yet most people don’t know anything about them. I have several instances where well-meaning friends interchangeably use Mexican and Salvadorean and that would be similar to not seeing the differences in cultures between French and Italian.

The confusion of what I do or how I work remotely

It’s crazy to think that a year and a half ago, in early 2020, my business model was 50% teaching and 50% freelance marketer.

In March 2020, at the height of everything shutting down, I knew that I needed to switch my focus. While all of my classes got transferred to Zoom, I quickly refocused knowing that teaching was unstable and unpredictable. So, I made a plan to drop all corporate yoga classes by June 2020 and kept one weekly virtual class at a local studio. It was scary to lose 50% of my income, by choice this time! But I trusted my gut and moved in the direction of mindful marketing. Things change quickly for me and rarely do I look back or doubt decisions. And because I move so quickly without really telling people what I do, people often get confused with what I’m doing these days 🙂

I am so grateful and very fortunate that COVID did not impact my business and if anything my mindful marketing business grew! I found clarity in how I work with clients from marketing coaching, group masterminds, and continuing as an extension to business and marketing teams. This is how I am able to focus on working remotely.

This year, I grew my freelance business into OM Marketing, and while most things transferred from when I was “just freelancing” I’m expanding and exploring how I offer things.

I never stopped teaching though! During that time, I completed my 300-hour professional yoga teacher training graduating in June 2020. I can’t imagine my life without teaching so it’s definitely not going anywhere.

Work/life balance

My working week and hours vary a lot. Regardless of my line of work, I like to create a very personable experience. Work, life, and everything in between sometimes molds together for me. I work and live from a place of passion but it’s sometimes hard to shut my brain off and “end work.” Endlessly working from home can sometimes leave me feeling uninspired. And while most recently its been nice to occasionally pop into a coffee shop in Wallingford (my favorite so far is Bounty!), I have felt a bit uninspired and less creative.

As a business owner or just a multi-passionate person, I thrive on creativity. If I’m not feeling inspired, my business and life feel it. Meaning that not only my revenue sees it but my heart and soul feel dim too.

What I’m looking forward to

Looking at my little spreadsheet of things that need to get done, I’m excited to put our things in storage and travel for the next three months.  

Moving to Mexico City will allow me to explore different coworking spaces and re-expand my mind once again. I’m even excited to just explore another coffee shop while speaking Spanish!

Exploring all my senses— from new sounds, new colors, the taste of new food will hopefully extend into a fresh perspective and creative moments.

I’m also excited to potentially explore different parts of Mexico including recommendations for personal growth such as Oaxaca and potentially different retreat centers. I’ve been dreaming something up and I’m so excited to bring a retreat to life in the summer of 2022.

We also arrive in October, the end of rainy season and the start of Dia de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebrated November 2. This is a traditional Mexican holiday to remember family and friends who have passed away. While I’m familiar with it vaguely from growing up in Los Angeles and being around many Mexican friends, I’m so excited to experience it and learn! I already printed photos of my grandpa, Jenny, and David’s grandparents. Along with little things for my alter.

How I’m preparing

To start and most importantly:

✅  Fully vaccinated

✅  Extra Masks

✅ Negative COVID test

I have the privilege of receiving a free Covid vaccine by choice and the option of free Covid test just a short drive from my home in Seattle. I’ve made sure to not only read the news on how cases are in CDMX but also personal reflections from Mexican residents. How do they feel about people traveling to their country? What I keep reading from locals is to arrive to their country with those three things. I am a foreigner, a stranger to their country and I want to make sure I respect not only their culture but their health.

Stay tuned!

I can’t wait to share more once I’m there. I’ll be sure to share more reflections on the intersection of business, mindfulness, mindful travel, and personal growth! Be sure to follow my personal IG account @beeumana to see up-to-date photos and just daily moments. 🙂