Why the long pause?

Mexico round up

Where have the last ten months gone? As most of my Facebook newsfeed has been informing me, 2016 was pretty much a shit show. My adventures in Mexico were not exactly an exception and processing my experience has taken some time so I hope those reading it will consider it a fair review. Since my last post, Sinead Nua has been on a rollercoaster, a stressful, nauseating one albeit with stunning views and beautiful people.

I took a job in a school that seemed to be setting the ESL forums alight with terrible reviews. But, in defense of the school in question, the reviews were written 7 years ago, and I know how so much can change in seven years. My previous school before that also had a terrible review but I worked there for 18 months and loved every minute of it. An experience is dictated as much by what you put in as what you get out. So, I took a punt on it and packed my bags for Mexico.  As you can see from my previous few posts, I met some wonderful people and had some super adventures. I can’t even begin to describe the hospitality and friendship I met there, and especially from so many of my colleagues, so anyone reading this, please know that you made my experience so much better. But I have to admit that one of the criticisms of the school is still a current problem, and despite my most diplomatic attempts I couldn’t improve the situation I was in, so I packed it in. Life’s too short.

I really must emphasise the positives however, I had a Principal who appreciated her team, and colleagues who were a joy to meet each morning, and who introduced me to various regional snacks because they quickly learned the way to my heart is through my belly. My students were a group of confident, clever, hilarious little monsters who I still miss every day, and my connections with them were strengthened by the relationships I made with their parents. My time at the school taught me so much more about being a teacher than I had realised it would and I am really grateful for that. During my time there I thought it best to enjoy the good points and block out the bad ones. But this came at a high price.

Six weeks in, I fell victim to Chikungunya which obliterated my immune system. Apparently it can stay in your system for up to a year so I’ve really only just shaken that off. What followed was a barrage of parasitic infections, a throat infection that felt like Chikungunya all over again, insatiable sinusitis, some weird alien like skin condition (classy), and of course, the cherry on the germ ridden cake, Zika. I could hear the infection fairies shouting, “Pile it on lads, there’s room for more, sher there’s not a white blood cell in sight”. My local doctor wasn’t exactly helpful, prescribing me a cocktail of crap and not even explaining the dos and don’ts, or delving further into the problem. I had diarrhoea for 2 months because he just kept writing out prescriptions instead of sending me for tests. In the end I went to a private doctor and, several months and $3000mxn later, I was diagnosed with a parasitic infection that was cleared up in a matter of days. A couple of these issues are what you’d call a run of bad luck, but all of them together were a sign that Mexico hated me and wanted me out. At least that’s how I looked on it at the time. Now, I reflect on my lifestyle there and realise that all of it was stress induced. The pace of life in Tuxtla Gutierrez was so frenetic, I could hardly breathe. I felt like I was rushing from point to point, barely even stopping to decompress or eat properly. My energy and motivation quickly waned until I felt like I was existing simply to work. The salary was relatively normal for the area but, as a single person living alone and saving for a relocation, it was impossible to save without a second job and even with that I still left the country with very little to get me started again. You don’t go to Mexico for the money, you go for the experience, and on that it definitely delivered. I am very grateful for the opportunity I had to live in Mexico, what I learned there, and the friends I made there but now it’s time to return to Europe...

Images: Sinéad Millea.