July 2021: Encontrar, Festejar, Mirar

Encontrar (to find/discover)

I like yoga. Why? As Cady Heron from Mean Girls would put it, “because it’s the same in every country.”

This month, I discovered Sadhana Integral Yoga studio right here in Nuevo Laredo.

My high school level Spanish can’t translate 60% of what the yoga teacher is instructing. Mat placement is key to following along - in the back, there’s no one to copy if you’re inverted; in the front, you’re the de facto leader. I have to take a picture of my mantra card for post-class Google translation. And I pretend to understand class announcements only to send a WhatsApp message later for clarification.

Language barriers aside, the class is centering and a restorative way to workout, similar to my New York city studio. I’ve attended yoga classes in Paris (I speak less French than Spanish). 'Shavasana' needs no translation. Every class has at least 5 downward dogs, 4 warriors and 3 child poses. Every class is welcoming and unpretentious. Because yoga is the same in every country at least three countries. And as Damian would say, “that's beautiful. This girl is deep.”

Festejar (to celebrate)

I imagine most Nuevo Laredo weddings seamlessly blend Mexican and American traditions - that's a central theme to life on the border. At the wedding we attended, the couple’s first dance was to Perfect by Ed Sheeran, and the couple was later serenaded by a live Mariachi band. Dinner was chicken and mashed potatoes and Mexican wedding cookies were served for dessert. I’m grateful to have celebrated this couple - a Mexican woman marrying an American man - a true display of how our two countries are interconnected, and an experience to remember here on the border.

Mirar (to look at/watch)

An EFM as defined by the U.S. Department of State:

Eligible family member (EFM): An individual who meets all of the following criteria,

(1) Is the spouse or domestic partner of a sponsoring employee; or child of a sponsoring employee under 21 and unmarried, or (regardless of age) unmarried and incapable of self-support; or a parent (including step-parent or legally adoptive parent) or sibling who has been declared as 51% or more dependent on the sponsoring employee;

(2) Is listed on one of the following:

(a) The travel orders of a sponsoring employee who is assigned (not TDY) to a U.S. mission

abroad under Chief of Mission authority, or at an office of the American Institute in Taiwan;

or

(b) An approved Form OF-126, Foreign Service Residence and Dependency Report (or other

agency equivalent), of a sponsoring employee who is assigned (not TDY) to a U.S. mission

abroad under Chief of Mission authority, or at an office of the American Institute in Taiwan,

and is residing at the sponsoring employee’s post of assignment.