March 2022: Encontrar, Festejar, Mirar

“On March 16, 2022, the Department of State authorized the departure of non-emergency U.S. government personnel and eligible family members from the U.S. Consulate General in Nuevo Laredo due to security conditions. Routine consular services in Nuevo Laredo will be unavailable until further notice.”

Overnight gun violence throughout the city led to an order for our family to shelter in place for five days before the State Department’s decision to have us leave Nuevo Laredo. The entire experience was difficult and stressful. Thanks to the immediate actions taken by the security team, our family and community remained safe throughout. We presently find ourselves, along with a few other Consulate families, in Mexico City for an uncertain amount of time as we await the order to return to Nuevo Laredo.

Encontrar (to find/discover)

The morning after arriving in Mexico City, I was determined to make the most of this impromptu opportunity to explore one of the largest cities in the world.

We are staying in the neighborhood of Polanco, which is sprawling with restaurants, shopping, beautiful parks and museums — all within walking distance. The walk itself is pretty sidewalks lined with curated plants and flowers. We often find ourselves in the massive playground at Parque Lincoln. We met some jellyfish at a small aquarium, crashed a birthday fiesta on the Avenida Horacio walkway, and perused libros at a local bookstore. And most importantly, we are eating our way through the neighborhood. Polanco is the best consolation prize for uprooting our family in haste.

We are fully committed to hitting all the tourists traps. I booked us a day trip to the Teotihuacán pyramids. Named “The City of the Gods” its exact origins are unknown. Standing at the base of the Pyramid of the Sun, the largest pyramid at Teotihuacán, it’s easy to believe the myth that it was built in the spot where time began. I quickly signed up for the Embassy-led tour of the Zócalo and the displaced Nuevo Laredo group went on a day-long food tour of Xochimilco. It was an excellent experience being navigated through a local market. We ate tlacoyos, tamales, local fruits, guacamole, sheets of chicharron, and tons of local snacks. The tour ended floating through the canals on the trajinera boat.

The adventures continue…

Festejar (to celebrate)

Some days I deeply miss the city life. After spending 10 formative years in New York City, I abruptly left in December of 2019 when we decided to join the Foreign Service. I was heartbroken in the way you feel when an important relationship ends. It was during a brief visit to Mexico City in 2021 that I was struck again by sadness for having left New York City, but that sadness was joined by the excitement for discovering city life beyond it. So, though the circumstances are difficult and we are missing our Nuevo Laredo community, I am grateful for our time here in Mexico City. I am basking in its beautiful energy and celebrating city life possibilities beyond New York.

Mirar (to look at/watch)