An American in Mexico

Mexico. If you've been watching the news at all lately, you're probably under the impression, along with most of my family, that the place is run by narco leaders, ravaged by drug wars and a trap for unsuspecting American tourists to be kidnapped for ransom. Though it's true people visiting Mexico should be careful to avoid over-priced, dilapidated hostels and cheesy pick-up lines shouted by feisty locals, if you head to any of the country's hundreds of tourist locations, you'll be fine. Sure you may bump into some violence and drugs, but isn't that what you look for on vacation any way? I'm kidding, sort of. The real dangerous areas are in the border cities and the targets of most violence are members of drug cartels or local police authorities. My friend Gloria and I stayed in Playa del Carmen, about an hour south of Cancun on the Yucatan Peninsula. The town is filled with tourists from all over the world, co-existing harmoniously with locals and Mexicans from other parts who have settled in the beautiful beach area, making for a fun and relaxing and much classier alternative to the Cancun scene. We went out to bars and clubs at night but like most Playa del Carmen-goers, our days were spent traveling to historical sites- the Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza and Tulum, the city of Valladolid, snorkeling in Akumal, etc. We even spent our last night in Cancun, where there were no drug lords to be found, but enough wild and crazy spring-breakers to make us fear for our lives. There was always a police patrol car to be found, and plenty of security- we even got delivered safe and sound to our hostel by some helpful Cancun police officers. The moral of the story is that my friend and I had an amazing time in Mexico- we met wonderful people, ate fabulous food, relaxed on gorgeous beaches and slept on average 2 hours per night. When I got back to the States, everyone kept saying "thank goodness you made it back safe," which is true, thankfully we were not struck by Montezuma's Revenge or robbed by our hostel's cleaning lady or drugged by organ harvesters. But all of those things can happen in any developing country, or any country for that matter. People get attacked or killed in the U.S. every day. There is always some degree of danger any where you go. But that's no reason not to travel and experience all of the amazing places and cultures this scary yet beautiful world has to offer. The news is a great thing, but don't let what you read or see or hear prevent you from living your life. If there's any bit of advice I can give on Mexico, it's to steer clear of Cancun. I like to have a good time- as I said, we were only sleeping 2 hours a night- but Cancun is disgusting. Instead of an advisory for Americans going to Mexico, there should be a warning for Mexicans to watch out for incoming Spring-breakers. But for people who travel to appreciate the country they've chosen to visit, Cancun does us all a favor by attracting the bad eggs, and leaving the rest of the country to be enjoyed. Tulum is relatively untouched and has a string of nearly private, white-sand beaches, beautiful Mayan ruins and lots of nearby natural sites. Playa del Carmen has more of a center city and great night life. Try to take public transportation as much as possible and avoid trips with groups or guides- even though we did meet some great friends on our frustrating yet bond-inducing colectivo ride to Chichen Itza. And when it comes to deciding where to stay, reserve a place for the first night, then get there and pick the best place for you. We got stuck at our "picturesque Cabana hostel" that turned out to be less than we were hoping for, I mean, I happen to be a fan of hot water and a separation between bathroom and bedroom, but maybe I'm just picky. In conclusion, go to Mexico, or wherever you're looking to travel, with an open mind. Don't plan things out too much. Being up for spontaneity will take you to some amazing adventures.

Mexico lindo, guey! 

Post-Vacation Preview

Vacationing vs. Spring Break-ing. There is a massive and unmistakeable difference. While I continue to recover from my Mexican vacation, and decide which parts to share with my exclusive (read: small) cyber audience, here are some photos to mull over:)

Pull my finger, you'll live longer

All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go... actually, Megabus' small print says passengers are only allowed one suitcase each, so I'm still trying to jam two bags worth of stuff into one before I take off for New York City tomorrow morning. Maybe I'm not worrying about packing so much because I don't want to feel like I'm moving permanently. But, I probably am. Uh. Being in Rochester at home with my family has spoiled me. They're crazy about me here. Now I have to face not only outsiders in "the real world," but New Yorkers, and they're a tougher crowd. This is something I've wanted for a long time, and just the thought of the noises and smells and smorgesbord of different people and places is enough to make my heart go pitter-pat. Ever since graduating from college dawned on me, I've been spending large portions of my time analyzing my life, my family, my goals- and it's not all about me, I think about society and the world in general, sometimes. And while this chronic sentimentality is beautiful and all, now it's time to start doing stuff. Just one last philosophical gem before the action starts. An older but arguably not wiser friend recently said something in passing that thoroughly surprised me, coming from her. I'd likely heard a similar sentence hundreds of times before but at that moment, it caught my attention. We were talking about failed relationships, and she announced "I don't care what he looks like or how much money he makes, I just want a guy who makes me laugh. That's all that matters." Well said, girlfriend. If a person makes you laugh- be it friend, lover or family- it makes everything better. Life is unbearably short, and there's really no time to waste being unhappy. So no matter where you're heading or been, regardless of the emo, existential crisis phase I'm, or whoever, is going through... always be around people who can squeeze a nice big laugh out of you. Plus, I heard on the radio that it helps prevent heart disease:)

Riding the dangerous wind

The quarter-life crisis. So much to do...so little time. I'm moving to New York City in a couple of weeks and the idea of starting my adult life has been freaking me out. Deciding between acting classes and interning, applying for jobs and setting up interviews has me on-edge and out of whack. But this post is inspired by what I've realized just a few moments ago- I should only be so lucky that my biggest worry is which path to choose for myself- which adventure to go on next, how to make a name for myself after graduating college- I have no restrictions or obligations right now. I am free. At least for now. And starting now, I will take advantage of my advantage and do anything and everything to get to where I want to be figuratively, no matter where I am literally. It seems like this quarter-life crisis is striking a lot of people my age, but like a Chinese proverb says "a crisis is an opportunity riding the dangerous wind." Besides sounding like a magic carpet in a sand storm, the crisis metaphor does hold true. Growing up and moving on is rough but also exhilirating, and I'm starting to see that anxiety can work wonders when channeled into creativity and action. I mean, I started a blog for goodness sake. Looking for a cure for post-college woes? Move. Do things. Explore. And if you're so inclined, get a job. But take it easy. I'm starting with the basics. Going to NYC. I've been enfatuated with the Big Apple forever, and going that is the only thing that feels right, right now. For today, that's enough.

And the beat goes on...

My dream of lounging on the beach in Australia has been crushed. Not because my competitors had better videos and not because of any lack of qualifications on my part, but simply because Tourism Queensland's computer systems could not support the massive amounts of applications they received. I was told there was nothing I could do, even though I uploaded my video on two occasions well before the Feb. 22 deadline. My anger and frustration quickly turned to productivity as I registered an account on CNN's iReport and posted my video and my complaint for the world to comment on. Lots of friends and Facebook-acquaintances left me kudos and encouragement, but surprisingly, I heard from no one else that had suffered similar circumstances to mine. The mass e-mail I received had said 4,000 people lost out on their chance at The Best Job in the World on the final day alone. So I figured I'd be greeted by a slew of other distraught travel journalist hopefuls who would view my video, comment and boost my ranking until CNN had no choice but to air my piece and shame Tourism Queensland. I mean how do you hold a competition with a prize of $100K during a devastating world-wide recession and not prepare for tens of thousands of applicants? As I mentioned in my post at http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-218526, in the end, Australia is the real victim of this fiasco. My video is creative, fun, and a definite contender amid the mass of web-cam creations featuring snorkel-masks and fish tanks. My original goal after hearing the bad news was to gain so much attention for my misfortune, that Tourism Queensland would appreciate my resourcefulness and allow me to resubmit my application. But the response I've gotten from family, friends and people I hardly know has given me the ego boost I needed to dust myself off and get back to planning new ideas for videos, trying new things, chasing my dreams. Below I've uploaded my first travel package about Syracuse, New York. Where will I travel to next? What new endeavor will I pursue? I change my mind daily, thanks to all who understand that and support me as I keep searching for happiness, and my very own Best Job in the World.

The Best Job in the World

(Originally written Feb. 17, 2009 @ 2:00 AM) My chances are about one in 12,000 for landing "the best job in the world," and my odds are exponentially worsening by the minute. Time is running out for the Queensland Ministry of Tourism's competition searching for one lucky soul to work as caretaker on a gorgeous Island of the Great Barrier Reef. As I prepared my own video to be submitted and racked my helplessly hopeful little brain for witty words to string together, all I could think of to describe the coral, sand and sun popping up in my Google searches, was paradise. To avoid cliches when choosing a title for my video (paradise found, island paradise, etc) I checked a thesaurus for synonyms. Nirvana. Bliss. Utopia. No wonder people from every country and culture, of all different shapes, sizes and sanity levels, are sending in their cheesy, painfully desperate yet inspiringly enthusiastic videos in the hopes of escaping their troubled realities for a taste of paradise. The winner gets to live in one of the most beautiful, unspoiled areas of the world for six months, plus a AUS $100,000 salary, just for keeping a blog and giving updates on the islands. Sound like the best job in the world? It sounds more like the best vacation, or in my case, the best way to put off getting a real job (in the world). So with 12,000+ applicants as of yesterday, and still 4 more days for anyone in the world to give it a whirl, it looks like the definition of paradise is universal, and that the one thing we all have in common is a desire to go there. While religious fanatics blow up their neighbors in the Middle East and revolutionaries take hostages in South America; Democrats and Republicans battle over economic policy in the US and all the citizens of the world struggle over some problem or plight, I wonder if paradise isn't the beautiful island itself but rather the idea that all people share this same notion of heaven on earth. If everyone's job was to relax in a beautiful setting, enjoy the surroundings, meet interesting people, play, explore and share the experience with the rest of the world, wouldn't there be less fighting, lower blood pressure, and more shiny, happy people holding hands? Maybe that's the hippy in me, but I'm a dreamer, and I'm not the only one. So for me and the other 12 thousand idealists trying for our chance at paradise, we're on our way. Paradise isn't a place, it's a mindset. Now if only Congress would jump on the bandwagon, take a vacation and loosen those skivvies they all seem to have twisted...