Arriving in Latinoamérica

Guanajuato – November 2018

I land in Mexico on the evening of Sunday, 4 November. I should have arrived several hours earlier. But due to a mishap with the eVisa I needed to transfer in the US, I missed my flight from Toronto to Houston, TX. Though it’s my first time in Latin America, I step off the plane in Léon confidently and even manage to communicate with customs officials in Spanish. Most of the other passengers were Mexicans, which made the immigration process rather short and the arrival hall bustling with family members picking up their loved ones. As no one was going to pick ME up, I unsuccessfully try to call an Uber to take me to Guanajuato. 

Quite tired and frustrated by now, I then try to catch a cab in front of the arrival hall, but one of the drivers tells me to first buy a ticket for my ride at the taxi stand inside the airport. Now realizing why all of the other foreign passengers have been queueing after getting their luggage, I return to the arrival hall. At least most of the other people have left and I don’t have to wait to buy my overpriced taxi ticket.

I head back outside and hop into José’s cab. As it’s almost 10pm and dark outside I can’t really take in my surroundings. But one thing I see is the welcoming sign outside of Guanajuato. It’s bright blue and says “Welcome” in many languages – including Japanese. I didn’t really expect a lot of Japanese visitors to travel to Mexico, so I ask José about it and he tells me that there are many car factories in the area and even a small Japanese community living there.

When we finally arrive at the address of my language school’s shared apartment, José insists on waiting until Gaby from Don Quijote arrives to open the door for me. As she’s nowhere to be seen, he even lends me his phone to call her. 5 minutes later a small red Volkswagen beetle pulls up on the steep road leading up the hill. Gaby and her daughter warmly welcome me to Guanajuato and after paying the driver, we walk up to the apartment. Unfortunately, the other student staying there – Hiroshi – has left his key stuck in the door from the inside and we have to wait for him to open up.

Once Gaby has shown me around the place, I don’t even attempt to unpack my bag and go straight to bed. The next morning I have my assessment class and get up extra early. As Hiroshi is still sleeping, I look up my way to school on google maps and follow the route up the hill. It’s quite steep and apart from a few stray dogs, I don’t see anybody. On the top of the hill the view over the colourful city is breathtaking (tho my unfit condition might also play a part in this). I look forward to walking here every morning and continue on towards the school.

When I finally get to Don Quijote, Gaby already expects me. After completing the test I am assigned to Level A2. Then the other students arrive and everyone briefly introduces themselves. There are only 4 Japanese students and me this week. Hiroshi I’ve met already, Daiko has been studying here for 6 months already and Namani and Yoko are going to be in my class. Us girls head upstairs with our teacher Paola and we begin the school day with a game of memory.

After classes are over, Paola takes me on a tour around the colonial city. She introduces me to the most popular sights, the best coffee shops and bars as well as the lavanderías and local shops. We buy take-out pasta in a small alley and then go our separate ways. I head back over the hill, the way I came from in the morning, followed by a pack of stray dogs who want their share of my dinner. When I return to the apartment, I finally get to unpack and slowly start to feel like I have arrived. For some reason I already feel at home and I can’t wait to see more of Guanajuato and Mexico. I am so ready for the rest of this one-way-journey down to Patagonia.