Is it worth it?

We experience multitudes of growth by simply being in a different environment.

The following was written when I was in Mexico back in July. Since then, I’ve moved on to Medellin, Colombia where I will be for a few more weeks. More updates on the Colombian adventures soon.

Let’s start with a random question. Is it worth it to go to the Louvre?

It’s a question that was brought up on a podcast I was listening to on an eight-hour bus ride from Mexico City to Oaxaca where we were planning on spending the next 8 days.

It’s the same question I asked myself when I was deciding on leaving Austin for three months of digital nomad travel. Is it worth it? For having to work while I’m here, is it worth it? For still having to pay rent in Austin while traveling, is it worth it? For losing whatever fitness I had back home, is it worth it? All this planning and arranging, is it worth it?

Go back to the original question about the Louvre. What does it have to do with this trip? Everything.

Last year when I was in Paris for the first time, I did face the Louvre question. We were only in Paris a few days and were deciding if the Louvre was worth going to. (It was, by the way, I wrote more about that here.)

Part of you feels like you’ve already seen the Mona Lisa on the internet. You don’t have to wait in a long tourist line to see it behind a thick pane of glass. You can read about her online and not have to dodge tourist groups at the museum. You can probably see the museum through Virtual reality nowadays. Wouldn’t it be a better use of your time to skip the ticket lines at the Louvre and go explore something else in the city?

It’s not just about going to see an art piece or the famous glass pyramid itself. It’s worth it because from the moment you leave the apartment en route to the museum you’ll venture into a patisserie, you’ll taste the buttery croissants, and you’ll smell the coffee. You’ll ride the Metro alongside locals. You'll hear the French language in the air.

The same goes for this adventure in Mexico. You can view as many Instagram Stories about it or watch documentaries or listen to podcasts, but it’s not the same as immersing yourself in the flesh.

Even if things don’t go according to plan, is it worth it?

Although originally we were to stay in Oaxaca for 8 days, we had to cut it short after only two. I got a stomach virus (a parasite in food apparently) and it got out of control. Two antibiotics didn’t work and I was out of options. I had to go back to the bigger city and see a doctor.

We all have that feeling, the one where you came all the way for something only for it not to go according to plan. I was in Mexico’s cradle of gastronomy and cuisine and didn’t taste a lick of it because my stomach sent me to hell. Instead, I sat on the bed eating saltine crackers and drinking Pedialyte.

I had to make a quick decision— stay and wait out the sickness, or go back to Mexico City and find a doctor? One would be misery and the other would be a dump of money to catch a plane at last minute and find a doctor. I’m slow at making decisions, but in times like these, it’s my dad’s voice that rings in my head, “La mejor decision es la que se toma.” The best decision is the one that gets made.

Thank you internet gods for gifting me enough bandwidth in that town to buy a plane ticket back to Mexico City departing two hours later. Decision made.

Was it still worth it?

I didn’t get to try the famous mole, drink chocolate, or mezcal, visit Hierbe el Agua the petrified waterfall, or Tula the largest tree in the world.  But I did get to see the colorful town, painted murals, and witness the Guetaleza festival that celebrates the bountiful cultures within Mexico. As I slowly roamed the streets in search of saltine crackers, I listened to podcasts about the history of Oaxaca, its folklore, magic, and traditions.

I eavesdropped on a conversation at a cafe and learned that traditionally people don’t go out for cocktails here. It’s not like they go out to get a Mezcal margarita. But every time there’s a celebration, a birthday, birth, an anniversary, a holiday— everyone goes all out on the Mezcal.

I read on a sign that the Zapotec culture, the indigenous people from Oaxaca, were one of the most highly developed cultures in Mesoamerica.

I learned about the Muxe in Zapotec culture, which were people born male but dressed as female and took up more traditional female roles like decorating and embroidery. It’s fascinating that this gender fluidity pre-dates Spanish colonization. Muxe in villages are highly respected people, whereas in more Westernized cities they often face discrimination.

I tasted vicariously through Anthony Bourdain’s Mexico podcast episode as I strolled the streets. As he tasted the street food on the podcast, I saw it in person. Without tasting it, I still got to learn about it and experience it in a different way.

Perhaps one of the highlights was talking with a driver on the way to the airport as I fully interviewed him on life in Oaxaca. Rather than wasting time on Google next time and going to touristy spots, I got the intel directly from the locals.

When I got back to Mexico City and went to the doctor, the nurse said, “Glad you go to see the Guetalgueza. Too bad you leave soon because next week is the festival that celebrates Oaxaca, in September it’s the Mexican independence fiesta, oh and in October it’s Dia de Los Muertos fiesta. And December it’s the Christmas festivities. So maybe you should just stay until then!”

So, I do hope to come back and get to enjoy more depths of Oaxaca. It was still worth going though, even if it was short lived. (I learned my lesson for next time about preparing for stomach issues.)

Whether it’s going to the Louvre, or Mexico, or any new experience no matter how small, it’s worth it! We experience multitudes of growth by simply being in a different environment.

Hope you enjoyed reading this! More updates to come.