Farewell, Oaxaca
It's been nearly 9 months, and this is our final week in Oaxaca, Mexico. As the days wind down, we are realizing each of the things we do will be for the last time. It's caused us to reflect on the things we will miss the most about this special place...and some of the things we won't mind leaving behind.
What we'll miss the most about living in Oaxaca:
The people, who are calm, friendly and polite. But namely the new friendships we formed here. Our landlords/neighbors Gaby and Nacho have become great friends, and we will miss them most of all! Living just steps away from each other on the same street afforded us many opportunities for spontaneous coffees, evening drinks, or a shared meal. From helping us find a place to live, get settled, and learning to navigate the city, we cannot thank them enough.
Photo by Nacho Fraguas
We also made new like-minded friends who will be moving here from Oregon the week after our departure, and we are sad we won't be here to share this adventure together.
Walking everywhere. Soon we will be back in Washington for the summer, where we will have to drive everywhere. Fifteen minutes to the closest store, forty-five minutes to work, an hour to my family's house...it's simply not the same as walking out your front door and having 5 cafes a stone's throw away, the convenience store on the corner, a tailor one block away, and three major grocers within 4-8 blocks.
Affordability. The cost of living was a major draw to moving here in the first place and of course it is a privilege to live in Mexico while earning US wages. I won't deny that. But the ability to find delicious, high-quality food for a very reasonable prices has been refreshing, and is something we won't soon forget. Going through the end-of-life process with our cat, we found vet costs to be extremely affordable ($15-$35), with same-day appointments always available. I had dental cleanings for $50 without insurance, and a physical with blood tests for about the same cost. Tourist sites, taxis, buses, and rent all land somewhere between 50-75% less than what we were used to in Washington. This lower cost of living allowed me to work only part time, and gave us the chance to travel to other Mexican cities without stressing over finances.
The Food. While Oaxaca is known for certain traditional dishes like Mole and Tlayudas, those are not what I will miss the most. It seems every dish, no matter the type of cuisine, or establishment, is fresh and carefully prepared. Chefs here, whether they be expertly trained or serving simple street food, care about the quality of their ingredients and the flavors they present. We have had amazing salads, Italian style pizzas, luscious burgers, and more, and all of it tastes so good. It's going to be a big disappointment to return to the US and have to pay triple the price for one-third the quality of food.
Aguas Frescas deserve their own paragraph, because they are a national specialty, and oh-so-refreshing on hot days. The best way I can describe it is like juice with a fraction of the sugar and a delicious natural fruit taste. My favorite is Maracuya (passion fruit)! Pineapple and lemon with chia seeds come in at second and third place. You can also find hibiscus, coconut, melon, and just about any fruit you can imagine to cool off with.
matcha-lemon and strawberry-watermelon aguas frescas
Of course it hasn't all been perfect here. There are some things we won't miss quite so much. For example:
Uneven sidewalks and impatient drivers- walking everywhere comes with hazards on every block, making it hard to stroll along and enjoy the sights.
Noisy motorcycles, big trucks, and the garbage collection bells ringing outside our bedroom window. I'm looking forward to more peaceful nights of sleep!
Cockroaches, who during the summer season like to find refuge from the rain inside our house...Unfortunately it always takes more than one strike to kill a cockroach!
Clearly no place on earth is perfect, and these challenges did not in any way dampen our experience here. They will soon become fond anecdotes that fade into the background and will be overtaken by the positive things we'll remember most.
Overall, we are incredibly grateful to have succeeded in the first leg of our first digital slomad journey. It took courage and a huge leap of faith to embark on a new life plan, and everything went quite smoothly. It took plenty of research, careful planning and execution... But now we have gained the confidence to move on to a new country where new highlights and challenges await us. Until then, we will spend the summer with our families in Washington, enjoying the best season in the Pacific Northwest until we depart for Greece in September!
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