duende

I just got back to the States from Oaxaca Mexico with a few friends. I don’t know much Spanish, but I know that next time I go to this alluring, mystical place, I will bring with me more understanding of the language. What I did take from my experience down there was a deep love of the energy that exists in Mexico. It’s not the beaches, the sun, the humidity or the way my body reacts to the jungle (hint: it’s not positive!).

It’s Duende: an indescribable, overwhelming sense of awe and magic in the air. It’s the way people live, interact, connect, look one another in the eye, communicate. I have a hard time learning Spanish because when I hear people speaking it, it sounds like a mellifluous melody! All I hear is a glorious musical experience. I fall in love with the magic that stirs in the air. I get swept away by the colors, the swirls of song, the expansiveness nature of the place. I get lost in it and find it hard to retain information. I tried to learn a phrase everyday and none of them stuck. I will have to learn Spanish here, at home and bring the comprehension with me.

Welcome home to the states, but more importantly, I am welcoming myself back home to my heart. Viva La Vida!