The Beach

Oh, Canada.

I had hoped to stay longer.   I guess I *could* have filed for an extension but it would come at the cost of not being able to come and go as I please.  For whatever reason, the immigration officers frown on frequent trips back and forth across the border, so if I stayed in Canada I wouldn’t be able to attend my friend’s wedding, celebrate Thanksgiving with my family, or take an impromptu vacation to somewhere warmer than a Vancouver winter.

So on Monday afternoon, I landed in Cancun and took a shuttle into the city I’ll call home for the next 6 months: Playa Del Carmen.  Where in Playa, exactly?

Okay, so, I’m actually about 8 blocks but I reeeeeealllllllllly wanted to use that clip from Half Baked.  Despite not being right on the beach (boiiiiii), I love my location.  I’m at the edge of the main street, close to coffee shops, groceries, mini marts, restaurants, bars, and even the local “mall.”  It definitely caters to tourists, but I’m putting more of an emphasis on immersing myself in the Mexican culture and improving my rudimentary Spanish.  Yesterday, por ejemplo, I ordered my morning coffee in Spanish.  Even when the barista responded in English, I stuck with it.  And this morning, when I saw the same guy behind the counter, he also only used Spanish.

My apartment is straight gorgeous.  Bright.  Spacious.  Modern.  Even has its own private elevator.

Yeah, not too shabby.  Here’s where I’ll be working the rest of the year.  Only 175,000 VPPs until Supernova Elite.