Why I Still Love Living in Acapulco/Mexico

As I move towards closing out a full three years here in Acapulco I find it interesting sometimes to think about the things I do and don't miss about the United States and the life I left behind when we moved to Acapulco on the run for cannabis crimes several years ago.

I find I miss things like Aldi Grocery Store more than most of my family, which is both funny and sad. I find of all my family the only ones I really miss are my siblings(and truthfully my Dad, although it's more the idea of him than his reality), and it's more of a worry for the lives they and their children face back home.

Foods like Taco Bell and things similar that many take for granted I honestly have a serious soft spot and longing for.

Winter is a big one although I know for a fact that if you dropped me in a snowy climate right now I would not tolerate it very well because I've now adjusted to this hot and humid climate about as much as I think I am capable of.

I miss the candy and snack selection of the states although its a bit of a guilty pleasure as I work to try and stop eating processed foods for good, which includes the majority of American snacks.

I miss the availability of decent cannabis, even in states where it was illegal it was easier to find good weed than it currently is here despite Mexico's long history of cannabis.

What I don't miss is the politics and the general culture of the American public. Mexico has politics but they don't currently involve me, and the general public seems interested in going on with their lives despite a current major election going on. I don't miss how rude people are to each other on a daily basis, something considered normal that seems alien to me now. I don't miss having neighbors I couldn't trust on even a basic level.

I don't miss living in a place where everyone's objective whether they know it or not is to tell me what to do. I was reminded of this recently when we went to Mexico City and we had the "outlaws" chastising us for breaking a helmet law. Here in Acapulco I'm reminded that my safety is up to me, so I better pay attention or that sidewalk might suddenly become not flat and hurt me. And it's empowering to know no one else is responsible for me. No one else will tell me what to do.

I decided when I first decided I wanted to have children that I didn't want to do it in the United States. Now that I'm out I don't miss the fear of having my future family (whenever that happens, not now) there, to make them slaves in much the same way that we all are slaves. Not only that but I couldn't tolerate the idea of doing parenting differently in a country that takes children away from families that do things differently. You see from breastfeeding to schooling here how you raise your kid is your business, the way it should be.

There's a lot of differences, some of them good and some of them slight bummers (OR GIANT BUMMERS LIKE THE UTTER LACK OF ALDI IN MEXICO.) but all of them remind me I'm in a place that's just a bit more human. It's not perfect and it's got it's problems but I love it here and I'm not missing home very much especially considering the things I miss most can be found here (EXCEPT FOR ALDI.)