Quick recap: I got a great job in early December 2022 while still in Mexico. I figured I’d work from there for a few months before coming back to California. But in a whirlwind of events, I found out that legally I couldn’t start my new job until I was physically back in the US. So I threw it together and planned to leave in two weeks, with no idea where I’d go.
Admittedly, this was kind of a fantasy I’d had. I wanted out of Mexico more than anything, so having no choice but to leave quickly was perfect.
The biggest issue was that crime in Mexico has been especially off the charts. Much worse than when I initially drove to Mexico in late 2021. When I told actual Mexicans that I was planning to drive my visibly packed-to-the-gills car back up to the border, there was some concern that I’d get bandito’d. Which, as I found out, means two cars coming out of nowhere and boxing your car in so you can’t escape, then robbing or killing you. And if you’re a woman traveling alone, likely doing even worse things to you. Especially since my car still has California plates, that would make me even more of a target.
After talking to many people about what the safest way out was, I was told driving back up on Christmas day was the best option and my dad agreed to drive with me, so at the very least, there could be two sets of eyes keeping watch for potential banditos.
“Christmas is sacred in Mexico. They would never kill you on Christmas,” seemed to be the popular sentiment.
So at around 6 in the morning on Christmas Day, my dad and I started the 11-hour trip from Central Mexico to the Laredo, Texas border. And thankfully, it was mostly without incident. From Laredo, my dad flew back home to Mexico and I continued on through West Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and then finally to California.
In total, it took about 6 days of driving to get there, but we were taking it easy because my cat, Bearface, is 16 and can’t go too long without a litter break. I had also gotten the worst and only case of laryngitis I’ve ever had, so I didn’t want to burn myself out on the drive.
Once I got back to California, I had to move around a bit from a friend’s place to a few AirBNBs until I was able to sign a lease on an apartment. I ended up moving back into the same building I lived in before I left, with all the same neighbors who’ve lived here forever. So it’s been an easy transition. In some ways it felt like I never left and Mexico was all just a fever dream.
So, work is great. Being back in California is amazing. Seeing friends again has been the best. And now I’m getting back in the groove of consistent writing again.
I just wrote something new that addresses one of the most common questions I get related to the frequency that I’ve done psychedelics, but specifically ayahuasca: “If it’s so great, why do you still have to do it?”
If you want to read it, here’s a non-paywalled link to my article.