Many of us, well most of us, dream about living on the beach one day. We all have different hopes and dreams, but the fantasy that consists of walking out your door and feeling sand beneath your toes seems to be a popular one. All of my life, yes the full 21 years, I imagined myself waking up one day to peer out my window and see a vast body of beautiful blue water and at the exact age of 21, this became my reality. I graduated college in 3 short years and a few months after throwing my cap in the air I was living in a beach condo in beautiful Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Jobless, no responsibilities and with the love of my life by my side. I was living the dream.
How did I get here, you might ask? And how in the world do I not need a job to be living in such a gorgeous, and to be frank, expensive destination? To make a long story a short one, I had been in a long distance relationship for 4 years and my significant other lived in Mexico City while I lived in Austin/Houston, Texas. Due to many reasons we decided to move in together and concluded that Cabo was the best place to start our new chapter.
The View from the Living Room of our Condo
The vista was unbeatable. From our condo you had an unobstructed view of Cabo’s famous Arc. In the Winter/Spring months, from December to April, our balcony was a front row seat for watching the whales swim by with their baby calves. What a sight that was to see. One of the best parts about living so close to the shore was being able to walk out our front door and take a short 5 minute stroll down to the beach.
5 minute walk to the beach
You are probably asking yourself Okay I get it, this chick lived in paradise, so what is she getting at? Well it did not always feel like paradise; there were many challenges that came along with the adventure. After reading a jillion blogs and watching a ton of shows I wanted to be one of those people that leaves the life they knew in the U.S., move to a foreign country, start a grand adventure, become a more interesting person, and just love every single moment of my journey. That is what everyone feels when they make such a brave move, right? Well you only ever here the plus-sides, but believe it or not there are downsides. There are tons of retired expats living in Cabo San Lucas that do not know too much of the language so that wasn’t a huge issue for most people, but for me it was. Seemed silly and slightly disrespectful moving to another country and speaking to people in English and expecting their response to be in my native tongue. Being far from my family, friends and the ‘world’ I was used to was extremely difficult. But the hardest part was living my new life with my new 21 year-old-self who worked hard in college, at one point working 2 jobs plus a full load of classes and managing to graduate Magna Cum Laude, because I always put my academic success first. Then from one extreme to the next. Living a life of leisure in paradise filling my time with cleaning and cooking, which I do particularly enjoy cooking, just wasn’t fulfilling me. I tried looking for jobs that I felt like I ‘deserved’ after all my efforts in University, but it was one disappointment after another. Several months went by and I began losing motivation. I didn’t necessarily need a job for financial reasons, and the reality is even if I had gotten a job I would have earned crumbs compared to what I would be paid in the United States working the same job. Through all of this paradise started looking a bit different. The lust I once had for the place began to fade, but the beauty of paradise didn’t change, instead it was my inner beauty that was changing.
The sunsets took my breath away
Cabo’s allure is undeniably celestial, but it wasn’t enough. I needed independence, my own life. The one where I worked towards something. Ever since I can remember I knew I was destined to do something spectacular with my life and sitting around all day just wasn’t cutting it.
I love the quote by Diane von Furstenburg, “I didn’t really know what I wanted to do, but I knew the woman I wanted to become.”
I can still recall the first time I read that particular quote from the legendary DVF. In that moment I felt better, I felt more secure with not knowing where life might take me as long as I do not forget the woman I want to become. Through my experiences so far I have tried not to lose sight of who I want to be, who I can be, and more importantly who I am already. Even though you think you know the “perfect” scenario that would make your life a lot happier doesn’t mean that it actually will. Paradise bestowed many unforgettable memories that I am very grateful for. The truth is, just because you read an article from a world traveler, CEO, top model, whatever it might be, does not mean that a certain lifestyle that you do not have would make you happier if you did have it. Live the life you want and learn a lot along the way. We all deserve to find what will fulfill our lives and what makes us happy. I am still searching for what I should be doing, but at 22 I think I will be okay.
“There are only two tragedies in life: one is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it” – Oscar Wilde
PR for Prima Donnas 