First Impressions, on a Second Glance

First Impressions, on a Second Glance

Author - Amy Kundinger

We had our first visitor last week!  It was her first time to Mexico and I remember clearly the chats we had before she arrived ... just where exactly was San Pancho, were there any resorts in or near town, could she use the water for showers and washing hands,  what would customs be like,  how many pesos would she need and how much were they worth compared to the USD, how would she contact her family in Minnesota, would she get sick, and the biggie - would she be safe? 

Traveling somewhere you have never been before certainly puts your mind into overdrive trying to be prepared for a list of unknowns.  I expected all her questions and concerns, especially the way the entire country of Mexico is portrayed by news in the states.  We talked through everything, but in my Mexico (and international travel) experiences, just like riding a bike, no one can explain it to you in they way you'll directly experience it, you just have to start pedaling  ... learn from pushing your own limits and enjoying the new found freedom you discover on your own. 

As the days approached her arrival I found myself pondering what anyone's first impressions of San Pancho might be.  As you turn off the single lane jungle highway onto the dusty little town's main street you will definitely see the following:

• Poop.  Lots of it.  Horse, dog, chicken, cow, lizard you name it, it's there in ample quantity.
• Dirt, dust, and sand.  Dry season (which it is now) will give you a nice daily dose dust.
• You'll see pick up trucks coming into town with their beds loaded full of young men with bandanna's covering their faces. 
• You'll see machetes in the hands of people walking around town.
• Trash piled high on the curbs, especially if the garbage trucks haven't come in a few days (there is no true schedule.)  Trash does get overturned in the night by stray dogs and cats looking for some tasty scraps.
• Closed up and abandoned buildings, unfinished buildings, and some living conditions far less than you could ever conceive.
• Broken down fencing and wires poking out, and hazards seemingly in every glance (like railing less concrete staircases and random holes in the ground.)

But if you look beyond an initial glance you will see the beauty of San Pancho right in front of you.  I started taking pictures of attributes that make San Pancho so charming to me.  I often take different streets home.  I will take the time to walk places rather than ride my bike just so I can absorb more.  My collection is far from complete:

• You'll see the charm of a cowboy riding his fleet of horses through town or cows meandering along the riverbed. 
• There are at least 3 men (all that remind me of my grandpa) that I see every morning sweeping the debris from the roads and parks with palm tree brooms.  Every morning EVERY SINGLE ONE of these fine gentlemen wave to me and say "buenos dias" as I ride by with Arlo in tow on the way to school.  In fact, I am constantly smiling and waving to people from one end of the town to the other.
• You'll realize that the pick up trucks are taking men eager to work on construction sites along the beachfront at the far end of town.  They come into town at sun up and leave at sun down.  I get waves and smiles from nearly all of these tired and sleepy faces as we both recognize each other in our routine daily exchange.
• You get eye contact with people as they don't have their heads buried into mobile devices.  Strangers almost always greet each other.
• You'll realize no one has a lawnmower or the yard gidgets and gadgets we have in back home.  The machetes are the one stop tool to trim back brush, prune, cut down coconuts, cut sugarcane and harvest crops.  They are carried in simple slings with blades pointed down and away.
• There is indeed more trash as there isn't the infrastructure we are used to in the states.  It is occasionally pulled apart in the night, but it is almost always picked up by the time I am making my trip back from the school.  When the garbage truck doesn't come you'll notice right away and be even more grateful for it's roaring engine rolling through town when it does arrive.  It smells absolutely horrible yet the guys on the truck are smiling and hop on and off the truck as if they don't notice the stench.

• You'll see countless people sweeping their steps and walkway throughout the day. 
• There are gorgeous flowers blooming from every possible corner in rich bursts of pink, purple, yellow, red, orange and fuchsia.  Flowering vines and bushes take over fences.  Pops of color peeking out from rubble.        

• Things like wrought iron are common place here.  While many houses don't have funds for costly windows and even fewer homes have screens, a good portion will have some kind of wrought iron to offer the dual versatility of ventilation and security.  Many houses have cinderblocks with cut outs so there are no windows at all.  But you'd be hard pressed to not see the beauty in the simplicity.  It's a kind of thumbprint.  Mix in color and simple design and there are very few that are exactly the same.  Many are very beautiful and reflect what San Pancho is known for.

• You'll see an abundance of creativity and unique design reflected in the buildings that is truly mind blowing for any town, especially one this tiny.  San Pancho has two paint stores and I always see people hauling out the pails from the store fronts.  Color is embraced here far more than our traditional standard house shades of beige, white and grey.  There are no neon lights or glowing store fronts.  Businesses paint their names and logos on the buildings.  There are stunning murals everywhere.

• Look a little bit closer and you will discover dreamy tucked away nooks that would make one of your pinterest aspiration boards.
• Materials that were discarded or common place have been repurposed thoughtfully to make something beautiful.

• There isn't a way to see the hazards as pretty but I will say this, I am much more present in the moment when I am walking through town and have a much greater sense of awareness to my surroundings.  It has also made my children more focused as well, I love what they point out to me around town.

We all know the saying "You don't get a second chance to make a first impression."  To a degree, I do find truth in the sentiment.  But your first impression is often clouded by your own baggage that you likely don't need to haul around. Imagine what you would be able to pick up if you let a few things go for that second, deeper look.  Most of us are committed to our routines.  They bring us the necessary efficiencies and comfort to get through hectic days with mile long "to do" lists, but we are less able to absorb anything new when plates are so full.  We have an abundance of information at our finger tips.  This gets us speedy and extensive exposure to information, but it is "served up" by algorithms spitting back what they think you want to see or what has proven to drive ratings.  In most cases, this is a fantastic element to living in this day and age but your computer and TV do not have your eyes, heart and mind to experience anything.

It was fun to have witnessed our first visitor transform over the course of her stay.  Her initial concerns faded as her experiences grew.  She saw baby turtles scuttle towards the ocean at sunset, a baby whale playing with his mother in the sea, live music by talented artists, tasted lots of new food, ate up tacos from mindful owners of street restaurants, said "hola" to countless smiling faces, watched kids playing at the community center and tried out yoga for the first time.  She saw people just like you and me that are very proud of their home, town, culture, families and livelihoods.  She also saw why this place is so important to me and my family.  Like me, I don't think it will be her only visit to San Pancho.  This place has a way of getting you to fall in love without really trying.  You just have to give it that second glance.