12 Steps in Zihuantanejo
I never imagined that I would get a chance to work through the 12 Steps in Mexico. It’s been great to get a break from the usual meetings in Flagstaff. Hearing all the different experiences, strength and hope that the participants in Zihuatanejo had to offer, was awesome. Experiencing and taking part in a slightly different format of meeting and hearing the Zihuatianejo clients and fellow tourists has been really interesting and fun. Compared to the meeting rooms in Flagstaff, the room here is fairly small, which I feel makes the meetings a little more personal because it’s easier to focus what’s being said. All the people we’ve met down here are really nice and they are always happy to see young people, like us, in a program.
The meeting here works a little bit different than the meetings we attend back in Flagstaff. First off, we sit in a circle so we are all able to look at whoever is sharing. Also, for our topic we do the reading out of the Daily Reflections book, which is nice because that is the book we use at home during our morning meditations. We don’t really get a chance to do a formal meditation here, which I really enjoy at home. After the reading we pass the book so everyone can read the passage for that day, and then we share going around the circle. I enjoy this style of sharing, as opposed to pulling tickets and tag sharing because it gives everybody a chance to speak. Since the meeting is downtown Zihuatainejo we will walk to a local restaurant for dinner. Roy and Graciela are friends with a lot of the people in the meeting, so we went out to dinner a couple of times with their friends and talked about how they ended up in Zihuatianejo. I heard some really interesting and inspirational stories during my time here in Mexico and I hope I can return one day again as a sober community member.
– B2B client
Surfing in Mexico
Even though I’m from California, I have almost no experience surfing, so it has been a really fun learning experience while here. We’ve been surfing every morning since we arrived in Mexico and I am steadily improving with the help of one instructors Edgar. Edgar is an incredibly helpful teacher and an extremely nice guy, and he made my time in the water very enjoyable even when I’m struggling. On my first day I could barely get out to where the waves break and I couldn’t even sit on the board and balance. Once I got out to the waves Edgar would tell me where on my board to position myself and when to paddle. Since I’m not able to paddle very well, Edgar would push the back of my board so I could catch a wave. If I caught the wave I would either face plant off the front of the board, or try to stand and fall. I would always end up getting pushed close to shore and my journey back to the group would start again. We’ve gone to three different surf spots in Zihuatanejo and Ixtapaa: Playa Linda, La Salidta and El Rancho. I’ve only been able to surf at Playa Linda. When we went to La Salidita I stepped on a broken shell and punctured the bottom of my left foot. I decided to get it bandaged and duct-taped and go back in but it hurt too much for me to continue surfing. So I got back out of the water. It ended up getting infected so I couldn’t go in the water for two days. Once I got back home it started to improve to the point of catching waves on my own and having as much trouble getting out overall my surfing experience has been very fun. Being able to challenge myself physically and see improvements and having an amazing sense of calm and peace while floating out there, have been great. I feel that this experience will give me confidence in my recovery and will be a memory that I hold on to the rest of my life.
– B2B client
Cultural Immersion
I came to Mexico not knowing how to speak any Spanish aside from simple numbers and random words. Now at the end of my stay here I’ve learned enough to order food, shop and potentially make my way home if I was to get lost. Our Spanish teacher Shirley is a really nice lady who goes to great lengths to make sure we have fun at the same time learning Spanish. Our classes usually consisted of doing work sheets to learn proper grammar and simple verbs and then writing sentences with what we learned. Everyone else knew some Spanish, so I was always able to have my questions answered, which helped me to learn a lot more. Shirley also teaches English at a local school so she would bring over her students so we could have natural conversations to help each other learn. She would also meet with us after our 12 Step meetings and walk around downtown with us to show us good, local shops food. Her other students would come meet us too while we were out with her. In two of our classes she brought the supplies to make Guacamole and taught us how to make it and we ate it during class. Another class she brought over supplies to make tostadas, which we made and ate while we watched a movie in Spanish. Having class with Shirley has probably been the most fun I’ve ever had learning a language. I’m really glad Roy decided to include these into the trip because without them my time down here would have been much more difficult. I hope that at some point in the near future I’m able to continue to learn Spanish because it is a very useful language to know, especially if you plan on visiting Mexico, which I really hope I do later in life.
– B2B client
Inspired
Mexico actually has inspired me to try taking Spanish classes or getting Rosetta Stone when I have finished the program. It scares me hearing locals talk so fast but I hope someday I’ll be able to understand it. I’ve never had the courage or commitment to ever stick through such an intimidating task such as conquering a language. It’s typical for me to start something then quit when I get frustrated just like surfing. Or I will just never try something I think I won’t be good at, but now that I’m in recovery, I ask my higher power every day to give me the courage to do the things I need to do and things that I want to achieve. I think with his help I could accomplish finishing the language. I definitely hope to keep in touch with Shirley when I’m out of the program and can email her. She seems like a great person to know if I end up coming back to visit or live for a while. I really look forward to that day and I’m very thankful for this opportunity giving surfing a chance. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to work on myself and grow from new experiences.
Another piece of our Mexico trip involves taking Spanish language lessons every day for two hours. As an addict, I must say that school is definitely not my favorite thing in the world but the class has been beyond helpful. Our teacher Shirley teaches English at a nearby private school so she has been very patient and understanding working with us. The class has helped me immensely with ordering food at restaurants and with overall communication with locals. I took three years of Spanish in high school so the class has built on that as well as bringing back words I hadn’t used in a couple years. I really can’t imagine trying to interact with anyone here without the class. Shirley often brought ingredients and showed us how to make her authentic home- made guacamole. I not only find learning the language useful but the cultural experience we also gain is invaluable. I found it enjoyable when she brought a couple of her students, learning English to come hang with us. It was a great opportunity for all of us.
– B2B client
Finding a Place in the Water
My time here in the Ixtapa area has been awesome way to get out of my element and to enjoy things I wouldn’t in the midst of addiction. I never thought surfing could bring me so much enjoyment as well as exercise. I can’t say I have always been a fan of waking up at six a.m. but getting out on the water early and having time alone out there both soothing and meditative. It has really given me time to connect with my higher power and be thankful for the beautiful country I am in and for being alive. Our surf teacher Edgar is an awesome surfer and was extremely helpful with helping me get the hang of it. To be honest, it was very frustrating in the first few days but the guys around me weren’t giving up so I certainly wasn’t going to quit. Now that I am ten days in, shredding the waves more enjoyable than ever! It’s amazing how quick I was able to get the hang of things and sticking through the frustrations has certainly paid off. I know I will continue to surf long after I graduate from the program, especially in my hometown of Carmel although it will be a lot colder. I know if I was still in my selfish, self-seeking ways there is no way I would have kept trying. I hope to move to a hard board soon and I want to try to learn how to use a short board. My favorite place to surf has been Saladita because the waves are a lot longer rolling than Playa Linda. Even though it is harder and takes longer to get out, the wave is so worth it. I grew up surfing a little bit in Santa Barbara which has waves similar to Saladita. It was cool because it reminded me of all the fun I had with my family there. There’s definitely some guilt that comes from stealing from most my family but miss them all so much I definitely want to make amends. I’m excited to go to the ranch tomorrow now that I have a better hang of things. It’s important for me not to get extremely angry when I get stuck trying to paddle out. I have found that I get angry really fast and my program seems to go right out the door. My frustration and anger have always been tough for me to overcome I am definitely glad that I have.
– B2B client
