Villahermosa, Mexico

People who know me can attest that I am obsessed with running.  One lesser-known piece of information is that I’ve been battling a chronic issue with my right ankle that has bothered me since October, 2011.  Just as I was about to leave my hotel in Merida, I was stretching my ankle by leaning on the table next to the bed.  As I stood back up, I kicked a mysterious post in the middle of the bed frame.  After yelling profanities for 5 minutes, I noticed that my smallest toe had swollen to twice its normal size and was clearly broken.  This was not good news for my upcoming schedule, which included 2 half-marathons, a full marathon, and a ski trip within the next 2 months.

I finally pulled myself together enough to check out of the hotel and hobble through the airport for my third and final destination in Mexico.  One quick shuttle flight later, I was in the land of Tabasco.  Villahermosa is basically the opposite of everywhere else I have visited in Mexico.  No beach resorts, no touristy restaurants, and no real historic sites to see.  Basically, the entire city just seems to exist for the purpose of oil companies and business travelers. 

On my first day of the project, I was barely able to squeeze into my shoes but flip flops don’t exactly work with a suit so I decided to suck it up.  It’s amazing how much pain can come from such a small injury.  Obviously the Finance Director decided that it would be a lot of fun to start the project by giving me a full tour of the property.  Maybe he thought I just like to walk funny.

I never realized how much time I spend working out because the first week in Villahermosa felt like I had absolutely nothing to do.  By the weekend, I was ready to do something, so I limped my way through La Venta park, which was adjacent to my hotel. This strange zoo/archaeological site was filled with monumental “heads”, interspersed among some live animals.  There were guards everywhere to ensure that no one touched the heads but none of them seemed to know anything about their historic significance.  So, that’s all I’ve got…heads and animals, co-existing in nature.

Representing the random assortment of animals at La Venta

Representing the random assortment of heads at La Venta

After a successful limp on Saturday, I decided to go even further the next morning - this time to church.  To my surprise, it was literally overflowing with people for the mass.  They even set up a tent and chairs outside the front door!  Also, in true Mexican fashion, there were several street vendors in front selling snacks, trinkets, and balloons. 

This tent was soon to be filled with people during the mass

My eating routine in Villahermosa involved completely stuffing myself at breakfast and surviving until dinner since there was no way I would go near the food they were serving in the employee cafeteria.  On Thursday, my plan was turned upside-down when the Director of Finance offered to take me out to lunch with the entire team as a thank-you.  

The restaurant was more like someone’s back yard and involved a bunch of picnic tables and a grill.  Within a minute of sitting down, we were each given a massive grilled fish – complete with scales, eyes, and fins.  As I cut into it, I discovered that the fish had two sets of bones: one in the middle like a normal fish and another along the top.  I thought to myself: “How on earth can I de-bone this thing?”  Within a few minutes, I realized that the local approach is to just bite carefully and pull the bones out of your mouth when they poke you in the gums.

The people of Villahermosa love their VW Beetles

By the end of my six weeks in Mexico, I was ready to go home.  Professionally, the experience was highly rewarding. Socially, I found my colleagues to be extremely gracious hosts.  My biggest challenge was just stretching beyond my comfort zone to do business in another language for so long.  I couldn’t help but think about all my friends who are living (and thriving) in countries that don’t communicate in their native languages.  After this experience, I have even greater respect for them all.

PS: I’m still wondering why my bed frame in Merida had six legs.