everybody has a story

Jason and I met Jay's friend David for lunch yesterday.  David is a real estate agent in Playa del Carmen and Jay met him a few years ago when he worked in an office on 5th Avenue.  David keeps Jay up to date with real estate opportunities in Playa and area and helped us find a house to rent.  I had met him once before but never had the opportunity to chat with him ~ I learned a lot from him in the hour we were together.

David was born in France to Spanish parents and spoke Spanish at home and French at school.  Looking at David I would guess he was either Canadian or American; bright blue eyes, pale skin and bald!  He speaks good English and can manage his way through a conversation in Portugese, Italian and Creole (lived in the French West Indies and I learned this is their language!).  David informed us that he and his Mexican wife speak Spanish at home and when they have children their first language will be French, second Spanish and third Mayan.  He indicated that sending their children to university in France will be cheaper than sending them to a good university in Mexico ~ France has fairly inexpensive good post secondary education compared to here ~ second thing I learned.

And ...  I didn't know there was a "Mayan" language!  He indicated that with the amount of foreigners occupying the native Mayan areas the language is being lost.  However, the government is trying to keep its importance by making it the second language taught in the school systems.  He stated that the darker people we see selling trinkets along the beach or on the streets are what is referred to as "indians" and they don't speak or understand Spanish ~ only Mayan.  Third thing I learned during our lunch.

I asked David ... can you tell that I was very intrigued and did all the inquiring while Jay ate his lunch!?! ... what brought him to Playa del Carmen.  He explained that 10 years ago his father owned several restaurants in France and he had an opportunity to open one here in the Mayan.  David said while going to university he worked at and managed several restaurants and agreed to come here to help start up the business.  At that time, ten years ago, he said the area was very peaceful and quaint, held the Latin spirit and was on the beautiful Caribbean ... he first fell in love with the atmosphere and eventually his wife.  He shared that he has experienced the growth of the village into the city it currently is, the rebuild from a major hurricane, the BOOM, the "swine flu" epidemic and now the side effects of a slower American enonomy.

After sharing this with us, he said "you know, in Playa everybody has a story ..." he reminded us that the city is really only 10-12 years old, currently houses 96 different nationalities and other than children, no one is really "from" here.  I started thinking about the people we know here and their individual stories.

P is from England, came to Mexico with his wife for vacation, loved the area, sold his company in the UK and relocated here.  His wife didn't like it as much as he did so they parted ways and ended up getting a divorce.  He ventured to Puerta Vallarta, met MC who was originally from Mexico City and they moved here when Playa's boom began in the late 90's.

N was born to Greek parents, immigrated to Canada when he was a boy and was raised in the Toronto area.  Following his divorce, he travelled to Acapulco and Mazatlan ... where he met his wife J.  They returned to the Toronto area, had a son and made their way to Playa four years ago. 

T was born and raised in Portugal, immigrated to Vancouver when he was 19 years old and following retirement travelled, sailed and resided abroad.  He eventually purchased real estate and spends the better part of 6 months here. 

S managed several restaurants in North Carolina and 10 years ago was told by her father she needed a break and was given a week in the family's timeshare in Cozumel.  She fell in love with the Caribbean and the laid back lifestyle, returned home, sold everything and bought a one way flight to Cancun.  While working in Cozumel, she met JC who was on vacation.  He returned to Mexico City, sold everything he owned and they now reside in the Playa del Carmen suburbs.

M and S wanted to do something different for their family so they sold their home in Calgary, saved their money and got jobs that could be done from home.  They tried Merida for the first few months and then relocated to Playa ... they have been here for a year, homeschool their children, work from home doing transcription and have extended their stay for another year.

D is from Ontario and K is from Texas.  After meeting in Texas, and D being into scuba diving, they relocated here ten years ago, had two boys and have no intent in returning to Canada or the USA.

M's father is from the States, her mother from Mexico City and she was born in Guadelajara.  She spoke English at home and attended Spanish speaking schools.  She married H from Argentina and relocated to Playa to teach English at Colegio Ingles. 

As depicted in the above stories, Playa del Carmen has been referred to as Mexico's "melting pot" and this is what attracts many foreigners.  Today the school's English coordinator told me that Colegio Ingles' mission statement includes providing a family base for its student body.  She explained that since the majority of the families are not from here, they do not have extended family close by ... thus the many extra-curricular activities, gatherings and functions. 

I love learning about the Mexican culture and traditions but even moreso I love hearing people's stories!!