This is my life experiences about Mexico.
Mexico’s Stereotype in Cambodia
Mexico? Where is Mexico? When talking about Mexico, Khmer people almost know nothing but drugs. Back to more then ten years ago, there was a Mexican drama called “Marimar”. This serie was very famous in Cambodia that time and the names of a man who loves Marimar, translated in Khmer: Sochio and her dog : Kako were used frequently in comedy shows.
When I was accepted to pursue my master degree in Mexico, I had no idea where it is until I searched in Google map to see that it is below USA on the map. I thought that Mexican speaks Mexican language and it turned out that they speak Spanish and only think I knew about Mexico was drug dealers.
My neighbors asked my mom if it was safe in Mexico and some even asked if Mexico was a state of USA. In fact, I had no ideas. I checked online to see whether Guanajuato (I didn’t know how to pronounce it) was safe or not and the result was it is one of the safe states in Mexico. Looked on some photos and videos of Guanajuato, OK! I just loved it, loved the colorful it is and I wanted to go there. I thought that if it was dangerous, I just go to school and return to house.
Flight Tickets and Mexican Visas
Why Mexico? After finished my master degree in Cambodia, I was one of the top 5 in the program so professors from France helped us find scholarship for (standard) master degree abroad. They suggested some scholarships in France for the first rank and CIMAT, Mexico for the other four. This was a first time they recommended Mexico and there was no one pursue higher degree in math at Mexico before. So, I decided to apply for master degree in Centro de Investigación en Matemáticas (CIMAT), Guanajuato, Mexico with other 3 friends. Be the one or among the first went to a country that most Cambodian (Khmer) don’t even know or visit was cool, wasn’t it?
After 2 months of applied for scholarship, my friends and I got accepted to pursue master degree in basic mathematics (pure math). It was mention about salary and the programs. Also, we would learn Spanish one semester before started master degree program. I accepted the scholarship even I didn’t even know how to say “Hello” in Spanish. I just thought that maybe Spanish was not that hard or maybe we could speak English?… there would be a way. Maybe I too believed on myself? Maybe I was careless, innocent?
However, this decision was adventure. There is no Mexican embassy in Cambodia. Where could we get Mexican visas? Also we had to find a fight iteration for CIMAT so they could pay us but how?
As mention that I never went abroad, so I just downloaded application and find flights from Cambodia to Mexico. There were a lot of cheap flights which all transit in USA. I just chose the cheapest one until my best friend called me from Australia and told me that I needed transit visa to pass thought USA and had to apply for it. Upp, it was not easy anymore. I didn’t even know how to get Mexican visa and now USA transit visa? How greedy USA?
I did research again to find good (affordable) fights passed thought counties don’t need transit visas. After a week of searching, I found a good one but it was a long journey. It was from Cambodia to Malaysia to Germany and to Mexico city. After that there would be a person from CIMAT waited for us and drove us to Guanajuato. It was in total around 40 hours.
How about Mexican visas? We followed a suggestion from French professor to go to Mexican embassy in Vietnam. A short Journey but it was the first time on an airplane. I got carsick but maybe it was OK on airplane or even worse?
A Journey to Vietnam
We booked flights and hotel for 3 days 2 nights in VN. The flight was from Cambodia to Lao (transit) to Hanoi (VN). This was my first flight and my first time on airplane. What happened? I was OK when the flight took off but when it landed on, I was uncomfortable and felt like my stomach move upward. I vomited when it landed on in Lao and again in VN. After arrived at airport, there was a car from hotel has waited for us. From airport to hotel, I vomited again but this time, there was almost nothing came out. I was exhausted. We arrived at hotel almost night and it was cool (also there was light raining). We were hungry so much so that after leaved our stuff in hotel, we decided to find something to eat nearby. We found a street food we wanted. There was beef in hot pot with vegetables and sauce. It was very delicious (under that situation) but we spent almost 70 USD for that street food. It very expensive compare to the same/similar food in Cambodia. We thought they cheat us but we had no choice and also the don’t speak English and neither of us speak Vietnamese. We asked someone in hotel when we went back and he told it was expensive and he told us where we could find something to eat. What a day!
Tomorrow morning, we went to Mexican embassy by taxi. The taxi driver and the locals don’t speak English. On the way to embassy, I vomited again. The taxi driver seem didn’t care about me. He just drove as fast as bad as he used to (what I thought). We were interviewed one by one at Mexican embassy and obtained visas the same day. Our work was done and we wanted to know more about VN.
Mostly we ate at restaurants they speak English. Luckily, my friend has a friend lived in VN for study. So we met up and our lives were better. We went to market to buy something and ate in affordable restaurants. However, everything there was more expensive than in Cambodia. We went back and I worried about the flight back. As I thought, I vomited 2 times again in Lao and Cambodia. I was worry about a long journey to Mexico. Unexpectedly, an American woman approached me, when we landed on in Cambodia, and told me that there are bracelets to prevent movement sickness. I didn’t know anything about that but this was the only hope.
For me, I don’t like their lifestyle (local Vietnamese) and the surrounding, the way they treat foreigners and the way they drive but this is just a part of VN and in fact there are many places in VN people recommend. After that, we realized we could process visas in Thailand, and we thought that it would be more fun than in VN. This was because we followed the advice from French professor and we had no ideas (non of us went aboard before) as this was our first time. However, everything occurred for reason.
A Journey to Mexico
A flight to Mexico was transit in Malaysia (about 11 hours) then transit in Germany (about 6 hours) and we arrived Mexico city at night. There was a person from CIMAT had waited for us at airport and drove us to Guanajuato. According to this journey, I would had vomit 4 times. I was afraid and my only hope was bracelets an American recommended. I didn’t know where to buy them but fortunately, I found them. Did they help?
Another problem came, I had to prepare my stuffs in a luggage to weight at most 23 kg. 23 kg? only 23? I needed more but not for my clothes or shoes but foods. I brought a lot of foods such as beef and pork sausages, dry pork, rice noodles, some sauce and ingredients etc… etc… I had no ideas about Mexican foods so that I had to prepare for the first week or month in Mexico before I got used to the foods. I prepared well but unfortunately, I didn’t review about foods restriction into Mexico. Before leaved the airport in Mexico city, we were ask to open our luggage but I had no idea why they didn’t speak English. It is an international airport. Were they just kidding me? A woman took out my foods and just ask me “chicken?” (she just spoke a little English as she knew that I didn’t speak Spanish). I didn’t like chicken so I didn’t bring it and took away all my meats and some ingredient with seeds. It was like she took away an ice-cream from a little kid and I just watched it without knowing how to say. I only had some package of noodle, rice and some ingredients. How sad!
Returning to bracelets, they worked. I didn’t know how they worked but they did. They saved my life. I didn’t vomit or even felt uncomfortable and I was really thankful for that American woman. Of course, we all were exhausted because of a very long journey. We arrived at Guanajuato at night and it was very cold (for me at that time because it is very hot in Cambodia). We stayed at Cimatel prepared by CIMAT. A problem was that we all were hungry but it was night and we didn’t speak Spanish. What could we do? Did we pass a night without eating?
The first Week in Mexico
I remember that my friends and I arrived at Mexico in January. It was cold and we were really hungry. We stayed at Cimatel (like hotel that use for students or professors to stay temporary for events such as conferences, workshop and so on). After leave our stuffs in rooms, we start to think of something to eat. It was late at night and there was no way that we could find anything to eat at that time. Luckily, I brought noodle, noodle in plastic. I usually prepared as you can see like meats they took from me in airport…(sad face). But the problem was how can we cook the noodle? We need hot water but how? We went downstairs to find hot water or something that can cook our noodle but everyone were sleeping. We met someone and tried to explain him in English but it didn’t work and we just got a plate for noodle. We went back and there was no choice but hot water from bathroom (use for shower). We were hungry and that noodle was very delicious at that time even though it didn’t well cooked. At least, we could sleep and took a rest for get up early for breakfast. We got up at about 7am in the morning and after we observed a little bit about we stayed, we found a restaurant for breakfast. We went in and sat down and waited for waiters until we realize that the breakfast in Mexico start at 10pm (What a thug life?). At least, they gave us some breads to eat.
There was a student from Cimat names Chava helped us for the first week. We communicated in English. He helped us find rent room near Cimat, helped us buy something we need during stayed in Mexico such as refrigerator, helped us how to take a bus, how to obtained resident cards. We met a lot of people in Cimat. They are friendly and helped us a lot. We had lunch in cafeteria in Cimat. We just stayed 3 or 4 days in Cimatel then we moved to Hotel about 3 days. I decided to download Spanish application to learn some Spanish words especially foods in Spanish.
Spanish Classes
Master Degree Life
My first pet cat
Visited My Home Country
Phd Life
IWOTA in Portugal
Leaving Guanajuato City
After PhD
As I was sure that I will got my PhD, I have to plan for my next step: work in Mexico or return to Cambodia. It was in fact a very difficult decision. My first decision was either to do a postdoc or to work in Mexico for a couple of years and then came back to Cambodia. However, as I am not a Mexican I cannot live in Mexico without a resident card. I tried so hard to find a job in order to live my life in Mexico but the more I found the less motivation I was.
There were many well-paid jobs suitable for statisticians not for mathematician or a fresh pure mathematics graduate like me. I could only work in university or do a postdoc. But postdoc was not a choice at that time because my resident card will expired in April while postdoc will start at least in August. Working in university is not a well-paid job and also I had to adopt myself to teach other subjects than the subjects I like. All of these made me disappointed of what I have study and after all efforts I had put to obtain my PhD. I discussed it with my friends and thought of other way to leave in Mexico waiting until August or next year to start my postdoc.
However, there was no easy way for me and at that time I realized that even thought I lived more than 7 years in Mexico I was only a foreigner who studied in Mexico and my mission was complete. I also reminded of uncomfortable feeling when I asked for visa to go to Portugal. After a long year lived far away from my home, Cambodia is the only country that accept me with any condition because I was born as a Cambodian. Why don’t I want to go back? I decided to give up and went back to Cambodia.
Leaving Mexico
After almost 7 years and half in Mexico, this country become my second home although I didn’t notice. A decision to leave Mexico was made my I had a lot of memory there. I did have very good friends: Irving and Monse, and my cat: Felisa. We live together more than 3 years and Felisa always slept with me. I always prepared to bring Felisa with me but thing turned out not as I expected. I had to leave her for my friends as I know that they will take very good care of her and I though that Mexico is a home for Felisa not Cambodia. I though she will live happily in Mexico than in Cambodia even thought I knew I will miss her.
Saying good bye with your dear friends and those who love you is very emotion and I almost cry with I wrote this part. I went to supermarket, to any where I used to go before and I started to feel that I will no longer see those places, buy those things or speak Spanish. I Spoke Spanish with realize that it is not Khmer, I could understand the people around me and communicated with the local. But these may not be the case after I leave Mexico. I also remember the activities I did with my Cambodian friend, with the cats I had help and more. All the memories came up but I had to do what I plan.
I also went to CIMAT to say good bye to Jannet, Lolita y Lalo those who work in school service who always support me and all students in CIMAT. CIMAT is like a home to me that I will never forget. I walked everywhere in CIMAT for the last time as I knew that maybe I will no longer see it again. Also I visited many places in Guanajuato city, the beautiful and relaxing city, before I left.
For my friends, it was very difficult. I acted as normal, prepared my stuff and until the day I left I almost cry when I see my friend Monse cried. When I visited my home in 2017, I went alone and when I came back I went alone but that time was different. My friend’s family who took me as one of the family, they took me to the airport, helped me with my luggage and waiting for me. They told me that I don’t have only my family in Cambodia, I also have a family in Mexico. The way they looked at me and the last time when I hug all of them, and the last time saw them and waved my hand as a sign of good bye, I almost cry.
I didn’t want to make thing more emotion, I wound cry if I saw their faces for a long time. I preferred not to say emotional things and just left. I though maybe this was also the reason that he didn’t talk much. I do miss them, all of them and Mexico and I wish they all happy without me.