One of the greatest gifts this art residency has given me is curiosity.
Living in another country has sharpened it in a way I did not expect. Every day I am learning something new. Sometimes intentionally and sometimes by accident. Often by stumbling my way through conversations, culture, language, and experiences that are unfamiliar to me.
And honestly, I love that feeling.
A few weeks ago I was walking around the city with a new friend here in Mérida. As we passed a wall with a small spray-painted symbol on it, he pointed it out to me. It was the female gender symbol.
“You will start seeing more of those soon,” he told me. “International Women’s Day is coming.”
He was right.
Once I knew what I was looking for, I started noticing them everywhere. They were on walls, street corners, and electrical boxes. There were also pamphlets and handouts circulating around the city with information about women’s safety, health resources, and support networks.
Naturally, my curiosity kicked in.
I started reading and learned that marches happen across Mexico on International Women’s Day. These marches are connected to a broader movement protesting violence against women and advocating for safety and justice. What first looked like small symbols on the walls turned out to be part of a much larger conversation happening throughout the country.
For a moment I wondered if I should go.
Living somewhere new constantly reminds me that I am participating in daily life here while also being a guest. In some of the Mérida community groups I am part of online, people were quick to point out that foreigners participating in political protests can run into immigration issues.
Whether that risk is common or not, the message was clear. It is better not to.
I realized that support does not always have to look like standing in a crowd. Sometimes it looks like listening, learning, and respecting the space you are in.
At the same time, I could feel something else creeping in. Exhaustion.
For the past fourteen weeks I have been painting non-stop. One painting a week. The residency has been an incredible gift and a creative push, but my body and mind were asking for a pause.
So instead of going to the march, I took myself to the beach.
I have a name for this place.
I call her Mama.
There is something about the ocean that resets me every time. I come here when I need to remember what matters. When the world feels heavy or complicated or loud.
All I have to do is sit.
Swim.
Listen.
And somehow she takes whatever I am carrying and pulls it out with the tide.
Living here continues to teach me that learning does not always come in neat lines or tidy conclusions. Sometimes it is just moments stacked together. A conversation on a sidewalk. A symbol on a wall. A deeper understanding of the place you are living. A quiet afternoon by the sea.
And somehow, all of it finds its way back into the work.
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