From Boredom to Meaning: My Unexpected Experience in Oaxaca
I am visiting Oaxaca, Mexico. I haven't traveled in several decades, and I have a lot of trauma around travel, so it's kind of a big deal that I'm traveling at all. When I got here, over the last couple of days, I've noticed that I'm feeling a sense of boredom. The first day was exciting because I was walking around and seeing what all was here, but my brain just kind of registered it as very flat. I noticed that there were markets for buying trinkets. I noticed that there were restaurants for eating, bars for drinking. But I don't know. I guess I don't feel very motivated by consumerism and spending, and I was kind of over it in one day, and I was feeling apprehensive about having to spend multiple days here. But then we went to some Zapotecan pyramids, which I wasn't looking forward to, but I went because my partner wanted to go. And even once we got there, I didn't find it that interesting until we interacted with a man who works at the pyramids, but he's not employed by the government. He is an actual Zapotecan indigenous person who hangs out at the pyramids and tries to sell his art, but also educates people about indigenous culture. He taught us about plant medicine and even showed us the actual plants there at the pyramids. He even brought us across a cordon and showed us a tomb and we walked down these steps into a tomb and took pictures with him. He educated us about so many different things including how the government once they realized that the pyramids were there took over the pyramids and took that land away from indigenous farmers. Now my interaction with him was the highlight of this trip so far by far and I guess I'm just curious about what that means about me and what I value and how that can inform what I seek to do in upcoming trips
ChatGPT: It sounds like this interaction resonated deeply because it connected you to authentic cultural experiences and meaningful stories rather than surface-level consumerism. It suggests you value personal, human connections and the opportunity to learn directly from people who are deeply rooted in the place you're visiting. This aligns with a desire for travel to be about immersion, understanding, and learning rather than just sightseeing or spending money.
For future trips, you might focus on seeking out opportunities to engage with locals in meaningful ways, such as:
Cultural Experiences: Look for guided experiences or workshops led by indigenous or local people, like learning traditional crafts, cooking, or exploring historical sites through their eyes.
Purposeful Travel: Research ways to contribute positively, such as ethical tourism, community-based initiatives, or supporting local artists and businesses that preserve cultural heritage.
Slow Travel: Spend more time in fewer places, giving yourself space to connect deeply with the community and surroundings.
Personal Growth: Reflect on how the trip can expand your understanding of the world and yourself, not just what you see or do.
It’s also worth noting that your openness to this unplanned interaction might point to the value of leaving room for spontaneity.
