If you read A Blunder on the Beach Becomes a Barrier at the Border, you know the story of me getting stuck in Mexico. I had a series of mistakes that ultimately left me stranded with no passport, no ID, no credit cards, no cash, and no phone. That post explained how my things were stolen and how I ultimately got back to the states. Yet, I’ve been asked several times what my main takeaway from the experience was.

This being said, I want to break down the story and explain what I was thinking at each stage. Furthermore, I want to discuss what I learned and how this unfortunate situation became the primary catalyst to me finally implementing much needed change in myself. There’s a lot to be said here, so I will be breaking it up into several parts and releasing more details about the circumstances. Many times I have purposefully left facets out or sugar coated things because I wasn’t quite ready to put it all out there, but I think our world needs complete transparency. So, here’s me being totally honest!

• I got drunk one night, my friend went home with someone,  and I went to a random dude’s resort to avoid paying for an expensive taxi home, losing my ID and cards somewhere along the way.
• I went back to the resort several times and there was no sign of my stuff. I never told my host family because I figured I’d just travel back with my passport.
• I went out my last weekend in Mexico and after my friends left, I ended up trying to go back to a guy’s resort but they wouldn’t let me in because I didn’t have a wristband.
• Against my better judgment, we went to the beach instead.
• At some point, we fell asleep on the public beach.
• While I was sleeping, someone cut my bag off me which contained my passport, phone, U.S. dollars, pesos, and makeup.
• As a product of two drunk nights I was now without my passport, ID, cards, phone, cash, and makeup (makeup is quite irrelevant, but still a minor tragedy).
• After realizing what had happened, I went back to my host family’s house, crawled into bed without contacting my parents, and reflected on everything that had gone wrong in the past three to four months. I’d lost two sets off keys, misplaced my house key several times, had awful grades, had my car broken into, locked my car key in my car two times, spilt wine on my laptop wiping the whole thing clean right before finals, fell and bruised my leg from the knee down, lost my wallet in Mexico, and now this.
• I lied in that bed, trapped in a life that wasn’t mine.
• I mentally felt around and touched the cool, stone surface around me. I’ve never felt that embarrassed, disgusted with, and disappointed in myself.
• I vowed to never feel like this about myself again.
• I realized I had hit rock bottom and was going to do whatever it took to climb my way out.

I have summarized the first part here, but if you would like to hear more you can listen the corresponding podcast episode below!