How to ditch the biotech industry

So Mexico… a country that is snuggled between U.S. and Central America. Mexico… a Latin country full of culture, people, adventure, and of course… romance.

Wait, how did this happen? Why? What caused this insane change in life?

I am leaving the biotech industry to live my life some place new — temporarily. A fresh start. It was such an abrupt change in my life that I surprised myself. I am uncertain about the consequences, but I am willing to find out.

I want to warn you though, there is a bit of a love story. Romantic, more or less.

A little bit of recklessness never hurt anyone. There are moments where we shouldn’t think about our thoughts and just act on it.

“I don’t think there’s any story worth dying for, but I do think there are stories worth taking risks for.” — Anthony Shadid

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First, I want to mention that traveling has been on my mind for quite some time. The desire to travel grew as the company was coming to an end. I was inspired to backpack Europe for approximately 2–4 months. In my heart, I knew I wanted to see the world and explore the world…by myself.

It is different, it is out of my comfort zone, and I saw a window of opportunity.

Cheers to possibilities and to making mistakes!

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December 2016, I was on a cruise trip in the Caribbean with my family. We visited Haiti, Jamaica, and Cozumel. It was towards the last days of the trip when the seeds of change decided to happen. Cozumel was the last destination on the map and that is where I “met” him.

I told you this had a little bit of a romantic story background.

His name…? I call him… Rim, he literally took me on the edge with my emotions like the rim of a glass. How he did this will always remain a mystery to me as I am not much of a romantic person.

Rim on the other hand… was…he is “in love with the word love” — at least to his words…

It wasn’t too long till we exchanged numbers and began to talk on WhatsApp. He literally swept me off my feet without me even realizing it. He was charming, sweet, and quite handsome… to me at least. What I wished I learned was that Latin men are pretty suave. Funny enough I live in an area full of Latin American people, but I guess I never ran into one that would take a piece of me with him…romantically. Perhaps it was the fascinating nature of his career; he was a shark and stingray trainer. Or maybe it was his voice and his Spanish charm.

We talked, there was connection. You could even almost say I fell in love with him. Well…at least in the beginning stages. Perhaps love is too strong of a word to use, but I am not even quite sure what love feels like, but this one did in a silly, comical kind of way.

I have discussed my aspirations to move near a beach and start a new life. Rim had mentioned and insisted I should move to Playa del Carmen. He was pretty adamant that the Mexican Caribbean was the place for me and I had him as a confidant. We talked about improving my Spanish and some of his English — though his English was pretty good. Also talked about some fun adventures we could do in Playa. I was hesitant about it, but as our conversations grew and we talked more, I considered it.
Several months passed and I did some research online and came across some job opportunities in Playa del Carmen. February 14, 2017, I decided to submit my resumes. I told myself which ever opportunity comes first I will take it. The first to respond was to take a course and teach English abroad.

So, ladies and gentlemen I will be an English teacher… in Mexican paradise.

What does this mean for my life? I guess I will never know till I take a dive on it. Life is full of surprises. People… are full of surprises.