Mexico City June 2023

I have always believed that to grow, you have to travel. Your growth path is experiencing new ethnicities, cultures, and ways of life. I will admit that as a Hispanic man, even my knowledge of Mexican culture was limited to border towns. Watching the movie FLAMIN HOT sent me through a wave of positive and negative emotions, although I enjoyed the movie very much. But spending five days here in Mexico City changed my perspective on Mexican culture and to me even more proud that I have family from Mexico. 

Twenty-five million people here, and the city is clean, not one trash can at street corners, it sleeps at night, bathrooms you have to pay to use, and as crowded as it is, there is no crazy honking; it’s surprisingly quiet. There is so much that we could learn from Mexican culture and adapt to our own lives to improve our quality of life. 

I saw the Cathedrals, overwhelmed with emotion and against the rules; I called my mom to pray over FaceTime so she could get a glimpse of what I was witnessing. To view the original Our Lady of Guadalupe and hear the story, I could not help but spend some time kneeling before the Blessed Mother. 

Walking through and feeling the immaculate beauty of the Teotihuacan temples, pyramids have points, gave me a newfound respect for other cultures, beliefs, and traditions. We immediately attack what we don’t understand until it’s too late—a whole civilization gone because we want to force another way of life upon another. Now here we are, hundreds of years later, studying it and discovering fascinating architecture, religion, and way of life. It allowed me to reflect and realize we all have something to offer. Hold back on your defensive actions and emotions, and welcome learning new life-ways. 

But lastly, being able to sit down with men from different backgrounds and have an intellectual conversation about life, beliefs, religion, sex, and what it means to be a man over some of the world's best tequila was something I will never forget. No one overpowered the other. Each voice was heard fully, and every opinion was respected. What a fantastic experience. 

Bodybuilding allowed me to travel all over the USA, and I learned a great deal. But I knew that there was more out there. There is more to learn. I read a tremendous amount, but to put every word into perspective, traveling to new places brings those words to life. Mexico City was my first trip outside the USA, and it’s the beginning of my new adventures as I plan to travel more often. I don’t want to work to only pay bills. I want to be the very best man I can be. Thank you to my friend Chad for booking this trip and being my tour guide and all the new friends (Carlos Cruz, Pepe and his partner, Carlos Vasquez, Anika, Po, Andrea) I broke bread with. Simply amazing. Love you all. 

Follow me @drocbody via IG and Twitter