Maryann Hansen
Professor Peterson
English 1010
11 October 2011
Lost In Mexico
I had never prayed so hard in my life. I was hoping for a miracle, and needed one not
only for myself, but for the two kids I had with me. Looking around, I felt like a fish out of
water. I didn’t recognize anything and I was beginning to panic. My heart was racing and I was
holding back tears. I was trying to hold myself together for the kids, trying not to let them know
that we were lost in Mexico, without cell phone coverage, and nobody knew where to find us.
We had been planning this trip for months and my sister was in Mexico waiting for us.
The day after Christmas we packed up two cars, five kids, lots of beach toys and began the long
drive to Mexico. My mom, my sister and I survived twelve long hours in the car with five young
children. After lots of fast food, many bathroom stops and an overnight stop in St. George; we
were finally getting close to Mexico.
As we approached the border, I had my 8 year old nephew and 2 year old daughter with
me in my car; while my mom, my sister, and my three nieces were in my sister’s car. Not having
my nephew’s passport with me, I was planning on stopping to switch kids around, get the correct
passports, and find out what the plan was after we crossed the border. We would lose cell phone
coverage as soon as we crossed over into Mexico, so I also needed to get directions from my
mom. We got closer, and I noticed there wasn’t much of a line to cross the border. Cars were
actually moving quite quickly into Mexico, without getting stopped to have passports checked. I
soon found out we weren’t going to get stopped, they waved us right through. Before I could
process what was happening, we were in Mexico. I stuck to my sister’s car like glue and didn’t
let it out of my sight. I was grateful my mom had done this drive before and knew exactly where
we were going. Not knowing the name of the city we were going to, I knew it was vital that I
followed close behind my mom to avoid getting lost. My Aunt had warned us not to cross the
border after dark, but as the sun sank below the horizon creating an orange glow, I knew
darkness would be upon us soon.
Potholes were scattered everywhere, signs were in a foreign language, and there were
new and unknown traffic laws. We ran right in to Mexican rush hour traffic which was pure
chaos. Honking horns filled the air, aggravated drivers drove off the side of the road, and to
make matters worse we hit a construction area. We were now crawling at a snail’s pace along a
highway speed road with busy construction workers all around us trying to direct traffic. All
through the construction zone, we were heading up a giant hill, and I stayed right behind my
mom, not allowing any space for a car to come between us. After what seemed like an eternity,
we approached the top of the hill where the main source of the traffic hold up was. A team of
workers stopped traffic to allow a truck full of dirt to cross the street and unload. They only
allowed a few cars through between truck loads and I was relieved when I saw it would be our
turn next. I followed my mom up to the man holding a Spanish stop sign. He let the cars in front
of us through, then my mom got waved through. Just as I sped up to follow her, the man stepped
in front of my car with his stop sign, forcing me to slam on my brakes.
We were now in the midst of darkness and bright lights were shining on the construction
area, making it hard to see past the light. I knew my mom must have pulled over up ahead to
wait for me. As I waited for another truck to cross and unload, busy Mexican workers were
swarming around my car, yelling to one another in Spanish jiberish. After five or six minutes,
they let me through and I sped up to look for my sister’s car. Cars were instantly driving at
highway speeds, relieved to be out of the construction zone. I scanned the shoulder for my
sister’s car, but it was nowhere to be found. Before long, there was a split in the highway, both
ways leading towards unfamiliar cities. Not knowing which way to go, I made an impulse
decision at the last minute and went right. I was still hopeful that my mom had realized I wasn’t
behind her and was on the side of the road up ahead. As the cars slowed and I started hitting
traffic lights, I knew I had chosen the wrong way. I found myself in a foreign city, with 2 kids,
and unfamiliar businesses and people surrounding me. I knew I had to get back to the highway
where the road split and go the other way. When I finally found a spot to turn around, the lane of
traffic going the opposite way headed in a different direction and I wove myself deeper and
deeper into Mexico. Now realizing that my mom hadn’t pulled over to wait for me, I started to
panic. Nothing on my cell phone was working, my mom and sister were nowhere in sight, and
they had no idea where I was. Not wanting to get lost any more than I already was, I pulled over
to decide what to do. Even if I found a place with a phone, I would have no way to call my mom
or sister because they didn’t have cell coverage. My sister living in Mexico didn’t have a cell
phone. We always communicated with her on Skype. I was terrified and felt isolated and alone.
I knew my daughter and nephew were counting on me so I stayed strong and assured them
everything would be ok. I knew I needed help to get myself out of this situation, so I poured my
heart out in a prayer, pleading for help.
As I sat there brainstorming, I suddenly remembered I had my laptop with me and
decided to look for a place with wireless internet so I could talk to my sister on Skype, or
possibly email someone. I followed the roads towards what looked like a busier area and out of
nowhere, a Starbucks appeared. I had never been happier to see a Starbucks. Not only was it
something familiar, but I knew they usually had free Wi-Fi. Starbucks evoked a feeling of
comfort and I felt safer than I had since getting lost. As I was setting up my laptop, something
miraculous happened and my prayers were answered. I felt my phone vibrate against my leg and
when I looked down and read the words “where are you?” in a text from my sister, I knew
everything would be ok. At the time, I had no idea how I received a text from my sister when I
wasn’t able to make phone calls, but we later figured out how this happened. My sister and I had
both recently gotten smart phones before our trip and the default settings were set to allow data
to be sent in foreign countries. At fifty cents a text, they were the most expensive texts I had
ever sent, but they were worth it. Through our texts, I told my mom and sister was that I
somehow managed to find a Starbucks. I stayed there and waited with my daughter and nephew
until they found me and I followed closely behind them until we reached our destination.
I immediately knew my sister and I had gotten our new phones for a reason. I realized
just how intricate God’s plans are. He somehow knew having those phones would be an answer
to my prayer and get me safely back to my family when I was lost in Mexico. I put all of my
faith in God, my prayers were answered, and I was reunited with my family. This experience
made me realize that no matter where I am or how unfamiliar my surrounds; God hears my
prayers and will always answer them. Even when I feel alone and lost, I will always have
somewhere to turn for help.