One Mexican Armenian in Cabo:)

As I’m waiting for a meeting to start I thought I would share a story.

The warm weather is noticeably slipping away, even in Los Angeles where the change in seasons is relatively mild. So, when I was asked to be the +1 on a company retreat to Cabo San Lucas last week, who was I to refuse…summer weather stretched indefinitely, ridiculously good lobster, and if I surfed I would be one happy camper…but hey, two of three is great.

My first order of business was to scope out the people in our group and determine who would most likely be up for going on an adventurous scuba diving excursion with me. I gently zeroed in on two people who reside in Manhattan Beach and brought their boogie boards along for the weekend. It seemed like a no-brainer and my persuasion skills resulting in a trip to the concierge to set everything up. You don’t need to be certified in Mexico to go scuba diving…gotta love it!

So, last Saturday as we are walking into the scuba shop our new friend asks humorously, “Hey, isn’t that Glendale’s flag?”. I look over and see a little table top Armenian flag sitting next to the Mexican flag. You know what they say… when two Armenians meet…so, I ask and it turns out that Mike runs the Scuba Shop and is Mexican Armenian. He was born in Mexico City and has been living in Cabo for more than 10 years. Mike clearly enjoyed the opportunity to speak in Armenian to someone. His grandfather taught him the language as a child and dreams of one day visiting Armenia and learning to speak fluently. He is the only Armenian living in Cabo, however knows of many living in rural areas throughout Mexico. It felt so endearing to hear him express the innocence in the spirit of his heritage. If you find yourself in Cabo visit the scuba shop in the lighthouse and say "Parev" to Mike...you'll make his day:)

Unfortunately I didn’t have my camera to take a picture but it was pretty cool to meet this guy in a place I wouldn’t have expected to run into local Armenians (but, I still think Scuba Diving was a tad bit cooler!).

*Attached photo is from our room at Hotel Finnestra overlooking the Sea of Cortez. Isn’t that the life.