Dia de los Muerto

The day after my birthday I flew to Mexico City for work.  I had been down several times over the summer, and we were ready to go live with the project I was working on.  I was scheduled to be there for 16 days, which included Day of the Dead in Mexico / Halloween in the US.

The launch of our new system was incredibly intense, so it didn't allow me much free time, but I was able to get out one afternoon, and the office did celebrate Dia de los Muerto (Day of the Dead) like we do Halloween, so I got a little exposure to the holiday.  The holiday is a celebration of those that have passed on.  They create shrines to the dead with things that they loved and meant something to them.  They also clean their graves and decorate them, spending the night in the cemetery celebrating with them.  Most people recognize the sugar skulls that are symbolic of the holiday (representative picture above).  They are everywhere, and people dress up in elaborate costumes with makeup that makes them look like skeletons.  Rather than being scary or creepy, which is what I was expecting, it was absolutely lovely.  I thought it was such a nice sentiment to celebrate the dead and the things they loved and stood for.  I was grateful to be there.

This trip to Mexico City was the beginning of what would be an incredibly challenging several months for me at work.  My responsibilities kept me working very long hours and many weekends, barely leaving time to cook my family dinner and get a little bit of sleep.  Unfortunately, the months are a bit of a blur for me.  However, I have an amazing family that was incredibly supportive.  I'm grateful for them everyday.