Love for Latin America: This Is Not Just a Phase

In this personal column, author Alina Schwermer reflects on her evolving relationship with Latin America. Once an exoticized and eroticized place of longing during her student years, the continent now feels familiar upon her return to Chiapas, Mexico, for the men's soccer World Cup. She describes the strange sensation of coming home to a place she has never lived, recognizing cultural patterns like spontaneous late-night fair visits with a taxi driver. Schwermer acknowledges the neocolonial undertones of her earlier fascination and admits she previously treated the region as a phase. Now, she sees an opportunity to approach this old love with more maturity and genuine connection, noting that she still texts with the driver. The piece blends travelogue with introspection on privilege, memory, and personal change.