Dear Family and Friends,
We hope this note finds you doing well. We miss you!
As you already know, we are living in a small village in central Mexico and will be here some more months.
We packed up our house, rented it for the year, had a big yard sale to get rid of lots of stuff, and off we went for 9 months with 4 bags for the three of us. After traveling through Europe for a month, we arrived in the village of Tepoztlán. We wanted to see what it would be like to actually live here, and this year was the right time, thanks in large part to Kimberly getting a professional leave from her teaching position.
We came here for the first time 5 years ago. Truth is, we've fallen in love with this place and the people and have had the opportunity to return regularly. We spend a lot of time with our close friends here--a family that we met the first year we arrived, and we've been good friends ever since. They treat us as family, so we feel close to them and get to experience things here that outsiders generally wouldn't.
Kimberly got a teaching position at a private school in the village. She is teaching art and English. In addition to teaching, Kimberly is studying Spanish with Silvia, the same teacher who we've all gotten to know well and who not only teaches us Spanish, but also teaches us a great deal about the Mexican people, their culture and traditions. Kimberly has been working on her blog http://lavendelwilsonfamily.blogspot.com/ (which you may have seen), developing friendships, enjoying quality family time with Brian and Lea, co-counseling, cooking, doing yoga, hiking in the mountains, and walking and running in the warm sunshine.
Brian is appreciating his time here. He manages the properties long-distance and has been writing a lot in anticipation of launching a blog. He also teaches English classes for 2nd and 3rd graders at Lea's school (which is the public school in our "barrio," or neighborhood). In addition, he does lots of co-counseling with counselors all over the world, including right here in our village! He is continuing his yoga practice and runs periodically. And of course he spends a lot of his daily energy speaking Spanish, which he's pretty darn good at!
Lea enjoys her school here, which is a very genuine experience and extremely different from her school at home. Her Spanish is mostly fluent by now! In addition to school, Lea has immersed herself in the Mexican world of fútbol (soccer). She is on a team that practices twice a week and has games every Saturday morning. She's really gone for it! She spends a great deal of time with our friends down the street; in fact, Jose and Lisset are like brother and sister to her here.
We've learned a lot about what it means to be human living here. Life is more about enjoying the present moment, and friends and family seem to generally come first, before work and things. It certainly hasn't all been easy, though. It is a real challenge (yet a wonderful opportunity!) to look at our lives back home in terms of the values and culture we are surrounded by. We have stepped outside of so much of what we know so well and are comfortable and familiar with, including the language! What a learning and growing opportunity it's been for all of us. And a blessing.
Yes, being here is a blessing, but having you there is also a blessing. We are grateful for you.
Take a glance at the photos below for a closer eye into our journey. Have a wonderful holiday, and accept our wishes for a fulfilling year to come.
With Love, Kimberly, Brian and Lea
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| Warsaw, Poland. A dear place to our family since it is the place that Brian's mother grew up. |
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| Rome, Italy. The Colliseum. We were all WOWED! |
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| Krakow, Poland. Also a special place to us in that it is the birthplace of Brian's stepfather. And what an incredibly beautiful city it is! |
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| Venice, Burano Italy. It is known for it's colorfully painted houses which you can see in the background. |
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| Us with our close friends mentioned above. This photo was actually taken last January. |
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| Lea and her close friends taken in a field outside the village that we had a corn cook-out in. |
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| Brian and Kimberly at the pyramids outside of Mexico City (Teotihuacan). Here we are on the top of the Pyramid of the Sun. See the Pyramid of the moon behind us. An incredible archeological site! |
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The three of us at our friend Jose's fútbol game. It is a Sunday afternoon ritual for us to go and support him. Check out the mountains behind us! |
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