Our third stop in Etla San Augustin was a paper factory. It was really neat to watch the men making it. They had the technique down, it was a smooth movement. I was really impressed with the consistency. I wish I could've figured out how to do a workshop or something while we were here, but alas, we were only observers.
Right besides the building that housed the photography exhibit is an old textile factory that has so much potential and is referred to as the Cultural Center but it seems to contain very little culture. It really could be something amazing! Nevertheless, my daughters had the best time playing hide and seek and tag and variations of those two games. In the upstairs level, there was an exercise class. And the windows had these amazing cut outs pasted to them. It was gorgeous!
We went on a little adventure to Etla San Augustin with our friends, Valerie and Clay. The 7 of us squashed into a collectivo taxi and traveled out of Oaxaca. Our first stop was this recently opened exhibit that displayed photographs taken from an airplane of locations in Oaxaca State. I loved seeing the burst of trees that are the Zocálo and Monte Albán from above looked pretty incredible! This photos were taken with a camera that weighs 7kg! I would love to own one of the prints, but unfortunately it didn't seem that there were any for sale.
Yes, we travel to see new things and to be tourists and explore. But the primary reason why our family travels is to make connections with people. We want to get to know those we live with. It's been amazing to make friends here and we have felt so incredibly blessed to make some really good friends that we hope to know forever. One family that we absolutely adore is the Navas Family. On Saturday, we spent the whole afternoon and evening swimming in the pool, hanging out and eating delicious food. Maeve especially loves this family and calls Claudia, "mama," and she calls Sergio, "Papa" and "Papi." She cries when we have to say goodbye to them and we joke that we'll leave Maeve here and come back for her in 5 years. And while that's totally a joke, in my heart I believe that Maeve wouldn't miss us and may even be happier with the Navas family! Maeve would only go in the pool with Claudia and Sergio.
Saturday was so hot! On Friday, we thought our pipes at our home in Spokane were frozen (turns out a neighbor turned off the water after seeing a faucet dripping on the outside), but our furnace for sure stopped working on Friday so it's cold in the house. But as I was basking in the hot sun and jumping into the pool, it was hard to believe that anywhere in the world could be cold! (No one got sunburned!)
Sergio and Claudia make amazing food. Yesterday, we ate grilled meat, the best black beans I've ever had, rice and guacamole. Claudia and Sergio are from Guatemala (crossing my fingers they are still here when we return) and they made us an incredible salsa as well. We ate with tortillas and for dessert we had grilled plantains with nutella. I thought I'd never eat again!
We are going to miss the Navas family so much! We've had so much fun with them and I really admire the way they parent. Claudia is always laughing and relaxed. Both Sergio and Claudia are so generous with their time and what they have. For me, it has been really restorative to be cared about and taken care of so well. There are so many good people in this world and I'm so grateful to know some of them!
On Friday, we went to the children's museum and we really liked it! First off, it was free. I really appreciate how so many museums here are free or really inexpensive. The museum itself was pretty varied. It had a library, old trains to climb on, stray dogs, a couple playgrounds, an obstacle course and the most amazing swings ever! Some parts of the space reminded me of the play areas in Europe where children are allowed to build bonfires because it was wild and unmaintained. But the obstacle course and the train museum building were so polished! I didn't take any photos of the train museum, but it was a really neat space! An old train station was converted into this museum, and just about everything about it was so cool. Now, I regret taking photos, but I think we're going to take the girls back for at least one (free!) workshop. I just recently bought a membership to our children's museum and science center back home and I kind of wonder with all the money that is in the USA, why aren't there more free museums?
If you are visiting Oaxaca with children, go here for sure!
