On Friday, we completed our two weeks of Spanish lessons. I go back and forth between feeling great because I've made progress and feeling completely deflated because how on earth am I going to master this language full of so many words?! I love Spanish and I want to speak it well! With time and work, I'll get there. Conor and I really enjoyed being in the same class and I adored our teacher Eliel. We had so many laughs with him. He was great! 

The girls loved their classes as well. Each week they had a third student in their classes, both were 8 year old girls. I'm not sure how much new Spanish they learned, however they love Spanish! The last day of school, Holly and Greta decorated piñatas their teacher had made. The piñatas turned out so cute! I absolutely adore them! 

Oaxaca is full of opposites. It's rough and crumbling and breathtakingly beautiful. Here are a couple pretty views! I really like seeing so many colors and plants every day. 

Conor and I have talked extensively trying to put to words what it is that we loved so much about living in Ecuador and what we love about living here. I'm still not entirely sure of what all the reasons are, but I do know a few. The people are so kind. In Ecuador and Mexico, I've fallen in love with humankind. There are so many good people in this world and my life has been blessed immensely. The people that we've met here in Mexico are so generous, sincere, and friendly. I love walking and saying whichever version of "hello" is appropriate for the time of day to those I pass by - buenos dias, buenas tardes or buenas noches, or sometimes, simply, "hola," (because the culture here is less formal than Ecuador). Because we live in a regular neighborhood and are outside of the tourist sector, we are very memorable. There's something about these daily interactions, of saying hello to someone and looking in their face, that allows me to feel connected to something larger than myself. It is so rewarding. Because of the daily interactions we have with those we know and those we pass by on the street, I feel a connection and I don't feel isolated and maybe I do at home in Washington. Still processing what it is about this, so don't judge me to harshly, however, quite often where I've lived in the US and Canada, people will pass each other by and they are so busy and self involved that there is no connection. Instead there is loneliness. I too am guilty. I think walking more really adds to our experience! 

I also really enjoy being on the receiving end of people's generosity. We feel incredibly grateful for the families we met in Ecuador and we feel similar about the families we've met here in Mexico. While, we are at Spanish school, a woman named Claudia watches Maeve. Claudia picks up Maeve and drops her off. And Maeve likes her home so much that the past couple of days, Maeve has said, "no," when Claudia says it's time to go home to Mama. Maeve is so loved by this family! Claudia's husband works from home half the time and he adores Maeve in the same way. My heart is so full knowing that my daughter is so well cared for and so well loved. Maeve continues to be our ticket in Latin America!

On Saturday, we went to Claudia's house to swim in their pool. My girls love the water. I would say that Holly's favorite things are snow and water. Greta was very happy to be in the water too! We got to know Claudia and Sergio's children. We visited. We had a great time. Claudia and Sergio are originally from Guatemala and have lived in Oaxaca for a year. Claudia made us a traditional Guatemalan meal that was so yummy! 

I now remember that when I was in Ecuador, I really wanted my time there to change me. I hope that change did happen and I hope that I continue to change here in Mexico. Poco a poco. 

I love being here. I love feeling cared for and like people have time for me. We aren't passing each other by in our busy lives, and even with a language barrier I am finding true connection. It's beautiful! 

Downtown, there is a huge square where there's lots of vendors and all sorts of things to see! We went on Friday night with a family we had met at Spanish classes. We bought the kids bouncy rubber balls with streamers and an elastic rope with which to send it flying. It was very exciting. There were lots of other children playing. And there was live music. We ate ice cream before dessert, played some more and ate tacos for dinner. And then took a taxi home because we absolutely had to pick up our laundry from the lavenderia before it closed (at 8pm) because we were all out of underwear, minus 1! 

We found a great bakery that we walk by at least twice a day most days. Baked goods are very affordable (read: cheap) here. Here's a photo of Greta with her choice of the day! Greta's in a phase of making some really funny faces every time I pull out this camera. She's a goofy kid and a bit of a class clown! This smile is so sincere, I had to share it!