These last 2 weeks have been an interesting mix of comments, questions, fears, and encouragement.
Change of any kind is a big deal. Mostly we are used to weddings, babies, new home, or new job. Some of these are changes that people look forward to and some of these and can be frightening. So when we started to let our friends know that we are planning a complete change of country with our family, the wide array of responses is understandable.
Any change even for the better is accompanied by excitement, discomfort, possibilities and drawbacks. As with everything in life there is never just a single, simple reason to do something. Our decision is flavored by many factors of what is most beneficial for our entire family. The next couple blog posts will try and address these.
So… Why Mexico?
Those of you who have known us for many years know we have always loved the Spanish language and Central American culture. After living in New York for 3 years and being surrounded by people who look at life globally we found our thinking greatly affected. Instead of thinking it would never be possible to imagine ourselves anywhere but where we grew up we began to see the many possibilities of expanding our horizons. We found that we had to leave New York and return to Massachusetts to take care of some health concerns.
Then BC (before children) Michael and I spent 5 weeks in Costa Rica. We attended a language school and explored the country. That adventure gave us a real life, close up look at living in another country. And our conclusion? We could totally live in another country!
We fell in love with the culture. People are kind and hospitable and hard working and help each other and are happy even though they have materially very little. We have found this to be the same in Mexico.
If you know Michael and I, then you know that we are not just hopeful dreamers. A lot of time has gone into researching the pros and cons of this move. About a year ago we had enough info to decide between the 2 of us that we were going to definitely work towards this move. We put together a plan of action and we continued finding out all we can to be sure that we are “counting the cost”. We have been looking into great schools for our kiddos, finding quality health care, checking out the local congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses, weather that will help some of our health issues —determining what area would be a good fit.
The area that we are looking at is also a great place to visit! You don’t have to cross oceans or trek through jungles. You can drive or fly into a large, modern airport.
We are not going into this move as being the panacea of all life’s woes. Anxieties of life are a global epidemic. But we are excited for this experience in life and feel there will be everlasting benefits for our little family to work together. Besides, there is no rule that we should have to live in a single place our entire life.
We have a family motto. “a family is a team and a team works together”. That makes this all possible. Michael is the king of the big picture. Camille is the queen of little details. Austin, India and Selena love to learn and meet new people. This is a great combination for making this project work.
