First World Challenge

One of the first world challenges I have come to terms with is my own personal laziness in the midst of abundance. I decided in order to become a more creative person and make gratitude a bigger part of my life, I would embark on a self imposed first world challenge. As of August 25 2016, I am on a one year clothing ban. No new OR used clothing (includes, shoes, undies, coats, tights, the whole shebang). It even sounds ridiculous and easy knowing how much I have in my closet.


But, already a few benefits have arisen:


Benefit #1 I organized my closet, scarves are at the ready, dresses one side, skirts on the other. Do you know I have 9 skirts, 5 dresses, 2 pairs of black pants, 5 pairs of tights, tops, sweaters, etc. How would this challenge ever be a problem? When is enough ever enough?


Benefit #2 I organized my jewelry. Now I can easily make new outfits with the jewelry that I have neglected for years


Benefit #3, I've already hand-washed some clothing that I know needs to make it until next August 25th! I'm starting to take better care of my things already.


I am not alone in this. When I snorted and shared this idea with friends, they thought it a neat idea. One of my best friends from my teenaged years who now lives in Sweden is joining me in this  challenge.


Will it change our mindset and allow us to become more creative and grateful for the abundance of material items we have in our midst?


I can't imagine there being any major life changes because of this small sacrifice...but we will see.

A Day Hike at the Beach with Friends...

What Would You Do With 200 Pesos a Day....

I met up with my friends Ariel and Rachel last night. We went to a lovely dinner to celebrate their engagement. They met last year in Guadalajara and fell in love. Rather than return to England, Rachel stayed with Arial, a Mexican, and they live together in lovely Puerto Vallarta.

I learned from Ariel yesterday that the average wage of a hotel worker is 200 pesos a day. That is about $15 USD. Ariel worked as a hotel "animator" which is the person that conducts all of the guest activities throughout the day and evening, i.e. yoga, water aerobics, volleyball, dancing, you name it. Imagine 9am - 5pm, then back in the evening from 8pm - 11pm, all for 200 pesos a day. You can get by on this salary, according to Ariel, but it is difficult.

I wonder who owns these fancy resort hotels and I wonder how in good conscience they can pay their workers so little. I mean, why would you want to pay someone to just "get by"...? Someone at the top is getting rich...really rich. Foreign owners, perhaps? Or, Mexican?

Zocalo in Oaxaca...

I wanted to capture a bit of the Zocalo in Oaxaca city. My video doesn't do this bustling social center justice, but hopefully it gives you a taste of what a zocalo in Mexico is. It's a park in downtown to visit with friends and family, listen to music, eat, get shoes shined, shop and pass the time when your not working...

Summer in Winter...

I am a snow birder. This year, anyway. It has been great to take leave of the old life for awhile and just "be" here in Mexico.  Most people my age have commitments of a mortgage, children and all those things that come with grown up life.  Those of us that don't have those things however, have the  freedom to do as and when we please, given some planning, commitment and follow through. For me, it started with a little dream...to exit the corporate world. Next came the baby steps of figuring out how I could actually make that happen. Later, it was following through with the plan, painstakingly. And last but not least, it was getting on the plane and making a life here for the past month and a half.

Traveling is wonderful but it isn't always easy. It can be hard being away from your loved ones. We travelers make friends with other travelers, so you might have a friend for a week, or two or maybe longer, but the time comes when people move on. To be a traveler you really have to be comfortable being your own best friend.

After spending the last week traveling in Mexico City I was anxious to get back to the easy life that is Oaxaca. It took me awhile to learn the streets here, but I know them now; it feels comfortable. As I was walking through the Zocalo today I was wondering how I may have grown these past weeks. I think that will unfold over time as my winter in Oaxaca becomes a distant memory...

Towers of Knowledge in Rural Oaxaca

Today I had a unique and very special opportunity to attend ceremonies for the opening of two new libraries for primary schools in the outlying impoverished areas of Oaxaca city.  Two organizations, Friends of Pimpollo, started by my second cousin, John Kerr of Salem, Oregon, and Si Kanda, a Mexican organization, in addition to the help of parents and community members helped to fund and build these libraries.

As Juan Carlos of Si Kanda said, "...all children have the right to read and receive an education. It is up to the adults to make that happen for each child."

The modest building at each school was no bigger than 15 feet x 15 feet, set on concrete. The insulation was made up of more than 2000 plastic bottles and around 1500 tetrapak milk cartons filled with aluminum and the exterior was made of concrete. It was pointed out that even though the color of the library building was yellow, it was built "green".

Inside there were a few small desks and chairs and no more than 50 or so brand new books for the children. But boy, were they excited! For those that know me personally, they know that the library is one of my favorite places to go, as it is a hub for learning and the humanities.  I was moved to the core to witness the opening of these towers of knowledge for these deserving children. With each book they read, their worlds will expand, they will learn, they will dream and it is my hope that they will dream big because the world belongs to them, too! (Incidentally, I had an opportunity to read a book to a few of the children. They didn't give me weird looks, so perhaps my pronunciation is improving. And, children are so forgiving...)

It was a wonderful moment when Boni, John Kerr's right hand man for his foundation, asked Aunt Mimi, a lifelong teacher to cut the ribbon at one of the libraries. I was behind sunglasses, but had a wave of emotion then and a couple of other times...I'm glad though. It was a big deal. These libraries are a big deal. And, it is not every day you are invited into another world where the needs of children are so great but you realize you can make a difference, either by volunteering or giving a donation.

The children in my life back home will have opportunities that many of these Mexican children will never have.  But, due to the hard work of these organizations, the communities, parents and the dreams and hard work of these children, there will be some that will create opportunities for themselves and I know they will pay it forward...

I hope you might take a moment to view a few short videos that I have included below. If you are interested in making a tax deductible donation, please know that your donation will make a difference. Please click the Friends of Pimpollo or Si Kanda links above, to donate.

Love this song....

 

Today at the gym I heard this song....when I got back to my posada, I googled on youtube, "hey brother", the only bit of the song I could remember. And, poof, voila, up popped this awesome song by a Swedish musician / dj named Avicii. It makes me think of my loved ones back home...and it makes me think of all of the brothers and sisters in this world...hope you enjoy it, too!