pig beach
While at first I thought it was a joke, just about 30 minutes from Merida, there is a section of the seashore devoted to a family of abandoned pigs. Allegedly, a group of orphaned piglets were found on a more industrial, less idyllic portion of the beach. Making a happy ending to a bleak scene, an animal protection non-profit and a group of entrepreneurs decided to take advantage of the opportunity to make a little slice of paradise for the pigs and the public.
The kids had heard about how you can pet the piglets and have been 'oinking' out about it for weeks. So a couple of weekends ago, we met some friends and spent a day splashing and then spent a night in a cabin nearby. Given its proximity and how clean and family-friendly the scene is, we will likely return.
halloween - boo!
Fear not; despite the different cultures and other holidays surrounding the 31st (more about those in another post!), we have taken advantage of some silly costumes and plenty of candy. While the neighborhood trick-or-treating isn't commonplace, parties and celebrations certainly are. The kids had fiestas (actually a whole school day) filled with games, dancing, and dress-ups. We made do with some simple costumes, and yours truly even got to volunteer and use her decor skills. All in all, my favorite season and the associated celebrations have been lovely, albeit more sweaty.
less alone
Earlier this week, I posted on Facebook (all great stories start with that, right?) about feeling "safe." I was connecting it to not kid costumes but what is truly scary in life: horrific mass shootings and the difference between how I feel in public at home vs. here. I have noticed here a different sense of community and togetherness amongst people. For the better, people seem to feel less alone.
This sense comes through in the kids' homework, where the textbooks present information about feeling responsible for other's well-being. Perhaps it is because nearly everyone lives with or near an extended family member. It's noticeable in the ways that here, according to one of Ryan's university colleagues and backed by data, suicide is far less common, especially compared to other countries. Don't get me wrong, on this side of heaven, humans are humans and have the capacity to be terrible and devastating regardless of geography or identity. The headlines speak for themselves. But despite clearly being a foreigner, I feel fortunate to be experiencing this collective and growing sense of affection for the folks around us. Thanks for reading!
* FYI - due to file storage on the blog host, I have started to upload videos to Youtube that are linked below.
Thank you for all your posts! Love hearing about my grandkids and seeing they are happy!
Your posts make me smile. every. single. time.
Love ALL of this!!!