You're Doing What?!?!

August 09, 2017

"Wow.....I could never do that! " That is what most people say when we tell them we are moving to Mexico. In reality, anyone can sell their house, quit their jobs, take their kids out of school, sell all their stuff and move to another country. But most people wouldn't. Most sane people, anyway....

Before we had kids, my husband, Louis and I were pretty impulsive travellers. Want to ditch our wedding plans and elope to Thailand? Sure thing! How about working in the Middle East for a few months? Why not! At one point we lived in 4 different Continents in the space of 3 months.

Things inevitably change when the wee ones arrive, however. When you have a new pair of twin baby girls to care for living out of a backpack becomes much less appealing. Suddenly we had routines that we don't want disturbed, boxes of things that have sentimental value, and a comfy, cozy nest where everyone is safe and warm. And that has been a lovely phase in our lives - feeling settled, rooted and grounded.

Last year we took our first big family trip to Mexico. Now, from what you've read so far you can probably tell we are not big fans of the "All Inclusive" type of vacation, but with two 5 year olds in tow we weren't sure how much adventure we could handle. We decided on a combo - staying a few nights with family, travelling in more remote areas for a few nights, and then the last week in a modern hotel with a pool in a touristy area. We thought the travelling part might lead to some whining and complaining, but our little intrepid travellers BLEW. US. AWAY.

This video shows them making their own tortillas in the traditional Mayan way quite far off the beaten track. They were cool with walking, playing with kids whose language they couldn't understand, eating unfamiliar foods in unfamiliar places and pretty much anything else that came our way. We didn't rough it or anything, we stayed in nice hotels, but still. It made us realize that we had reached a point in our lives where having small kids was no longer an excuse for hiding out in our nice, comfortable lives.

We had such a great time and the girls flourished so well that we started thinking about how good it would be for them to spend more time in that environment - learning a new language (or two), meeting new people, adapting to a different culture - and yes, facing a bit of character-building adversity.

The seed was planted. Over the next 18 months we would go back and forth a few times, wavering between completely enthused after talking to another family who had spent a year abroad, questioning our sanity when others did so, and wanting to call the whole thing off when we thought about the logistics involved in getting ourselves, our kids, and out little dog set up with a whole new life in another country....but in the end we couldn't resist the temptation of adventure, the chance to create amazing memories together ALL THE TIME, not just during our two allotted weeks of vacation.

With just over a week to go until we leave, we are forehead deep in packing, planning and paperwork. Truth be told, I am trying not to lose it a lot of the time. But we are on the critical path now, and I can't wait to check back in and write more once we are in the thick of things.

To adventures and the people who love them!!! Andale!