Unslumping

It seems I am finally coming out of a slump that has been holding me captive for a few weeks.

After the initial excitement of arriving here, having "our own" place and the gratitude of the opportunity which we have been given, I fell into a dark place, rather my state of mind changed into a place of melancholy and lack. I suppose after everything that we have been through these past couple of years, it is no surprise that the moment would come, where I seemed unable to look on the bright side of life.

I felt so melancholic for what we had left behind, our beautiful 4 acres in the woods near Asheville, the wonderful homeschooling community which we had become part of, the abundance of wild medicinal herbs that I was learning so much about and loving so dearly, the availability of fresh, local, natural and organic produce and products, raw fresh milk. Yes, well you get the picture. Missing it all so much!!

At the same time I was feeling a longing to live in Denmark as we had originally planned, but were not able to accomplish, due to lack of finances. My sister and her daughter just moved back to Denmark after being away for 30 years. My father being ill and my parents generally getting older. That as well as the social system there, feels so appealing to me right now, and for the children to also live part of their childhood in the "old world".

Anyways, pining away at all these things clearly did not serve me any, the sense of lack that I was feeling did not exactly help me to be present and make the best of what is right in front of me, a wonderful opportunity.

One morning around the beginning of this past week I woke up and felt different, and over the next few days I became aware of all the little things around me worth joy and gratitude. The little gifts that I find each night as I get the bed ready for bedtime, a picture tucked under my pillow from Kaleena, the joy and excitement of Keenan's face as he helps Papa fix the bike, the focus and attention that Kaleena puts forth on her own when she sits down to draw and also write as she loves these days.

The cool freshness of the afternoon swim in the pool, the balmy yet comfortable evenings where I get on the bike and ride around town getting familiar with our surroundings. Our family walks, and the evening talks and sharing with Miguel after so much time apart. Then there is the Land which will soon become a beautiful sanctuary, we will have a green house and a large garden to grow food and herbs..

And while I have yet to find a source for glass jars I did find Rye and whole wheat flour, my sourdough starter is bubbling away and almost ready for the first loaf.

Yes I miss all my kitchen things, loaf pans, glass bowls and jars for baking, all tucked away in a storage in Miami, yet when I stop to look around I realize that I always have what I need at any given moment. There is always something to smile about, something to be grateful for. 

I also once again realize that while the world I see today looks different from the one I saw the past few weeks, nothing exterior has changed, only my state of mind, only the way I choose to see this reality. Again reminding me that my thoughts create. And while my emotions and state of mind will fluctuate, hopefully I will remember that these too shall pass.

I feel compelled to share a few of the drawings that I have been finding under my pillow.

 

 

Keenan helping Papa, and working the tools on his own, very proudly

 

And here the coconuts guarding the front porch, one was a gift the other Kaleena made

~Blessings~

These days

A few images of the past week...

The path through the cenote is progressing nicely, here is a before and after picture to show the difference

This picture shows well how much the path has been raised

At home we have been spending much time inside, attempting to stay cool in this intense heat, without an air conditioning that is.

Kaleena is doing work in her main lesson book

I have been making sauerkraut in the only two glass jars that I brought from the states. It is amazing to me that  I cannot find any glass jars here, and I LOVE my mason jars. I cannot even find tomato sauce in a glass jar, and get a jar that way. Everything here comes in plastic.

I am also attempting to get a sourdough starter going, hoping to somehow find a good wholesome flour source.

Most of our meals consists of different variations of tacos and dips.

The one below is a taco with rice and beans, chopped fresh arugula and parsley, tomato, avocado and fresh farmers cheese, and because we do not have a blender yet, we make spirulina dressings to go with them.

Very yummy!

This is one of different variations of dips.

Mango, tomato, onion, parsley, cilantro and salt. So lovely in this heat

One late afternoon coming back from getting groceries this is what I found on the front step.

They are local berries, cannot remember the name, that supposedly are great to make juice out of and that helps clean the liver at the same time. The flavor of them raw is much like a mealy apple and not my favorite. But I am making a trial wild mead (honey wine) to see how that might come out.

Here is Kaleena picking the berries

The evenings are a lovely time to step out for a walk, here are the boys in their 

Sunday best

~Blessings~

Around the Land

This has been the picture for the past many days. Waking up finding someone to help us push the truck to start, a lesson in humility it has been. In these parts people are not too forth coming when it comes to helping, unless there is money involved, this at least is my experience thus far. Today we were finally able to bring it to the mechanic and hopefully it will be ready to go by the end of the day.

Around the Land the paths are starting to take shape. The main path between the kitchen and the chicken coop is almost ready.

The bridge project has been abandoned, there will not be a bridge after all, I personally like that.

Instead the attention has shifted onto the path that meanders through the Cenote, we will raise and widen it to make it a more stable walkway, this will then serve as the main way across the water.

For lack of material, and most manpower being used to form the paths, not much progress has been made with the chicken coop. There are some very sweet little nesting boxes ready though.

I love how it is coming!

Towards the back of the Land there is currently a wet land or natural laguna happening.

With the heavy rains of the season it has become a sanctuary for thousands of tadpoles, it is quite a sight, they swim around in flocks, and are so plentiful that they can easily be scooped up with our bare hands.

The children enjoys it tremendously.

Once rainy season ends this area will return to being dry land, and we are putting a lot of thought into how best to utilize this natural occurring wetland, allowing it to remain laguna during the summer months, and perhaps being productive during the winter.

It is so beautiful, and even Linus happily got his feet wet and almost went for a swim, 

not his favorite usually.

Below are one of many wild orchids found around the land, and at the bottom the grass land is actually part of the Cenote. Years and years of sediments have settled on the bottom, so that the cenote appears quite small right now, once we dig out the sediments and clean it, it will be extremely big.

~Blessings~

Visit to Ak lu'um, a Waldorf School initiative in Playa Del Carmen Mexico

Today I went to visit a Waldorf school in the neighboring town of Playa Del Carmen.

As I mention often I am a homeschooler at heart, yet I do go in and out of considering alternatives, such as a Waldorf school for Kaleena. In reality it is out of our budget at this moment, but perhaps a trade  could be worked out, and so I went to see the school.

A lovely place it is. The school is an initiative, which means still in the beginning stages of development.

Currently they offer 2 Kindergarden classes, one first/second mixed grade, one third/fourth mixed grade and one fifth/sixth mixed grade. There is a total of 56 children attending the school.

The surroundings are amazingly beautiful, nestled in the jungle with winding pathways leading you from one place to the other. There is a small gardening area, and lovely little buildings serving different purposes throughout. Everything is built and made with intention and care, respecting the jungle in which it sits.

I always get the same sinking feeling when I visit any school, a sense of why? I cannot help it, I wish I would feel a sense of meaning and rightness, but I do not. Perhaps because I remember my own years of schooling, how meaningless they felt and how much I disliked them. 

This little beautiful school, nestled in the jungle, small and quaint did feel like a nice place to spend a few hours of the day though, at least for the community of like minded families, to learn the language and make friends. 

There are many things to consider for me to in-role  Kaleena there, not least of which is the money, the 45 min drive each way, that alone seems crazy even with car pooling as an option, and of course dropping my child off for some one else to "raise" her for almost half her waking hours.

Certainly left me with plenty to ponder.

To give you an idea...

Winding paths everywhere

School houses and playground

Toilets

Composting garden toilet

Farm area with kitchen, chickens, turkeys and raised beds 

...and bicycle run blender

As far a schools go, this one really was something special.

~Blessings~