Choosing-Part One

About 20 years ago, I started to explore the idea of living in a different country for some months of the year after I retired. I have always lived in the Metropolitan Vancouver area of Canada and I wanted to experience a different culture.

I am an educator by nature and by profession. One of my core beliefs is that all people should have access to an education that is appropriate to their needs and abilities. As I have grown older, my definition of education has evolved.

My explorations led me to the Oaxaca Learning Center, founded in 2005 by Gary Titus to support the education of Oaxaca’s underfunded youth.

I had never travelled to Mexico by myself and I had never visited the state of Oaxaca,a culturally diverse state with 16 different indigenous linguistic groups, a rich colonial history and a well established artistic community.

As I was still working full-time as a teacher-librarian, I rented the apartment on the roof of the Learning Center where I planned to volunteer to tutor students in English. I also registered in a Spanish class because my rusty Spanish needed a lot of practice.

During my first exposure to non-tourist Mexico, I was apprehensive. I have learned that , while in Canada we value curb appeal, Oaxacans live behind gates, that every birthday is an opportunity for fireworks and the roosters and dogs live atop many a roof.

I also met Gary, the founder of the Center, who was so kind and protective of his newest volunteer. I loved the language exchanges that I had with the teenagers who often came from mountain pueblos of Oaxaca. I visited the Oaxaca Lending Library, a hub of activity for the many retirees in the city of Oaxaca de Juarez and I learned about the local cuisine from a local cooking school. I found the month of July very rewarding and I found that it was very easy for a single fifty-something woman to join the ex-pat community.

Unfortunately, I am not single! My husband visited me for a week. We visited historical sites, tasted moles and enjoyed the colourful crafts of the region. My husband is definitely not a man who is easily uprooted.