The Dream, the Reality and the Bits in Between

"The type of work which modern technology is most successful in reducing or even eliminating is skillful, productive work of human hands, in touch with real materials of one kind or another....Today, a person has to be wealthy to enjoy this simple thing, this is very great luxury"

The countdown has begun about 6 months till lift off closely followed by hitting the ground with a gentle thump.

It's been a long time coming but perhaps its time to realise that life is all about balance, and indoor toilets. I love my life here, and truelly believe that Emilia was born in the best place ever with the bestest midwives that ever existed. As I look out over the town and the mountains in the morning my insides are filled with nature's miracles. The houses dotted about here and there, the barefoot women carrying their children around, working hard, the rattle of the gas truck and the constant background explosions from the churches (still haven't got to the bottom of the catholics and their love of fireworks)...I could go on, but that would be boring....The point being, living here is a wonderful dream, the stuff fantasies are made from, an escape from the (British) norm.

Escapes, unfortunately are not forever (well not until we win the lottery anyway!) and we must wake up from every dream to face reality. In my case that being never knowing where the next rent payment is coming from, no social security, a future of paying for a bad education in schools that will refuse Emilia entry anyway on the grounds we chose not to vacinate her.... and... a constantly stressed hubby who works his butt off to be told there's no money to pay him at the end of the month. Added to that, the more conversations I have with women who have been born to this life, who would actually like a few improvements to their daily grind, or at least for their daughters, without having to make the political compromises. Living a homely , low technology life is pretty much the way to go in my opinion, but I question whether it can ever actually be possible when the world outside is moving so dangerously fast, it just doesn't have the patience. With the formation of the urban society came the removal of person and nature, we are becoming far more closely related to our machines than the glory that we came from in the first place. The revolution begins with the self, the home, but it also must fight whats going on outside in order to be whole.

Lovely scenery or not, the conflict of the modernity reality and a true existence gets on top of you after a while and some changes must be made. Short of becoming Mexico's next family of Narco Traffikers or working for Coca-Cola, both of which I would rather cut my legs off before doing, we must go back to square one, without collecting 200 quid and start all over again. Begin again or a new beginning, there's not much difference, as long as its what makes us happy little bunnies.

Being with family again will certainly be a massive bonus, added to watching Arturo's face upon his first experience of the that strange breed the mancunian and, seeing Emilia loved and cuddled by all I know. If we get homesick, at the end of the day we can always spend a few hours at the bottom of the garden in the rain, wash our clothes in a bucket, set some fireworks off at 5am and make all neighbourhood dogs bark like crazy...

Dribble and Teeth

Hmm New Year has come and gone, Emilia’s teething and Arturo and I are generally sporting the dishevelled parent look. The food in hair and dribble on the shoulder look is definitely very becoming…

Zapatista celebrations passed almost unnoticeable and the part-time young anarchists have gone home. It doesn’t surprise me that the world’s top leaders aren’t too scared-shaking in their boots over the world’s alternative, direct action movements; they’re a bit part-time, if not quite distracted with adjusting their safety pins and misspelling graffiti. After mornings spent planning how to combat the evil without, nights were spent ignoring the evil within. Drinking multinational beer and pop, snorting people trafficking/indigenous land robbing cocaine, smoking Marlborough fags and eating transgenic foods makes up most of their night-time activity. Feminist boys who turn into… well, boys after a few bottles, seducing the girls with a photo of Che in their wallets and by dribbling on their feet. Girl power chicks who think feminist success is being able to piss in an alley with the boys.

I'm beginning to sound like a cardigan wearing activist, but life is its own satire..

I’m sticking with the Mayan women, more hardcore than I’ll ever be, giving both to countless babies in a wooden house, feeding and domestically maintaining the whole family, working alongside the men and politically active. Gosh, what ladies they are... and actively banning the use of alcohol in their communities effectively getting rid of domestic violence in one fale swoop.

It's beginning to look like the decision has been made, and we will be making our way to British shores later this year... for the forseeable future.

Still not sure how I feel about it, bit of a mixed bag of emotions. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, somebody once said, i often think that actually absence just makes your memory linger on the nice things. I don't think for one minute its going to be easy settling in England again, what will I do without all my favourite food and midwives for a start? Undoubtedly it will be even harder for Arturo, a complete role reversal in many respects. But when parental guilt sets in and the constant nagging feeling of perhaps I'm denying Emilia (and future siblings) of a more secure future, making the move seems all the more worthwhile. Perhaps my family will give me the drive to cope with the annoyances, it certainly works here. Chiapas isn't perfect by no means, but they make some dam fine chocolate!! On the other hand England has washing machines and bubble baths....

As for today, the sun is shining, Emilia slept all night long, we're all smiling, i have children to teach in the afternoon and well... tomorrow is another day...

Abrazos

Jx