Home Living in Mexico The Warm & Welcoming People of Oaxaca The Warm & Welcoming People of Oaxaca by Julie Etra July 10, 2018 by Julie Etra 2.2K It wasn’t the climate. It wasn’t the cost of living. It wasn’t the ex-pat community. And we don’t much care for sun surf or sand. In fact it had nothing to do with even wanting to select a place in Mexico for retirement. To be clear, my wife and I had no plans to ever move from Toronto – until we began our love affair with the people of the city of Oaxaca and its central valleys; urban white, rural indigenous, and everyone in between. In the early 1990s we began making Oaxacan friends on our visits 2 – 3 times a year. Virtually immediately upon becoming acquainted, they began inviting us into their homes, to their family weddings, and to attend all other manner of rites of passage. Their warmth and welcoming nature served as an inducement for us to improve our Spanish, so we did, by each taking a month’s intensive, private one-on-one classes. The people of Oaxaca kept drawing us back, as if somehow calling us to become part of their society and multiplicity of rich and diverse cultural traditions. And so when we made the move in 2004, truth be told we already had as many Oaxacan as Torontonian friends. By Alvin Starkman – Mezcal Educational Excursions of Oaxaca 0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail Julie Etra Julie Etra writes for The Eye magazine based in Huatulco. This article was originally published by The Eye, a regional English magazine that highlights beach, village & urban living in Oaxaca. previous post Planning on Driving in Mexico? Read This! next post How to Bring Your Pet to Mexico You may also like How to Create a Stunning Xeriscape Garden in... May 1, 2024 How To Conserve Water in Your Home in... April 10, 2024 Why is Huatulco One of the Best Places... March 1, 2024 Holiday & Festival Dates in Oaxaca Throughout the... January 6, 2024 December’s posadas mix dancing, fireworks, drink and devotion December 16, 2023 How To Celebrate the Holiday Season in Mexico December 15, 2023 Oaxaca’s Zapotec Heritage: A Modern Ceremony at Villas... December 11, 2023 Get to Know 5 Exceptional Oaxacan Artists on... December 1, 2023 How to Experience Day of the Dead in... October 25, 2023 3 Things I Learned About Mexico While Traveling... October 4, 2023 1 comment Lee-Anne July 30, 2018 - 7:57 am Very honoring article Alvin. Thanks for sharing. Reply Leave a Comment Cancel Reply Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.