It is been such a long time since I wrote last, but as I said at the beginning: this blog is to share our year away from home with people we love, so would not it be a fallacy to spend my time writing and feeding the blog while ignoring family?
Well, that is the reason why I have been so absent. I spent this last month with my in-laws, and I am so lucky to feel that I have a second family; a group of people that is full of love and good vibes towards me, that welcomes me at any time, and with whom I can be my -silly- self.
In fewer words, not really but i needed an opening for my paragraph we were in the UK (really all over it this time) and Ireland, which feel like my “second home”. Visiting our loved ones, and spending time with the most amazing kids in the world, my nephews. Biased here, but I love them, and they really are great children.
So, after Morocco we landed in Scotland, where we spent a couple of weeks with Kevin’s sister, Claire, who lives in Dundee. So here is how it went:
Dundee is a beautiful city, just far enough from Edinburgh to be independent and have its own vibe, but close enough to be a train ride away to go and explore Edinburgh as much as you want. But what makes Dundee special is not its closeness to Edinburgh, but its creative people, artistic scene, and modern (gaming & comics) history. Plus EXTRA points for being Scotland’s sunniest city.
So Dundee is a very creative city, and what makes a city creative? its people! The time we spent there we met the people behind “Dundee x Mexico City: Small Society Lab” (http://creativedundee.com/ssl/) who, too humble to accept it, started the movement of urban orchards in Mexico city. Although they do not claim to have started the movement, I am sure they, at least, planted the seed for it.
We also met a raising start in the Scottish theater scene; we saw her on stage in a great play, and later on we had the chance to say hi and congratulate her. The play felt so familiar due to the theme: a family of immigrants who had to relocate to escape the tyranny in its country, and at the end, the young girl of the family finds her identity, and understands that she is built from all her experiences, not out of a place.
It is not that I felt I don’t know my identity, but having worked with undocumented immigrants; and the current news about old fashion nationalism, and the struggles of refuges touched a fiber in me while watching the play.
Going back to the creative people of Dundee, the writer of this play is a Dundeenean lady. Also, it was such an experience to be in the pre opening night because you could see all the artistic community present supporting this new project. Something that seems to be common practice in Dundee, people supporting people.
I would not finish if I mention all the great people that we met while in Dundee, neighbors, friends, musicians, people at office space sharing, bartenders from a local brewery, and last, but not least, a graphic designer who is connecting the people of Dundee in a more engaging way, and who created a map where you can see what is going on in Dundee and which can lead you to a secret bar!! yes! A SECRET BAR!
I’ll stop praising what a great place Dundee is, but you can read more about it here: http://www.dundee.com/ And I’ll finish by saying that it is such a great city that the UNESCO has awarded Dundee the title of “City of Design”.
Now, to more important matters, my family! So, now that you got a general idea of Dundee you can imagine how cool my family is. I can predict that Dundee will only get better since Claire, my sister in-law is the new… I always forget professional titles, but she is the one leading Dundee’s cultural efforts, and she is just amazing! Her ideas are fresh, ambitious, and brave; plus she is full of energy and has 2 gorgeous children that, I say, are very inspirational for the creative side.
Katherine is fearless and full of kindness. She is always laughing and has such an easy way to understand what is going on on her surroundings and to accommodate life around her to make it more beautiful.
Jaime, a bit younger, is still developing his personality, but so far he is this gracious little gentleman. And both of them together, Jaimie and Katherine, are a pair of children with whom you’ll never have a dull moment, they’ll put up a show for you if necessary to make life happier!
But this is no accident, Claire and Ian are such cool folks that of course they have such cool children. Ian is also a very ingenious man, and currently he is saving the Rep theater (yup, that is how we ended up at the pre-opening night of “The Last Queen of Scotland”), which is part of the National Theater of Scotland. Ian is very passionate about theater, and what it means and represents. And about all the work that goes on before a play can be presented; all those “small details”; you know, the stage, lighting, change of scenario, just to name a few.
After this introduction, you can guess we had a blast while visiting our Scottish family, and following, some more pics with descriptions to prove it!
Day trip to Dunnottar Castle, Lunan Beach, and Arbroath
Other cool stuff
– Here one of Claire’s projects. Getting the whole city involved creating community among Dundeeneans. How cool to make a giant cardboard arch and then destroyed, that is what children’s dreams are made of, isn’t https://www.instagram.com/p/BF_-UAGzSFa/?taken-by=dundeecity
-Check Dundee’s instagram account, it will let you wishing to visit this great place. https://www.instagram.com/dundeecity/
De Camino 