Here at LLYT, we love a good love story, especially one that brings people together... beyond borders. We last visited (Wild Sicily) through global neighbor Jillian, of A Feathery Nest and today we bring you a taste of rural Mexico through Courtney, of Chiapas Bazaar. (Photos via Courtney)
Sure you can fall in love with a person or with a place, but to fall in love with someone who also lives in a faraway place? Sounds like something out of a fairy tale, right? But in today's world of high speed trains, planes, wifi and pretty much high speed everything, why should borders cultural or geographical still deter us from following our dreams? So starts a new series "Love Without Borders" in which we will take a peek at the lives of our Global Neighbors to see what happens when we transcend these barriers. Thank you Courtney for sharing your story!
• • •
Chiapas and I have a curiously long history together. While I’ve only lived here full-time for a year and a half, Chiapas and I first heard of each other back in the year 2000. Chiapas was here, where it always is, and I was studying Spanish in a city called Cuernavaca, a beautiful town about an hour outside of Mexico City. At that point, I hadn't yet visited Chiapas - that happened for the first time in 2004. But sight unseen, it had always intrigued me - jungles, Zapatistas, Mayan ruins...
After finishing university, I moved to New York City and scrambled up the corporate ladder at LVMH, finally ending up at Marc Jacobs International. Life was cozy and delicious, but something was missing. I also had this dream of joining the Peace Corps, of serving a greater good - paying it forward. So I undertook the laborious process of applying to go volunteer in the developing world. I was finally assigned my country - with all my Spanish lessons and my extensive Latin America travels - and I went to Moldova (itty bitty country in Eastern Europe, in case you haven´t heard of it…).
I had about three months to tie up loose ends with my US life, friends, and family. I decided to take one month and spend it in Chiapas, Mexico where I could eat tacos and mole to my heart’s content. It was a solo trip - almost like a NYC decompression chamber. But I was also fortunate because I had some friends in Chiapas that I knew from my study abroad days.
• • •
During this time in Chiapas, it was through a friend of mine that I had met during my time in Cuernavaca that introduced me and my future husband. The following events are important because they just affirm how the universe had been conspiring to get us (me, M. and Chiapas) together. While living in Moldova with M. still in Mexico, I fell and broke my ankle and was eventually discharged from the Peace Corps. Once I healed, I moved here to Chiapas to be with M. and I haven’t looked back. I had always wanted to live in Mexico, so there wasn't much of a discussion between M and I about where we would start our new life together.
• • •
So now you see - I have a background in world of fashion and I have a passion for service. How did these two interests manifest themselves in my adopted home of Chiapas? In this { www.chiapasbazaar.com }
We started Chiapas Bazaar in early 2013 with the goal to provide a steady income to rural artisans in the state of Chiapas by exposing their products to international markets where there is a great demand for beautiful, handmade treasures. We are also keenly aware of the demand for factory-free pieces and are extremely proud to say that artisans work from home where they can still do their daily duties and create their pieces in their downtime. It’s a “win-win” for everyone. The artisans can continue their trade but reach new markets and have steady work; customers around the world can own a piece handmade by a Chiapas artisan; and we create the connection between these two that wouldn’t otherwise exist.
• • •
Our job takes us to many beautiful rural places in Chiapas - the greenest place you might imagine, full of lush tropical vegetation or pine forests where the vast majority of the population works in agriculture in the countryside. We travel and visit the off-the-beaten path villages where Spanish is often the second language of the residents. It´s almost like the backdrop is the same, just the traditional dress of the people changes. In these villages with semi-paved roads, you’ll find the most beautiful colors and color combinations, traditions passed down generations, and true artists.
We feel extremely honored to work with the artisans and we feel that we have a huge responsibility to educate customers and anyone who visits our site about the work the artisans dedicate themselves to and the time, effort and skill it requires to produce such beautiful things.
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Muchos saludos from Chiapas and we had so much fun "meeting" you both!
- Courtney of Chiapas Bazaar
Head on over to ChiapasBazaar.com for Mexican handmade global finds!
Here are some of our favorites:
Alla's Picks
Mu-Hsien's Picks
So wait... if you bravely defy any obstacles and just 'go for it' the universe actually HELPS you along? I guess we suspected that, it's just the universe wants us to be the ones to take that first scary step. --- If you're a Global Neighbor who has transcended cultural or geographical borders for love and would like to share your Love without Borders story, (we'd love to hear from you!)
• • • LESSONS LEARNED • • •
Sometimes you have to break an ankle
to get on the right path.
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