Hello from Marseille,
Two years ago, almost to the day, we packed up our life in Brooklyn and landed in Marseille. It happened pretty much out of the blue; we needed more nature in our lives, more sea, more sky, and a slower rhythm. What we found here was so much more than we ever imagined. Marseille has been a healer for me. Being by the sea every single day has been life changing. I didn’t realize how low my batteries had run until I finally had the space to recharge.
A very different one, and one that feels both exciting and a little scary: starting at the end of October, our family will be on the road for the next ten months. We’ll begin in New York, then head to California, Australia, and finally into South and Central America: Peru, Mexico, and Guatemala.
For the past ten years, I’ve been researching the origins of heirloom cotton, especially naturally colored cotton. Up until now, my fieldwork has been brief —quick visits to growers, conversations squeezed in between other responsibilities (aka toddlers at home). But now it’s time to go deeper. I want to spend meaningful time with cotton growers and weavers, to learn from them directly, to understand their practices and traditions in a more immersive way. And I want my children (now 7 and 4) to experience this alongside me: to see the beauty of these traditions, to meet the people behind the work, and to understand the importance of craft, culture, and the land.
Of course, this next chapter also comes with its challenges. I’ll be homeschooling the kids on the road, a thought that excites and terrifies me in equal measure. I know there will be moments of chaos, but I also know this will be a once-in-a-lifetime education for them: learning through travel, through taste, through language, through meeting people whose lives are so different from their own. I hope these experiences will leave them with a deep sense of curiosity and openness to the world.
If you don’t already, you can follow our cotton adventures on Instagram
And if I’m honest, while I’m ready for this adventure, I’m already aching at the thought of leaving the Mediterranean, and I know I will miss it deeply. But I also know I’ll be back. And when I return, I’ll bring with me not only memories and stories, but also a deeper understanding of the work I’ve dedicated myself to, and of who I am as a mother, researcher, and traveler.
For now, I still have six more weeks here in Marseille. The sun is shining, the days are still warm, and I’m planning to enjoy every minute before we head off on this new chapter.
Any encouragement (or homeschooling tips!) are more than welcome in the comments. :)
Welcome to new subscribers! If you’ve just joined, you can catch up on some of my past stories:
My house in Oaxaca AQUI - Your can rent it out on Airbnb
and my recent work with Indigenous artists HERE
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Coming up, I’ll be sharing a 5-day itinerary on the Pacific Coast of Oaxaca — a place I’ve been returning to for over 20 years. This coastline holds a very special place in my heart, and I’m making this guide extra special for you.
If you know someone who might love discovering this part of Mexico, please feel free to share.
Thank you for reading!
—Maud
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