On November 14th, a new intern came to Casa Hogar to stay for 5 months. Her name is Cristina and this is her first time to come to Acapulco. That whole weekend consisted of getting her settled in and kind of showing her the ropes. She does not speak much Spanish so it was all very overwhelming as expected. I was expecting that on Monday we would be able to go to the office and show her all the stuff we do there and show her a little of Acapulco but much to our dismay, the public school teachers of the whole state of Guerrero were holding a huge strike right in the middle of the main road in front of the convention center which cancelled out all opportunity of transportation getting through. The strike lasted all week so Cristina's first week here was incredibly random and unroutine which was hard as she was trying to adjust to a new place. I felt for her because I craved routine so much when I first got here.
We were able to take a group of the kids to a little fair on Monday night and 3 out of the 8 ended up throwing up. One of them twice! Unfortunately, it was more expensive than we thought so everybody only rode 2 rides. On Tuesday Sarah and I decided we would take Cristina out on the Costera as far as we could go before we hit the riot traffic. We went to Starbucks and the grocery store and just walked on the Costera. It was a really nice outting. On Wednesday, we made an atempt to go to work because we had some paperwork we needed to get done and since Thursday was the Mexican Revolution Day, we thought the riot would be worse, and it was. We took the bus and were literally one street away when we got a call from Myrtille telling us to go back home because the roads were closing and if we didn't leave right then, we wouldn't be able to get back! Huge disappointment. The next day we stayed at Casa Hogar again and helped decorate for Christmas. By Friday, Cristina and I were DYING to go to work.
Someone played a cruel joke on one of the little boys named Pedro...He woke up Friday morning with no eyebrows!!! Bless this poor child's heart, it was truly a challenge to look at him and keep from giggling but I tried my best. This is something that I had only heard of in movies. Never in my life had I actually seen it happen!
Mac left this week on Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving. His dad came down last week on Thursday to spend some time in Acapulco with Mac and help pack everything up. They also had a friend come in from Peubla to spend the weekend with them. We had some really awesome times of fellowship. Mac's dad was so obviously brought to us by the Lord. I had had a tough week just not getting out a lot and some junk happened with some of the kids and Cristina was struggling through her first week and he brought us amazing encouragement and prayer. We went out to eat and just hung out with them and enjoyed their company. Mac was sad to leave and we were sad to have him leave as he had become part of our little family.
Thanksgiving morning we woke up early to get to Myrtille's house at about 8:15 to see the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. This is a huge tradition for me and I was so thankful we got to see it. She was already cooking when we got there so Cristina, Sarah, and I piled in her bed and watched it all morning. As a treat, Myrtille had arranged for a woman to come to her house and give all three of us manicures AND pedicures. We were in charge of baking the pumpkin pies for dessert, actually I'll give Cristina the credit that they turned out really good thanks to Paula Dean! Please do not feel sorry for me that I was in Mexico for Thanksgiving. I was completely spoiled the whole day with the manicure and pedicure, watching movies and just relaxing, a DELICIOUS dinner, and great fellowship with the 3 other couples that came to Myrtille's house to celebrate with us. We spent the night at her house and the next day the four of us had a Bible study and prayer time together. We also set up and decorated her Christmas tree for her which turned out beautiful. Myrtille is French so for lunch she made homemade mayoniaise with garlic that she said is very common in France and we put it on our leftover turkey sandwiches which were delicious!
After our incredible time at Myrtille's house, we came to the Galeana's which is the family from the church that so graciously lets us come over every Friday night. There is a billboard up in front of the convention center that I see all the time advertising the Acapulco Philharmonic. I am obviously misinformed about what a philharmonic is because I was thinking it was an orchestra and I really wanted to go. Last night was the last night Sarah and I would be able to go so Mr. Galeana went with us. The program had a picture of a ballerina on it which really threw me off. It turns out that it was a ballet! It was still really good and we all enjoyed it but I was the only one who thought I had an idea of what was going on and I ended up being totally wrong. I am assuming that the Philharmonic Orchestra was the orchestra that played the music for the ballerinas...Anyway we felt very cultural going to a ballet in Acapulco:)
These next couple of weeks are going to be so full and busy as we try to cram as much as possible and make the most out of the last weeks here. Please pray that I will be intentional as my time winds down, that I won't get caught up in the busy-ness and let opportunities to love these children pass me by.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Monday, November 17, 2008
Earthquake!
This past Monday night an earthquake woke me up at about 4:45 in the morning. Shortly after about 5 more followed! These were my first experiences with earthquakes and never have I felt more out of control. Sarah and I were completely freaked out and shared my twin bed for about an hour while we waited for them to stop. The last one was at about 6:30 in the morning. They weren´t strong enough to knock my things off the shelves but they were definitely strong enough to be felt. Despite the fact that we were scared to death and were huddled together in my bed, Sarah made a wise comment that we would not have been able to save each other even though we were together if something had happened. It was very humbling knowing just how out of control we really are.
The next day I was working in the kitchen because Sarah and I did not go in to work at the office last week but just stayed and helped out around Casa Hogar. I was slicing vegetables with a smaller knife that I have been using since my last incident with a knife and I somehow managed to cut another finger. This time it was my thumb. Fortunately, there was no fainting involved this time and I got it cleaned up and taken care of right away. My mother advises that I stay out of the kitchen but I am determined to keep helping them out when I can:)
Our latest project has been working on gifts from the kids to the sponsors. As expected, there is a lot more work from our part going in to it than from kids!
Friday morning the kids in elementary school had a Mini-Olympics at their school that Sarah and I were able to go to. It was really a cool experience getting to see them interact with other kids outside of their regular environment at Casa Hogar and even more fun getting to congratulate them when they recieved their medals. That afternoon a new intern named Cristina from Texas came in. She is going to be living at Casa Hogar for 5 and a half months, similar to me. This is her first time here so this weekend consisted a lot of showing her around and telling her about how life works here.
Yesterday after church we took about 12 kids to the beach. We went to the same one last weekend too and it is absolutely beautiful. It is quite a hike to get to it and then you literally have to rock climb a good amount to get to the actual beach. We stayed there all afternoon and played and swam. The kids think nothing of it because they see those views everyday but looking into the Acapulco Bay really is gorgeous.
I officially have less than a month of my time here and it has been hitting me way harder than what I expected. I completely trust that God has plans for me when I get back but it´s the transition that absolutely breaks my heart thinking of having to leave these precious people and kids that I have grown to love so much. I plan to forever be a part of these kids´ lives but I am realizing that I may never have something like this experience with them again getting to see their everyday lives apart from when the groups come visit for a week in the summer. It is hard to take in but I am doing my best to look at the countless amazing times I have had here and not at the sadness of leaving.
The next day I was working in the kitchen because Sarah and I did not go in to work at the office last week but just stayed and helped out around Casa Hogar. I was slicing vegetables with a smaller knife that I have been using since my last incident with a knife and I somehow managed to cut another finger. This time it was my thumb. Fortunately, there was no fainting involved this time and I got it cleaned up and taken care of right away. My mother advises that I stay out of the kitchen but I am determined to keep helping them out when I can:)
Our latest project has been working on gifts from the kids to the sponsors. As expected, there is a lot more work from our part going in to it than from kids!
Friday morning the kids in elementary school had a Mini-Olympics at their school that Sarah and I were able to go to. It was really a cool experience getting to see them interact with other kids outside of their regular environment at Casa Hogar and even more fun getting to congratulate them when they recieved their medals. That afternoon a new intern named Cristina from Texas came in. She is going to be living at Casa Hogar for 5 and a half months, similar to me. This is her first time here so this weekend consisted a lot of showing her around and telling her about how life works here.
Yesterday after church we took about 12 kids to the beach. We went to the same one last weekend too and it is absolutely beautiful. It is quite a hike to get to it and then you literally have to rock climb a good amount to get to the actual beach. We stayed there all afternoon and played and swam. The kids think nothing of it because they see those views everyday but looking into the Acapulco Bay really is gorgeous.
I officially have less than a month of my time here and it has been hitting me way harder than what I expected. I completely trust that God has plans for me when I get back but it´s the transition that absolutely breaks my heart thinking of having to leave these precious people and kids that I have grown to love so much. I plan to forever be a part of these kids´ lives but I am realizing that I may never have something like this experience with them again getting to see their everyday lives apart from when the groups come visit for a week in the summer. It is hard to take in but I am doing my best to look at the countless amazing times I have had here and not at the sadness of leaving.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Airplane and Piggies
At the orphange there is a room called Cuarto 13. This is the room where all the little boys sleep; there are 9 little ones total. Sarah and I went to visit them one night this week and I think it was one of the most fun nights I have had here. Being in there with them reminded me of 2 very fond things from when I was little. The first is what we call the "airplane". You lay down on your back and put your feet on the little person's stomach, grab their hands, and lift them up in the air. They can hold your hands but if they get enough courage they can let go and pretend to be Superman. I'm not sure what made me do it but I started it off with one of the boys and then it became a never ending game! There is a specific little boy named Lalo who is...well, he's a little "thicker" than the others and let's just say it was as if I had worked out enough for a year once I had lifted him a couple times:) Another one named Lizandro was very giggly when I lifted him up. He was giggling with his mouth wide open and a nice amount of slobber dribbled on my face and chest! All of them thought that was REALLY funny, including myself. I asked if they had ever done that before and they said no but they absolutely loved it. It made me sad thinking of nobody ever doing that with them because Whitney and I used to do it all the time when we were little. The second thing it reminded me of was something my mom always did to my toes. Starting with the big toe there is a little rhyme that says, "This little piggy went to the market, (move to the next toe) this little piggy stayed home, (next) this little piggy had roast beef, (next) this little piggy had none, (baby toe) and this little piggy cried, "Wee wee wee!" all the way home." I translated it as best I could into Spanish and showed it to a little boy named Andres. He could not get enough of it and it was cracking me up. He had me do it seriously about 5 times on each of his feet and then a couple more on his hands. By the end he was saying it with me:) I guess when you surround yourself with 9 boys ages 5-7, you start acting like them! We really had a good time just being silly.
These past 2 weeks I have been getting in the Christmas spirit... I have already started listening to Christmas music and they have started putting up a HUGE Christmas tree in front of the Convention Center that we pass everyday on our way to work. Santa Claus is also up on the Coca-Cola billboard. I'm sure Christmas things are starting to go up in the states too but I forget that in Mexico Christmas is their next holiday because they don't celebrate Thanksgiving so they really can start getting ready early!
5 months was the original amount of time that I had said I wanted to be here for. After I said that, there were many times that I could have made it longer or shorter but I always just felt comfortable with 5 months. Even when my mom and grandma hinted at cutting it a little I still stuck to 5. This past week I have really been assured that it is the right amount for me...for now. I am content here and enjoying every second of it but I am also really excited to be back home too. I'm still not sure about what happens next but I feel confident that there is something in store for me when I return. I say "for now" because if it were up to me I would love to come back at some point in the future but I need to wait until that door is opened up again.
An incredible family from the church has opened up their home to us on Friday nights. They feed us a huge meal and we just rest in their beautiful home. It sounds like almost every intern that has lived at Casa Hogar has spent a lot of time here so we feel right at home. It is really refreshing to have a place to go and just be and I feel like even being gone for one day makes me appreciate the kids more when I get back.
Three prayer requests:
1-One of the women that lives here with her husband and works as the "mother" of the home, Laura, found out that her father has cancer in his stomach. It is a tumor that is too big to be operated on and he has to start chemo and radiation right away. The cancer is obvioulsy a huge concern for her but even more so is the fact that he is not a believer. She has asked that I help her pray for his salvation and she praying so fervently that God will answer her request.
2-There hasn't been water at the orphange for a couple of days. The whole city is without water except for the places that have reserve tanks (which includes the building that we live in, not the kids). This happens every once in a while and the kids have to haul buckets of water to their rooms to bathe. Please pray for the water to come back on soon!
3-The prices have gone up for food and although things are better this week, the past few weeks the kids were eating only bread and chocolate milk or coffee for dinner. Please pray that sufficient funds continue to come in to provide food each day for these kids. As the economy in the states is suffering, they are feeling it here. God has been faithful to provide in the past and we trust that He will continue to provide even now.
These past 2 weeks I have been getting in the Christmas spirit... I have already started listening to Christmas music and they have started putting up a HUGE Christmas tree in front of the Convention Center that we pass everyday on our way to work. Santa Claus is also up on the Coca-Cola billboard. I'm sure Christmas things are starting to go up in the states too but I forget that in Mexico Christmas is their next holiday because they don't celebrate Thanksgiving so they really can start getting ready early!
5 months was the original amount of time that I had said I wanted to be here for. After I said that, there were many times that I could have made it longer or shorter but I always just felt comfortable with 5 months. Even when my mom and grandma hinted at cutting it a little I still stuck to 5. This past week I have really been assured that it is the right amount for me...for now. I am content here and enjoying every second of it but I am also really excited to be back home too. I'm still not sure about what happens next but I feel confident that there is something in store for me when I return. I say "for now" because if it were up to me I would love to come back at some point in the future but I need to wait until that door is opened up again.
An incredible family from the church has opened up their home to us on Friday nights. They feed us a huge meal and we just rest in their beautiful home. It sounds like almost every intern that has lived at Casa Hogar has spent a lot of time here so we feel right at home. It is really refreshing to have a place to go and just be and I feel like even being gone for one day makes me appreciate the kids more when I get back.
Three prayer requests:
1-One of the women that lives here with her husband and works as the "mother" of the home, Laura, found out that her father has cancer in his stomach. It is a tumor that is too big to be operated on and he has to start chemo and radiation right away. The cancer is obvioulsy a huge concern for her but even more so is the fact that he is not a believer. She has asked that I help her pray for his salvation and she praying so fervently that God will answer her request.
2-There hasn't been water at the orphange for a couple of days. The whole city is without water except for the places that have reserve tanks (which includes the building that we live in, not the kids). This happens every once in a while and the kids have to haul buckets of water to their rooms to bathe. Please pray for the water to come back on soon!
3-The prices have gone up for food and although things are better this week, the past few weeks the kids were eating only bread and chocolate milk or coffee for dinner. Please pray that sufficient funds continue to come in to provide food each day for these kids. As the economy in the states is suffering, they are feeling it here. God has been faithful to provide in the past and we trust that He will continue to provide even now.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Muffins
This week on Sunday afternoon, Sarah´s parents came to visit for a couple days. This meant that I was on my own as far as work because she got a little vacation while they were here. Before Sarah had come, I went to work for weeks by myself and was totally comfortable. But I guess since I have gotten used to having a companion I was a little uneasy on Sunday night and Monday morning before I went out on my own. I prayed the whole way, as I walked, as I rode, and as I walked again. I arrived safely and was completely at ease. Usually when I get to work the secretary, Gloria, is there first. I thought maybe I had arrived a little early so I waited and waited for anybody to show up and no one ever did. Of course on the day that no one came I chose to bake muffins and there was no one to eat them....So I ate 2 myself:) The accountant, Lety, usually comes a litte later and then Myrtille comes in too but I guess I missed the memo that no one was coming so I went back home. The next day Gloria wasn´t there again but Lety came in for a little while. There was some sort of riot that was going to happen that afternoon so she had me leave early and ride home with the kids from school so I wouldn´t be by myself. I didn´t go to work Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday because Myrtille was sick and I had no work to do. So I got a little vacation myself. I helped in the kitchen each morning and then just hung around Casa Hogar for the rest of the time.
I am feeling much better healthwise! No doctor visits or shots this week. Last night one of the kids was in a play so a few of us went to see it and then went to dinner afterwards. It´s always a treat to go out at night because we really don´t do it often. We had another birthday party this afternoon for the August birthdays and for some reason we had to pretty much beg them to come! Who would have thought that you would ever have to persuade a kid to come eat cake and ice cream and drink soda! It was so weird.
It´s hard to believe October is almost over. I hope everyone back home is doing well. I love hearing from you all! I´ll update again soon.
I am feeling much better healthwise! No doctor visits or shots this week. Last night one of the kids was in a play so a few of us went to see it and then went to dinner afterwards. It´s always a treat to go out at night because we really don´t do it often. We had another birthday party this afternoon for the August birthdays and for some reason we had to pretty much beg them to come! Who would have thought that you would ever have to persuade a kid to come eat cake and ice cream and drink soda! It was so weird.
It´s hard to believe October is almost over. I hope everyone back home is doing well. I love hearing from you all! I´ll update again soon.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Shots:(
My family coming to visit was about a half way mark of my time here. It is the most bittersweet thing ever to think about coming home. It really keeps me on my toes here knowing that I really don´t have that much time left. It forces me to check myself constantly making sure that I am helping and loving in every way that becomes available to me and not letting the opportunities slip away.
Nothing incredibly out of the ordinary has happened lately. Last weekend we had a TON of rain. I woke up to a swimming pool under one of my windows and mopped out a bucketful of water...a leak that still needs to be fixed. It´s not the first time it has leaked and I guess I kinda hope that each time it rains it´ll just close itself up:) We were supposedly expecting a hurricane on last Saturday but I´m not really sure if it ever came. Living in a place with 60 kids makes it very difficult sometimes to get a straight answer for any question even something as simple as, ¨Did the hurricane come?¨ Sarah and I slept with the girls in their rooms that night and had a ¨hurricane sleepover¨.
There is a guy down here who has been here for a couple weeks now named Mac that is teaching P.E. at the Christian School that some of the kids go to and is living at Casa Hogar too. Sarah, Mac, and I started a little tradition last weekend. We decided that we wanted to have birthday parties for the kids who have birthdays while we are down here but then we thought that wouldn´t be fair to the other kids who don´t have birthdays so we decided to have a party for each couple of months. Last Friday was our first one for the birthdays in September and October. We baked a cake for them and had ice cream and soda. We tried to make our basic kitchen look as festive as possible by hanging balloons from the ceiling fans. There were 11 kids total and besides the fact that they didn´t really know what to do with themselves when they first came in, I think they enjoyed it. Tonight the party is for the January, February, and March birthdays.
Every Saturday I have been helping the two women that work in the kitchen, Mary and Lucy, prepare the food for he kids. They always have the most to do on Saturdays and it works out nicely for them because that is my day off. On Monday, Sarah and I did not have to go to work so we stayed home and helped out around here. I went to the kitchen and as always they could use a hand. Everything was going very nicely as we made a million quesadillas and made some watermelon flavored water as a treat for them to drink with lunch until Lucy had me slicing tomatoes....Now this is not the first time she had assigned me this task. Actually just this past Saturday I had been put in charge of slicing all sorts of veggies and I completed the job without any accidents or mishaps at all. But this time the tomatoes were wet, and some of the kids had come in the kitchen, and I was distracted.....and I cut my left pointer finger. I looked at it and immediately started feeling a little queezy. I rinsed it off and they got me a bandaid. It really was not a big cut but I had cut right through my nail. I got really lightheaded and sat down. Mary asked me if I was ok and I said no I really didn´t think I was. They sent me to go lay down in my room for a while. As I walked out of the kitchen my head started pounding and my eyes were going in and out and I was so so dizzy and felt really nauseous. I just wanted to make it to my kitchen to get some water. Right before you get to my kitchen you have to go down about 5 steps and I remembered they were there and I was scared I might fall down them so as I thought I was getting close I crab-walked to them. The second I got to them my eyes went completely white and I fainted. I´m sure it was only a couple of seconds and then I just sat there for about 5 minutes with my head between my knees. With so many people here it is very unlikely that something happens and somebody doesn´t see it but not one person saw me faint. I´m actually kind of thankful for this because who knows what I looked like as I dizzily made my way to the kitchen:) Once I started feeling better I went inside and drank a big cup of water. I was fine for the rest of the day but once I told some of the kids what had happened they thought it was quite funny.
I ended up getting sick Tuesday night with a fever and went to the doctor on Wednesday where they told me I had a stomach infection. I ended up having to get two shots in my behind, one on Wednesday and one on Thursday. The doctor offered a pill or the shots and I of course chose the pill but she somehow convinced me that the shot would get me better faster so I chose the shots. Neither were fun, that is for sure, but the one on Thursday was significantly less painful than the first! So I guess I take back what I said at the beginning...this week has been pretty out of the ordinary:)
Mr. Creech, I hope this font is better for you!
Nothing incredibly out of the ordinary has happened lately. Last weekend we had a TON of rain. I woke up to a swimming pool under one of my windows and mopped out a bucketful of water...a leak that still needs to be fixed. It´s not the first time it has leaked and I guess I kinda hope that each time it rains it´ll just close itself up:) We were supposedly expecting a hurricane on last Saturday but I´m not really sure if it ever came. Living in a place with 60 kids makes it very difficult sometimes to get a straight answer for any question even something as simple as, ¨Did the hurricane come?¨ Sarah and I slept with the girls in their rooms that night and had a ¨hurricane sleepover¨.
There is a guy down here who has been here for a couple weeks now named Mac that is teaching P.E. at the Christian School that some of the kids go to and is living at Casa Hogar too. Sarah, Mac, and I started a little tradition last weekend. We decided that we wanted to have birthday parties for the kids who have birthdays while we are down here but then we thought that wouldn´t be fair to the other kids who don´t have birthdays so we decided to have a party for each couple of months. Last Friday was our first one for the birthdays in September and October. We baked a cake for them and had ice cream and soda. We tried to make our basic kitchen look as festive as possible by hanging balloons from the ceiling fans. There were 11 kids total and besides the fact that they didn´t really know what to do with themselves when they first came in, I think they enjoyed it. Tonight the party is for the January, February, and March birthdays.
Every Saturday I have been helping the two women that work in the kitchen, Mary and Lucy, prepare the food for he kids. They always have the most to do on Saturdays and it works out nicely for them because that is my day off. On Monday, Sarah and I did not have to go to work so we stayed home and helped out around here. I went to the kitchen and as always they could use a hand. Everything was going very nicely as we made a million quesadillas and made some watermelon flavored water as a treat for them to drink with lunch until Lucy had me slicing tomatoes....Now this is not the first time she had assigned me this task. Actually just this past Saturday I had been put in charge of slicing all sorts of veggies and I completed the job without any accidents or mishaps at all. But this time the tomatoes were wet, and some of the kids had come in the kitchen, and I was distracted.....and I cut my left pointer finger. I looked at it and immediately started feeling a little queezy. I rinsed it off and they got me a bandaid. It really was not a big cut but I had cut right through my nail. I got really lightheaded and sat down. Mary asked me if I was ok and I said no I really didn´t think I was. They sent me to go lay down in my room for a while. As I walked out of the kitchen my head started pounding and my eyes were going in and out and I was so so dizzy and felt really nauseous. I just wanted to make it to my kitchen to get some water. Right before you get to my kitchen you have to go down about 5 steps and I remembered they were there and I was scared I might fall down them so as I thought I was getting close I crab-walked to them. The second I got to them my eyes went completely white and I fainted. I´m sure it was only a couple of seconds and then I just sat there for about 5 minutes with my head between my knees. With so many people here it is very unlikely that something happens and somebody doesn´t see it but not one person saw me faint. I´m actually kind of thankful for this because who knows what I looked like as I dizzily made my way to the kitchen:) Once I started feeling better I went inside and drank a big cup of water. I was fine for the rest of the day but once I told some of the kids what had happened they thought it was quite funny.
I ended up getting sick Tuesday night with a fever and went to the doctor on Wednesday where they told me I had a stomach infection. I ended up having to get two shots in my behind, one on Wednesday and one on Thursday. The doctor offered a pill or the shots and I of course chose the pill but she somehow convinced me that the shot would get me better faster so I chose the shots. Neither were fun, that is for sure, but the one on Thursday was significantly less painful than the first! So I guess I take back what I said at the beginning...this week has been pretty out of the ordinary:)
Mr. Creech, I hope this font is better for you!
Friday, October 3, 2008
Food Glorious Food!!!
Before I left to come down here, a huge concern was the fact that I disliked Mexican food very much. I mean, I really didn´t like it. It was a specific prayer request that I would at some point be able to not only suck it up and eat the food but that I would really be able to enjoy it. I am thrilled to say that the prayer has been answered 100%!!! I have been able to try all different types of genuine Mexican food and I am honestly able to say that I enjoy eating it. A special message for the Creech boys, Rachel Bradley, and Jesse Walsh: I love tacos el pastor! I NEVER thought those words would leave my lips:) I had tried them in a previous trip to Casa Hogar and was not a fan but I gave them another chance and now I really look forward to eating them whenever I can...which sadly isn´t that often. For those of you that do not know what tacos el pastor are they are tacos made with a special type of meat which is pastor. I´m not sure exactly what type of meat, probably pork, but it is hung in the restaurants on a huge slab and shaved off onto the tortillas. Then you can put all different toppings on them. Cilantro, pineapple, raddishes, salsas, onions....mmmmmm. I used to be such a wimp when it came to spicy foods but my tastebuds have really grown up here:) I really am so thankful that I like the food now because first of all, it just makes things so much easier and second of all, I don´t have to pretend that I like something when it is offered to me, it´s really the truth!
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Mexican police are not our friends!
I have to start off by apologizing for the poor poor job I have done in keeping this blog updated. The more time that I allow to pass between updates, the more overwhelmed I get as so many things happen, and then it leaves me here with 25 days to summarize. Quite a bit has happened in these past few weeks so I'll get going.
September 15th and 16th are Mexico's Indepedence Days and I was able to see the city come alive as everyone decorated their stores and cars and buses with Mexico flags and lights and anything red, green, and white. The kids were out of school and Sarah and I didn't have to go to work both of those days. The night of the 15th, there is a tradition that everyone yells "VIVA MEXICO!!!" over and over at exactly 11:00pm. The kids usually go to sleep at 9 so it was quite a party for them to stay up late. They had TONS of fireworks (miniature explosives that really shouldn't even be considered as fireworks) that the kids went wild with throwing them in the air and at each other watching the victim jump from their seat screaming. It was a fun time to spend with the kids that turned into a really late night. After everyone had finally gone to bed at about 12:45, Sarah and I walked back to our room only to discover that our neighbors that are literally right outside our door were having a party with VERY loud music. They must have been having a really good time beacause the party lasted until about 5:00am!
The past couple of weeks one of our projects has been to make Christmas cards for the kids to write to their sponsors. It was quite an event getting 60 kids to write about 5 cards each and then translate them all but we have fortunately been able to get a large chunk of it done. P.S. If you happen to recieve one of the Christmas cards and it was translated incorrectly, Sarah did it:)
Sarah and I have officially accepted the fact that we have become bus snobs...The regular buses cost 45 pesos and the air conditioned buses cost 55 pesos. We have thoughtfully considered the decision and have decided that for the length of our bus rides everyday, the 10 peso splurge is SO worth it. We have noticed that by riding the AC buses everyday, we have entered into a community of AC bus riders. Everyday we see at least 3 or 4 familiar faces that have claimed themselves as AC bus patrons as well and we know that they recognize us since the two blonde American girls kinda stick out like a sore thumb!
Some of the local people are starting to realize that I am not just a tourist but that I am living here because they see me day to day. A couple have introduced themselves and asked what I'm here for which always presents good opportunities to tell them about Casa Hogar and what it's all about. It also allows me to feel a little more at home knowing that I'm getting to know more and more people that are outside my little world here of the children's home and the church. I've gotten to know some people that are more involved with the street child ministry that is associated with the same church as Casa Hogar and am really realizing that God is no doubt working in Acapulco.
On Wednesday, some very welcome company came to visit. My mom, dad, and grandma are here until Tuesday. They were the ones that made me sit down and update this right now:) Myrtille gave me everyday off of work while they are here which I was thrilled about and I am also staying at their hotel with them which has allowed me to have a little vacation of my own. They have only been here 2 1/2 days and let me tell you, they have been anything but uneventful. They decided to rent a car while they are here to allow us more freedom to do what we want instead of having to rely on buses and taxis and I am so thankful they did except for the fact that we have gotten pulled over by the police 2, count 'em 2 TIMES!!!! The first time was on Thursday right after we had done a U-turn on our way to Wal Mart. We saw a car with a yellow stripe that I thought was a taxi wave at us to pull over. We didn't fully comprehend what was going on until he turned on his lights and got out of his car to tell us in impossible to understand spanish that we had done something wrong. When we finally were able to get out of the middle of the road, the police man came to the window and began speaking as if we were native mexicans. My mind was racing and heart was pounding thinking of whether I should just play dumb and hope he would let us off as silly Americans who didn't speak spanish or if I should try and talk to this guy as best I could. Well, shortly after he said that we were recieving a ticket of 4,600 pesos or 460 dollars for stopping on the yellow pedestrian lines WHICH EVERY OTHER CAR IN FRONT OF US HAD DONE I knew that he was royally screwing us and anything I said to him in spanish probably wouldn't make the situation worse. I explained to him that I live here and told him exactly where the children's home is. I told him that we would not pay the ticket without having our friend with us, which was Myrtille. This make him think a little bit and he called one of the 2 other police that were in the car with him to come and help him out. He told the other cop that I lived here and they ended up letting us go PRAISE THE LORD!!!!! Probably only after they realized that I had connections to Mexican people that would know as well that they were completely ripping us off. We were all pretty shaken up about the whole thing for a while afterwards and never drempt that it would happen again.
The second incident happened on Friday as we were pulling out to go to...yep! Wal Mart again! It was a wierd intersection that did not have a light for the way we were coming from so we waited until the way was clear and turned left as cars followed behind us doing the exact same thing. A couple blocks down the road a man in a uniform waved us down into a parking lot. As the day before it didn't really hit us that we were getting a ticket until he came to our window and told us that a camera in the intersection had caught us running a red light and had radioed ahead for this guy to pull us over. Our thoughts, "There is no way!!!!" This guy wanted to take my dad's license and bring it to the police station where we would have to go to pay over 1000 pesos and get it back. I explained to him too that I lived here and that we would not be doing anything without our friend, Myrtille again, and we decided to call her and have him talk to her. He came back to the car and handed me the phone where Myrtille told us that he had agreed to give us back the license if we paid him 600 pesos and would let us go without the ticket. It was an obvious bribe and Myrtille recommended that we call her husband. We did and he said the magic words because the police man ended up letting us go. Thank the Lord for Myrtille and Tolo!!! So that was our second safe escape from the Mexico poilce. We beat the system twice!!! Needless to say, we're all a little nervous about driving around town now but we decided we probably need to be praying for protection against the police BEFORE the actual incident happens again!
I am enjoying my time with my family here so much and will hate to see them go but I know that God has so much more in store for me here before it is my turn to leave.
September 15th and 16th are Mexico's Indepedence Days and I was able to see the city come alive as everyone decorated their stores and cars and buses with Mexico flags and lights and anything red, green, and white. The kids were out of school and Sarah and I didn't have to go to work both of those days. The night of the 15th, there is a tradition that everyone yells "VIVA MEXICO!!!" over and over at exactly 11:00pm. The kids usually go to sleep at 9 so it was quite a party for them to stay up late. They had TONS of fireworks (miniature explosives that really shouldn't even be considered as fireworks) that the kids went wild with throwing them in the air and at each other watching the victim jump from their seat screaming. It was a fun time to spend with the kids that turned into a really late night. After everyone had finally gone to bed at about 12:45, Sarah and I walked back to our room only to discover that our neighbors that are literally right outside our door were having a party with VERY loud music. They must have been having a really good time beacause the party lasted until about 5:00am!
The past couple of weeks one of our projects has been to make Christmas cards for the kids to write to their sponsors. It was quite an event getting 60 kids to write about 5 cards each and then translate them all but we have fortunately been able to get a large chunk of it done. P.S. If you happen to recieve one of the Christmas cards and it was translated incorrectly, Sarah did it:)
Sarah and I have officially accepted the fact that we have become bus snobs...The regular buses cost 45 pesos and the air conditioned buses cost 55 pesos. We have thoughtfully considered the decision and have decided that for the length of our bus rides everyday, the 10 peso splurge is SO worth it. We have noticed that by riding the AC buses everyday, we have entered into a community of AC bus riders. Everyday we see at least 3 or 4 familiar faces that have claimed themselves as AC bus patrons as well and we know that they recognize us since the two blonde American girls kinda stick out like a sore thumb!
Some of the local people are starting to realize that I am not just a tourist but that I am living here because they see me day to day. A couple have introduced themselves and asked what I'm here for which always presents good opportunities to tell them about Casa Hogar and what it's all about. It also allows me to feel a little more at home knowing that I'm getting to know more and more people that are outside my little world here of the children's home and the church. I've gotten to know some people that are more involved with the street child ministry that is associated with the same church as Casa Hogar and am really realizing that God is no doubt working in Acapulco.
On Wednesday, some very welcome company came to visit. My mom, dad, and grandma are here until Tuesday. They were the ones that made me sit down and update this right now:) Myrtille gave me everyday off of work while they are here which I was thrilled about and I am also staying at their hotel with them which has allowed me to have a little vacation of my own. They have only been here 2 1/2 days and let me tell you, they have been anything but uneventful. They decided to rent a car while they are here to allow us more freedom to do what we want instead of having to rely on buses and taxis and I am so thankful they did except for the fact that we have gotten pulled over by the police 2, count 'em 2 TIMES!!!! The first time was on Thursday right after we had done a U-turn on our way to Wal Mart. We saw a car with a yellow stripe that I thought was a taxi wave at us to pull over. We didn't fully comprehend what was going on until he turned on his lights and got out of his car to tell us in impossible to understand spanish that we had done something wrong. When we finally were able to get out of the middle of the road, the police man came to the window and began speaking as if we were native mexicans. My mind was racing and heart was pounding thinking of whether I should just play dumb and hope he would let us off as silly Americans who didn't speak spanish or if I should try and talk to this guy as best I could. Well, shortly after he said that we were recieving a ticket of 4,600 pesos or 460 dollars for stopping on the yellow pedestrian lines WHICH EVERY OTHER CAR IN FRONT OF US HAD DONE I knew that he was royally screwing us and anything I said to him in spanish probably wouldn't make the situation worse. I explained to him that I live here and told him exactly where the children's home is. I told him that we would not pay the ticket without having our friend with us, which was Myrtille. This make him think a little bit and he called one of the 2 other police that were in the car with him to come and help him out. He told the other cop that I lived here and they ended up letting us go PRAISE THE LORD!!!!! Probably only after they realized that I had connections to Mexican people that would know as well that they were completely ripping us off. We were all pretty shaken up about the whole thing for a while afterwards and never drempt that it would happen again.
The second incident happened on Friday as we were pulling out to go to...yep! Wal Mart again! It was a wierd intersection that did not have a light for the way we were coming from so we waited until the way was clear and turned left as cars followed behind us doing the exact same thing. A couple blocks down the road a man in a uniform waved us down into a parking lot. As the day before it didn't really hit us that we were getting a ticket until he came to our window and told us that a camera in the intersection had caught us running a red light and had radioed ahead for this guy to pull us over. Our thoughts, "There is no way!!!!" This guy wanted to take my dad's license and bring it to the police station where we would have to go to pay over 1000 pesos and get it back. I explained to him too that I lived here and that we would not be doing anything without our friend, Myrtille again, and we decided to call her and have him talk to her. He came back to the car and handed me the phone where Myrtille told us that he had agreed to give us back the license if we paid him 600 pesos and would let us go without the ticket. It was an obvious bribe and Myrtille recommended that we call her husband. We did and he said the magic words because the police man ended up letting us go. Thank the Lord for Myrtille and Tolo!!! So that was our second safe escape from the Mexico poilce. We beat the system twice!!! Needless to say, we're all a little nervous about driving around town now but we decided we probably need to be praying for protection against the police BEFORE the actual incident happens again!
I am enjoying my time with my family here so much and will hate to see them go but I know that God has so much more in store for me here before it is my turn to leave.
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