Rice, Beans, and Chocolate Milk

I've survived a whole week in Mexico which is an excellent sign that I will continue to survive. But more than survive, I've had a chance to LIVE.

My week started by waking up in a strange place. It was Sunday morning and I was in Sinaloa, Mexico. For breakfast we had cornflakes and chocolate milk (which I soon learned is in the norm around the orphanage thanks to the generosity of DIF, the Sinaloa welfare program). Church didn't start until 4:00 in the afternoon so Sunday morning was relaxing for me, the jobless floater. Several people at the orphanage were suffering from stomach illness, and I felt so sorry for them... But I was loving the food. Corn tortillas and tajin are my favorite right now... Loren Yoder holds a service in San Pedro (about 20 minutes away) every Sunday morning and comes back to Choix for an afternoon service. I met many new people at the service, but I was overwhelmed with names and don't remember many of them from that day. I was delighted to be able to understand most of the sermon. (hint: native English speakers are easier to understand when they speak Spanish than native Spanish speakers.) In the evening, I swung the jump-rope for the children at the orphanage until my arm was too tired. It was fun getting to know them a little.

Monday morning I came down with a stomach ache. I was out of bed and eating, but stomach problems combined with the heat wore me out quickly. My theory is that my stomach was simply adjusting to the water. I helped with laundry and lunch in the morning. In the afternoon, Stacey, Brianne, and I rode bike into town (mostly downhill about a mile) to Loren and Donna's to use the Internet and the phone. Fortunately, Loren gave us a ride back to the orphanage and saved us the trip back uphill.

Tuesday my stomach ache was worse, but I did my best to ignore it. Rachel, Brianne, and I headed into town on bike to tour Choix. It was so HOT, even in the morning. Brianne's bike gave out when we got to town so we borrowed Loren's bike. Rachel took us to the plaza (a park area with lots of palm trees) the post office, the bank (where I walked in with $80 American cash and out with $860 pesos), the clock tower (which gave us an excellent view of Choix), several little shops, and then to Rod and Christa's. Unfortunately, after we left Rod's, Loren's bike gave out and we all three walked our bikes back home in the sweltering heat. Oh! I almost forgot to mention that we stopped by the apartment Stacey and I were planning to move into the next day and the landlady let us inside to look around.

Wednesday was moving day. Maybe I should explain why we moved for those of you who have no idea. Stacey originally was working at the orphanage, but agreed to help with the ministry in Choix when I came. By living in town, we will be more accessible to the people we are trying to reach. We will stay at Loren and Donna's house for most of the day and for all of our meals. Anyway, our apartment contained much hope under a thin layer of grime. Donna came along to help us, armed with her cleaning supplies. The apartment is very nice for Mexico, and oh so colorful. We cleaned and rearranged until the evening prayer meeting. We didn't finish, but we were happy with our work. We trotted off to JLR (the closest thing to Wal-Mart in Choix) to buy breakfast cereal and REAL milk- not little boxes of chocolate milk. Side note that has nothing to do with the above paragraph: the boys at the orphanage make the absolute best peanut butter in the world. Come visit me, if for nothing else, then for the peanut butter!

Thursday was our day off. It convieniently fell on the day we needed most. My stomach hurt worse than ever and it brought its best friend, Headache, with it. We finished our cleaning and unpacked in the morning. I was delighted to be able to spread out my belongings for the first time in six weeks. Donna made delicious spaghetti for lunch with real hamburger. We managed to make our house look like a home. Rachel rode bike into town from the orphanage to use the phone at our new house. Afterwards, she took us out to Papa's for dinner. That was fun to hang out.

Friday was the first day of our real "job" here in Mexico. We got to Loren and Donna's at 9:00 a.m. to begin the Rosetta Stone language study. Afterwards, Donna had us cover Spanish children's books. For anyone who cares- she has Francis books! and Curious George books! and Mike Mulligan and His Steamshovel! in Spanish! Okay, I'm done now. As we walked home, we came across a man selling three watermelons for ten pesos... so we bought three watermelons to take back to our apartment. Granted, they're not very large... We ate watermelon with Brianne in the heat of the afternoon. That evening was our eveing to go to Mochiqui. Donna, Stacey, and I headed out (me not having any idea what to expect). Some of the roads in that little village are hard to walk on and almost impossible to drive on. The poverty of the village was overwhelming; many of the people don't even have four walls under their roofs. Someone described the living situation as a giant campground, but most campgrounds in the States are better than the living conditions at Mochiqui. Chickens wander in and out of bedrooms. Cats climb up on the wobbly "kitchen" table. Yet, I was so encouraged at how happy the people were who lived there. These people had very little if any access to technology and yet they were so happy. My new little friend, Alma, made perfect corn tortillas over the fire. I got to babysit her little brother, Jaciel (who looks like a baby Tarzan). I petted their dogs and tasted their fruit. As we climbed back in the vehicle to come home, I felt incredibly dirty, but very happy. I felt that some of the joy had rubbed off on me- the affluent American. Loren bought hot dogs for dinner, so we had the Mexican hot dog all doctored up with avacados, tomatoes, cheese, onions, etc...

Instead of Sunday school, the church here in Choix has Saturday school. The children came to Loren and Donna's house (also the church) around 9:30. They sang, colored, and read verses, and listened to stories. The new little friends I had made in Mochiqui kept me busy. Alma even colored her picture just like mine. Stacey and I made lunch after the children had left. Tomato soup and cheese sandwiches made me a little homesick *sniffle*. We had the rest of the afternoon off, and Marlen, a 12-year-old girl from the community came to visit us at our apartment. She dressed up and sprayed on perfume before she came; she looked so pretty. We fed her some of our watermelon. Afterwards, we went for a walk to a nearby river. We got a little excited and started splashing each other- it felt wonderful in the heat of the afternoon.

That was my week. I've had to make adjustments, but most of them have been good. Let me know how your week has been!