Legally Blonde in Mexico...

I have a new roommate.   For the remainder of my trip I will be staying with this girl Janeth.  I've been trying to figure out who she reminded me of and then it hit me like a ton of bricks... I almost fell out of my hammock when i realized it..

This girl is a Mexican Legally Blonde.. She has the chihuahua named and everything. All her words end with  "ita" and "cita" so i spend much of my time going back and trying to figure out the root of the word  to get the meaning. Her chihuahua, Nobilis, (who also answers to Flaco (Skinny) Flaca-cito (really skinny) Precioso (Precious) and Precio-cito (Really, Really Precious) has little outfits that he wears and the color here is a bright blue... She's got clothes to match.

Janeth turns out to be wicked-smart. She wants to study for a year in France some kinda of i can't even explain it, it's beyond my comprehension. So she has to study English because she has to explain her theory to these judges in english to go to France.  Rediculous.  So over breakfast, I had her explain to me what it was...

Quantum Physics.

We go to the Merida Zoo, freakin' HUGE!  Animals I've never seen before in my life. It's incredible! Lions  less than 15 feet from fleshy rams. The fences are short and the animals so close  you could almost reach out and touch them.  Janeth sees the monkeys and tells him a million times that "sabes que tu eres MUY precioso???" Si, tu eres!" Sabes que Dios te ama??" I can't help but laugh.  I don't know if the monkey knows that God loves him but I'm sure he knows now. 

We are going to pain her room tomorrow a bright fusia/pink color.. with a light purple trim and flowers. Wow.

She's super-social and listens to Mozart and Bach.  She tells me that she cried for the first 6 months every time she saw a roach.  

She has absolutly no furniture in her house except two beds and 4 plastic chairs.  She is explaining instructions to me as to how I can make hot water for a shower. It took me 3 weeks to warm up to the idea of taking a cold shower. I gotta light a gas tank outside the house and BAM! fuego... There is no way to adjust water that has just been torched.. I think i'll stick to the cold showers. 

We went running last night and i feel bad because I schooled her and her dog.  She was out of breath before I had even warmed up.  She wants to learn how to run. And we help each other with languages.. I like her a lot. 

Gotta run!

"Nos Vemos"

It's my last day here in the neighborhood. I'm packing  and I can hear throughout the house a group of kids simotaneously shout, "JOTAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!" They want me to come play.

The neighbors are taking endless photos and videos of me like i'm some kind of celebrity.  I have no idea why someone would want a video of me eating breakfast outside..

They found a pool behind a neighbors house and it's a perfect day for going. 8 Pesos for an hour and it's crowded. The group in the pool has 20 minutes left. We'll wait. This will be good. So now i got Beto, Andrea,  Naiby (the girl who burned an N in her hand), two bro-strippers, and their little bro- we call him "Chino" because he looks Chinese..and it's on now...

I don't think i've done so many cannonballs in my life.

My amazing boyfriend Jonathan had sent me some Pop Rocks and i was saving 'em for a good time and this is it. I had a group of Mexicans outside eating pop rocks. I love their expressions. They've never had anything like it.. "Es una fiesta en su boca!"

Antoni couldn't got to the pool with us but his mom bought him a mini pool and are playing with oranges. Regina, a little 4 year old across the street is Jonesin' so she made her dad  bring out a bucket she could play in as a pool. I love this neighborhood.

Ok, so now i have to leave and say goodbye.. I walk over to Antoni's house and cannot even breathe.  Hugs and kisses everywhere and tears streaming down my face. I cannot even speak.  Antoni gives me his beany baby and Angel, the 3 year old that has flicked me off so many times, kisses my cheek now.  Their Abuela who helped us make a kite is writing her address down and crying as well. I've had maybe 2 conversations with her. Antoni is speechless as well. I have not said a single word, just cried.  I get in the car and we are backing out and I see Antoni run to the car with a photo of himself and another of the family.  The pictures are probably 3 years outdated.  I cannot breathe. 

That's all for now.

Mexico things to remember...

It´s so hot that you can´t sleep at night. Just get up and take a cold shower.



The plague of mosquitos that wake you up devouring your flesh.



Roaches the size of an adult shoe. They come out of nowhere.



Never eat a certain spice and drink water. It causes "problems"



Hammocks.... everywhere



Everyone you meet kisses you on the cheek before they leave. Even if they don´t know you.



The buses can get so crowded that the bus drivers just pass people waiting on the side of the road.



Night soccer games.



Mixing up words like, (maquilar, mantequilla)"makeup" or "butter". And i think to myself, "why would she have butter on her face?"



Eating "tamarindos" after we´ve climbed and searched the tree.



The pyramids in the park and watching families play together.



Making kites out of sticks and our attempts to fly them in the field



Corn ice cream



The bonfire singing praise songs under the Mexican stars.



Sombreros



Getting cheated because i´m a gringa.



Roadies with people who don´t speak your language and yet jamming to American music.



Hugging the toilet after hours of puking up. It´s bound to happen in any 3rd world country.



Playing spanish pictionary. I had to have my dictionary by my side. Our team still won!



Watching Mexico play sports. Even the kids have better footwork than anything I´ve seen in the states.



Pijamadas- everyone brings their hammock and camp out in the house like cocoons.



Lime or chili on EVERYTHING



Watching the Lost Boys "break and enter".



Going to a church in a house crowded with Mexico.



Seeing how it was possible to cram 15 people in a car the size of a bug.



Hanging clothes out to dry.



Running the baseball field.



Getting acquainted with scorpions.

More to come...

Party with the Lost Boys

It´s my last day here in this neighborhood before I'm on to the next colony. I´ve been telling the boys about a party a goodbye party i want to have on Saturday.. I don´t remember how many kids i told, because they keep multiplying everyday.. They all konw my name but there are new faces I don´t recognize. It´s weird.

They´ve been asking me what´s on the agenda all week. "Es una sorpresa pero no hay piñata o pastel" We didn´t have money to buy a piñata or cake.

There is a rumbling outside my door. Some have gathered early. "Where are the rest?" Apparently, they are getting ready. Antoni, the 6year old with cancer, has an extra glob of gel in his hair. He´s looking sharp..I tell them to get the others and we´ll start early.. They explode on their bikes and run in all directions telling the others not to take baths first but to come. I love it.

We started the party with the three legged race. It didn´t really work because the culture here is so backwards in thinking that everyone is on their own, there is no such thing as team or working together. They don´t follow rules or directions at all. Chaos. Every single one of them cheated. They carried one another or hopped thru it. I have pictures of boys clinging to the others leg as he carries them. I guess they just decided who was bigger and they would drag the other. One kid ended up getting dragged pretty bad.. The other wouldn´t really stop until he himself tripped over. It´s so hott and their feet are getting burned. What a mess!
We sat them down and gave them fruit freeze popsicles in the shade and Diego talked about how there is a manual for TVs and Cell phones and all sorts of things and there is also a manual for life. He talked about the Bible and gave them the verse 2 Timothy 2:5 "Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor´s crown unless he competes according to the rules." They seemed pretty attentive.

We went on for a scavenger hunt which I thought would buy me 20 minutes time but it took less than 5. And once again, teams were scattered and everyone was out on their own.

At this point, the neighbors were gathering because of all the noise.

Last thing we had was a waterballoon toss. I had them line up in 2 lines and find a partner, but it was impossibly to get them to follow simple instructions. They don´t know how to play with another. Well, it didn´t take long before all 75 balloons were being pelted across the neighborhood.. Rose and I ran for the house and they followed us, screaming all the way. We need a doctor. Saulo got cut and is bleeding. I had no idea how you can bleed from water balloons except til I found out that Niavi was breaking balloons with a piece of glass. (She recently burned an "N" on her hand. She´s maybe 12.) Rose and Saulo got inside and slammed the door, while I was on the outside with the savages who were trying to bust the door down. Chaos. I felt like Lot for a second when the people were outside his door trying to get inside. But i was laughing.

We gave them these New Testament Bibles which are super cool because they have famous professional athletes and their stories scattered thruout the pages of the Bilbles. Everyone really liked it. Also, we passed out bags of chili covered candy. Everything in Mexico is covered with chili... Fruit, vegetables, yogurt, cereal, shampoo.. ok, i´m exaggerating a bit. But it´s for real here. Anyway, I promised them the biggest, baddest game of soccer going down hott tonight at 8 in the pm. They´re beyond stoked.

Some of them gave me goodbye notes and told me I was their best friend and they all kissed me on the cheek before it was over left. Another girl drew me a picture with a strawberry smelling crayon. The party was exactly one hour.. It felt like 4.

Rose and I had a debriefing period immediately after we locked the doors. It´s over. Wow. We were just discussing in Bible Study on Wednesday how God gave us the 10 Commandments for our protection and freedom and how we enjoy life when we live by the rules. And i just wished these kids could see how much MORE fun they would have if they had played by the rules or worked within the team. How much more we all could have when we listen. ¡Que Dia!

ok...I´m going to bed.

Adventures with the Lost Boys..

Ok, so we´ve all seen the movie Hook, right?

Well, I have a group of kids here that are my lost boys.. Ages 2 to 18, there´s about 12 of them and the numbers grow daily. They call me everyday after they get out of school and call out "JOTA!! JOTA!" (A.J. here is pronounced, "Ah- hota) and ask me, "¿quieres jugar futbal?" We end up playing soccer til about midnight. They never sleep.
So the other day, Rose and Diego had left for the day and I went out to hang with the boys. They tell me that the Virgin is "muy intelligente" and they are so saturated with Catholicism..
Pepo asks me a million times to tell them the story of how i killed Lissandro. They think it´s soo funny.
Anyway, so there i was, goign to play game with the boys and i wasn´t really feeling it because i was hungry, tired, and it was a bit chilly outside. I ran back to the house to grab a sweater and realized that I was locked out. The keys were on the table. It could be hours before Rose and Diego return.
So all the boys gathered together, jumped the roof adn were trying to help me figure a way in.
One girl took a knife to my door and took the handle off, but the way these doors are built in Mexico, it´s like a jailcell.. You ain´t gettin´in.
They rallied some of the other neighbors who tried to bust use other objects to leverage the door. Finally, the girl with the knife brought me a teddy bear for comfort and another kid brought me his moms jacket. I love them all.
All the sudden, I hear a cry in my backyard.. I´m in the front and looking thru the window, I can see what´s happening.. Some of the boys have ripped the window screen and are sending Antoni, the boy with cancer, thru the horizontal bars to the window.. All i can see are legs coming thru the side of the house. He starts to whimper a bit because his head doesn´t fit.. He´s stuck..
What is going on! I was totally fine with waiting and now, i got a band of brothers breaking in teh house and a kid that´s got his head stuck in the window! What a mess!
they got him out and tried to send another kid thru, Antoni´s little brother who was scared out of his mind.. If they did get him thru, he would just end up crying. Not a good idea.
In the meantime, upon Antoni´s safe return to the front of the house, I taught him how to tie his shoes, and some of the other kids, i taught how to step. It was fun. I asked the 2 year old what his favorite color was, adn with all of his motor skills, he turned to me and flicked me off. And Beto, the fat kid, trips while playing soccer and Pepo jumps on him and humps him. They are a mess and I love them so much. They made me french fries and gave me cake. Another kid gave me a plastic Virgin doll thing. They take such great care of me! I love them so much. Please pray for the lost boys.

Roadies and Scorpions

The girls went on a little afternoon retreat to Izamal, "the Yellow CIty". It was pretty rad.. In the AM, we stayed under a straw hut, did devos in español, (which i still struggled to get thru but I think I understood the basics) and sang worship songs.. and how cool was it that we talked about how Jesus paid it all.. We wrote down our own struggles with sin and taped ém to the cross.. And wow, I think i needed to hear it all over again. ¡The gospel brings such life!
We stayed at this womans house who must have been 100 years old. She had a one room house with a hammock and a severely retarded girl about my age staying with her. All she had in her house was a jug of water which she offered to me. It´s hard to take it in sometimes how little these people have and yet they are soo generous.
After the devos, we scampered of to see the cathedral. The whole town is a bright yellow and is just incredible. The cathedral was gorgeous. Except this one room which freaked me the heck out. Rose had told me that in this room was the "Virgin of Cameron" , this life size doll behind a glass wall.. People here believe she´s for real and give her baths and change her clothes and offer her prayers of thier loved ones. I walked in her "room" and just got wicked-creeped out. "Idolos" my friends from church say and Mexico is covered with them. Even the houses have little shrines with christmas lights and candles surrounding.. It´s freaky.
Anyway, i´m back now, to the fullest. In other news, I have a plague of mosquitos in my room. I prettymuch wake up with the pox every morning. Oh and i have a skink that crows like a lost boy in my room and last night, I found the little brother of Carmito (the giant scorpion i found on day one), he was so cute.. I named him Lissandro and took him outside to have a "chat". Killed him with a broomstick.. and today, we put acid in the bathroom to kill the mildew, mold, roaches, worms and ants that swarm the bathroom daily. Wait, should i be telling you this stuff??? Uh, welcome to Mexico...

Puking with a Purpose and a Fiesta Sorpresa!

So there i was, puking my existence up on an empty stomache from 9am til 3:30 the next morning. I was working overtime... I don´t think i´ve ever prayed for the rapture in my life, but wow, that was rediculous. I think i clocked in at about 16x and spent some time laying on the bathroom floor. ( I mean, " da flo´). I am in the Almighty Hands of God.

It hurt to move and hardly ate for the next four days.. Doing better now.. God did his thing thru it though, spoke about prayer and faith and answered a prayer for me to hear from someone I had been praying for..God does what He wants..



So i was getting ready for bed this one night, and then all the sudden a bunch of Mexicans bust thru the door with decorations and a piñata.. It´s a Fiesta Sorpresa for Rose, it being her birthday. I think Diego told everyone while i was puking my guts out so i missed the memo..Anyway, Mexicans party like there´s no tomorrow.. She got there and BAM! Everyone is in song and dance.. These dudes busted out a guitar and violin and were playing love songs.

A white dude, Jim Rumelhart from Athelets in Action, a division of Campus Crusade for Christ came to visit for the day to set up a conference in June. He ended up coming to Rose´s shindig and since I was the only gringa, we became friends. Turns out, the dude knows Dr. Russel who worked in the Sports MEdicine/Rehab for ballerinas at Belhaven.. Dr. Russel was my boss.. HOw freakin´cool is that? Small world..

Anyway, they started to chant my name to break open the piñata.. So i´m gonna tear into it like i´m getting paid for it.. And oh, the glory... WHen i finished, the violinist called me "Million Dollar Baby" and when Jim went for the gold, they chanted "Rocky, Rocky!!" I couldn´t stop laughing.. The night was INSANE!!!! These pèople have such a rich culture and are extremely close.. I love it.