My first days in Mexico

Today is day four in Mexico, and it certainly has been a wonderful adventure thus far to say the least. You can all have peace that God is present and taking good care of me. God has blessed me with an amazing Christian family that I have already grown to love. My host parents are Maria and Roberto, they have shown me nothing but kindess and hospitality from the very start. I also have three host brothers, Evon, Abram, and Roberto. Although I have not gotten to them very well yet I look forward to doing so. They have also been very welcoming. Their house is located about 8 minutes away from the school. It is beautiful 3 story Mexican style house, Maria explained to me the other night that it is a grand blessing from God that they own such a nice house. I have my own bedroom and bathroom on the third floor that has a breathtaking view of Cuernavaca. Throughout the day I am often reminded of God´s beauty by simply walking onto my balcony.

Anyway, let me back up a little and share the happenings of my first days in Cuernavaca. Violet and I arrived safe and sound in Mexico City at about 3:30 Friday afternoon. God gave us much peace during the flight and we really only started to get a little nervous after we landed and were trying to find our way through the airport. Even so, we did just fine and found Rafael, our driver, without any difficulty. I first felt major butterflies in my stomach when we arrived at my house first and it was time for Violet and I to separate from the comfort of each other´s presence. My host mom met me at the outside door and right away ushered me inside where I was greeted by the family puppy, Yaki (she is the cutest little thing with a lot of spirit). Before we even reached the inner door Maria asked me if I was hungry :) And much to her pleasure I was. I had a nice dinner and talked a bit with Maria, but after awhile she wanted to leave me in peace to eat as she says it. After that I went upstairs to a guest bedroom where I was staying for the night to arrange my things (they still had another student at the time that was in what would be my room but she left the next morning). Two of my host brothers, Abram and Roberto, brought my suitcases upstairs and said hello. Later I talked with the other student for awhile about her time with the family and her experience in Mexico. Soon after that I went to bed fairly early because I was so exhausted from the events of the day.

Saturday morning Violet and I had some initial tests and orientation. We also got a breif tour of el centro (the city center) from our school director, Ramiro. El centro was very fascinating to me, it is an area filled with shops, restaurants, cafes, historical buildings, and street vendors. I am excited to explore it further in the future. Awhile later some youth from my family´s church met at the house for Bible study. Violet and I attended the Bible study for spiritual nourishment and also to meet some youth from the area. After that Violet and I spent some time in my room talking about our time in Mexico to that point and how we were feeling about everything.

Sunday morning the youth from the Bible study picked Violet, Abram, and I up from my house for church. We went to a church called El Centro Cristiano (The Christian Center) which is the church home of my host family. It lasted about two hours which is fairly normal for mexican church services. I really enjoyed worship, but had trouble understanding the pastor´s sermon. After the service Violet and I talked with one of the youth named David. We talked about the difficulty of fully learning a language (how to comprehend and speak it) without having practice with native speakers. It was an encouraging and comforting conversation to have at that point because I was becoming slightly frustrated with my abilities. Then after lunch with my host mom I visted Violet´s house and met her host mom and grandma and saw her little apartment in the upstairs. Later on we also went back to el centro in order to find a bank with minimal charges, but it was hot and crowded and I wasn´t quite in the mood for it so we went back to my house to talk a bit. Later that evening when there was yet another thunder and lightening storm (this is typical weather in the evenings) I went downstairs and watched television with Abram and also got the chance to talk with him a bit which was nice.

Yesterday was my first day of school and it went really well. Violet and I have two hours of language in the morning with one professor and two hours of history in the early afternoon with another professor with a half an hour break in between. It is a new experience to learn all the material in spanish, but so far it has been enjoyable. Our school day goes from 9am - 1pm, and sometimes we will have activities (small field trips or educational movies) around 4 in the afternoon. After classes and lunch at our houses Violet and I went tanning by the poolside and also took advantage of the free internet offered by the school. In the evening I went with Violet, her host mom, and her host sister to an aerobics class. I don´t think I have ever sweat so much in my life. It was pretty intense, but I am thinking a good habit to pick up with all the amazing food my host mom makes.

Anyway, I know this is a lot of information to take in all at once but I wanted to share the details of my first days. In the future I will most likely be more sparing with the day to day accounts. Today is my second day of classes, around 4 we are visiting the Palace of Cortez. It is fairly close by in el centro. Other than that I hope to spend some time at home with my family although I will probably go the aerobics class again in the evening.

Well, that's all for me now :) I'll try to post some pictures soon!

Soon to embark on my very own adventure :)

My mind is being pulled in so many different directions now that it can't even stop to settle on one. I'm still trying to process the fact that I am leaving for Mexico tomorrow morning....This past week has been one of many goodbyes, but I have felt that each one has been said in peace. I know God is leading me to a new place now, and I trust that He will maintain and nurture my relationships while I am away. I am extremely excited to embark on this adventure that He has prepared for me. I am so eager to continue to grow in my faith and embrace the change God wants to work in my life through this experience. I know that along with the beautiful blessings in store some hard times lie ahead, but I also know that my Savior is faithful in upholding His children and that He has purpose in every situation.

Thank you all for the blessing you are in my life. I am so encouraged by your prayers and love.