I know it has been awhile since I have blogged so I am going to try and catch you all up on just a few things that have happened over the past 2 weeks! The best way for me to do is through... FIESTAS! It isn't Mexico without a good party!
Well the first party I will talk about isn't one that I actually attended. This party was across the street... now I must warn anyone that wants to visit or move to Mexico that if you are a light sleeper than you should invest in some earplugs because the noises of Mexico are diverse and loud. The party across the street I could actually feel the bass as I laid in mi cama. They were partying and partying until about 2 in the morning. Thankfully I don't have a problem with noises and could sleep through it. Some other fun noises that you might here are the gallos!! For anyone that is curious I want to make you aware that it is a myth that roosters crow only to wake you up when the sunrises. Oh no... roosters crow all of the time! And I am not quite sure if our neighbors roosters are cock-a-doodle-doing or choking on something! I thought for awhile there that Katrina was going to sneak over to the neighbors and kill the thing... but we've gotten used to it. Another sound of Mexico is the vendedores or salesmen. These men are like ice cream trucks on steroids! They go around yelling, "Empanadas, Donuts, Veinte Pesos, Veinte Pesos..." or something of the like!! And then there are the circus cars that have been traveling around since we have been here, yelling "Ultimo Dia, Ultimo Dia"! I never knew that you could have a final day for a circus for 4 weeks!! The final sound of Mexico is the dogs. There are dogs everywhere and they love to bark to make sure you know that they are around. Many people have a dog as a pet but it normally doesn't go in the house, instead it lives on the street. The dog of Pedro (owner of the Mechanic shop near by) likes to follow us where ever we go, we think he is either hungry or has a thing for Gringas (girls from the US).
The next party in Mexico was the 4th of July. Well I guess it was a party only for us from the United States. Carmello, Zach, Katrina, Kay, Steve, and myself all stayed up on the 3rd and played a card game called "Dork". This game has become a staple when we all get together. It is a fun way to relax and just enjoy the company of one another. I think one of the biggest blessings of this trip has been Kay. She is such a great woman of the Lord and does such a great job as the team leader for the Mexico team (all the CMF missionaries around the City of Mexico). Katrina and I love talking with her and hearing her opinions and stories about her life, the good times and the hard times. We always end up laughing hard together. I think it is important to have good Christian women in my life to look up to and I hope one day to be able to be that for other girls. On the 4th, we played more games and had hamburgers, baked beans, chips, and apple pie with ice cream. Kay put little American flags in our cupcakes and we made a toast (well Zach attempted to make a speech but we all ended up laughing instead). Later that evening, we went to the nicest theater I have ever been to in my life. Imagine sitting in your favorite recliner at home while watching a movie on a big screen with surround sound and then randomly a person delivers you the food of your choice to satisfy your craving. This is literally what it was like at this theater. We sat in nice recliners that reclined almost completely back and then we could order smoothies, dinner, coffee, popcorn, or other types of snacks or desserts. Then once you ordered they actually brought the food to you while you were relaxing and watching the movie. It was crazy and something definitely different from the atmosphere in Las Aguilas. We watched Transformers which definitely wasn't my favorite but the experience was extraordinary!
The third party that we had was for Alvaro! He had completed his final year of Primeria which in the US is like Elementary school with 6 grades instead of 5. This was actually the second time we were able to go to his house. His family has been so sweet to Katrina and I; although they really don't have much in the eyes of many, they are so hospitable. This time she fed us chicken with a sweet mole and white rice which we ate with or without tortillas! It was definitely delicious. Afterwards we all at a pastel de leche (a cake made from a milk) with different types of fruits and then some sort of chocolate/rice drink! It was fun to be able to celebrate this special event with Alvaro, his friends, and family. I felt kind of special because he could only invite four friends over (which ended up being five) and Joy, Katrina, and I were three of them. We got to experience two fun things about cake while we were at his house. The first is a song that Leo, the nephew of Alvaro, taught us. It solely consists of the words, "Quiero pastel, pastel, pastel... Quiero pastel, pastel, pastel.... etc...." I decided to add the words ahora, ahora to it, but I doubt it will stick!!! The other tradition is when you have a cake to celebrate something, the person who is being celebrated is supposed to take a bite from the cake which always ends with their face getting pushed into it. It was no different this time. Alvaro soon had a barba de crema!! (icing beard)
The final party was to celebrate the birthdays of all of the jovenes with a birthday in July. Joy planned different games and then all of the jovenes brought different types of food. I thought it was so cool that the youth had their own little potluck because in the states it would be let's order pizza and soda but here the students took responsibility and all chipped in. Now Katrina and I wanted to contribute as well so we decided to make the cake, cupcakes, and a new Mexican dish we learned from Kay that is very simple. We had one of the jovenes, Pamela, come over and help us make the cakes. Now making food here is a bit different than in the states and I can explain this in two words.... gas oven. You can't just flip a switch here or push a button, oh no! The matches have to come out and you have to get up close and personal with the oven. Now the first time Joy helped us and we ended up throwing a burning piece of paper on the floor and Katrina doused it with a bowl of water. Unfortunately, the second go around, Joy wasn't here and Katrina and I were left to fend for ourselves. Well, Katrina kept trying to light a match but they all kept breaking so I decided to try. Well let me tell you something about myself, I am slightly afraid of matches. So I nervously put my finger on the match and slid it gracefully along the side of the matchbox and miraculously it lights, we have fire! And it seems as though we have a victory and can begin cooking again but the thing is just lighting a match doesn't start the oven. Before I could light the paper (which we were using to light the oven), I got scared and threw the match on the ground. And back to square one we went. Well we ended up running out of matches and had to borrow a lighter from the neighbor! It was just the beginning of an eventful afternoon. Because when it was time to transport the food, it began to downpour. So I proceeded to wear our very large umbrella like a hat so I could hold the cake with two hands as I walked through the pouring rain to the church. I hope you could picture that in your head because I am sure I was an interesting sight! Well the time came for the party and Joy decided we would all hide from Alvaro, Adrian, and Nallely, and then jump out and say Feliz Cumpleanos. Well the hiding part worked out well but for some reason the jumping out and yelling "Feliz Cumpleanos" fell through and we all just ended up standing awkwardly in the dark. Katrina and I have definitely laughed at that for a couple days now!
Fiestas in Mexico have definitely created some incredible memories for me here in Mexico. I have loved everyone of these events and the memories of them will definitely stay with me for a long time! Fiestas in Mexico (at least church fiestas) are all about the people and just enjoying the company of those around you! I have been so blessed by God to be filled with so much joy and laughter from the people of Mexico as well as my team! It has been such a great couple weeks and these few parties are only a little of what has happened!
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