muchas cosas
Well, it's been pretty busy around here lately, and so I found a few minutes to hop on the internet and tell people what's been going on for the past few days.Friday night Stephanie and I spent the night at the Pastor's family's house. We actually ended up watching a really ridiculous movie with Johnny Knoxville. Most of the family was at a church thing at another church, and so Arely thought we'd be entertained by this movie. The movie was dubbed into Spanish, and so she put on the closed captioning (smart girl), and we watched this horrible Johnny Knoxville movie. I lost that hour of my life forever. Later we just ate some food and went to bed.
The next morning we took Lety (the mom), Arely and Aby (sisters), and Alma (friend), to the Globos in San Quentin. Stephanie and I both really want Mexican futbol/soccer jerseys. Stephanie found one she liked, but I didn't. We dropped the girls off later at their house.
We saw a lot of signs that day for the Mexico/Argentina World Cup game that was happening at 11:30. Stephanie and I both went home to do laundry and clean a little. We don't have a television that gets any reception, so we went over to Tico's for the last of the game, and a pizza. The workers were watching the game, as well as another table of four. Stephanie said it reminded her of Cool Runnings when everyone is in the restaurant in Jamaica watching the Olympics. Well, there were only about 10 of us in the restaurant, but the reactions and discussion between the workers and the patrons was fun to listen to. Unfortunately Mexico lost to Argentina, and Mexico's out (as is the USA, if you weren't following). Maybe the jerseys will be on sale now? One can only hope. At least now I know how to say that Mexico lost, in Spanish, so when someone tries to rip me off at the border I can say ¨pero, Mexico perdio, yo creo menos dinero¨(but Mexico lost, I think less money).
Sunday we just hung around in the morning. We had planned to go to the rodeo that Pastor´s family had told us about. Stephanie and I were terribly excited because we've always wanted to go to a Mexican rodeo. It was supposed to start at 2, cost 2 dollars, and was very close to town. Only the girls (Arely, Aby, and Alma) could go with us, so we told them we would pay for their entry fee. I told them, though, that I thought my parents' group was coming about 4 or 4:30 so we could only stay for a couple of hours, then we needed to leave.
Well, after finding the rodeo at 2:15 (which means driving on a bunch of backroads, and asking two neighborhood people), there were no people there. The lady at the front said it was 5 dollars for Aby, Stephanie, and I, and free for the younger girls, but that the rodeo didn't start at 3. Of course not, because nothing is as it is advertised here. We sat in the car and considered, and realized that because it was also IN Mexico, the rodeo REALLY wouldn't start till probably 3:30, and we didn't feel like paying 15 dollars for a half an hour of who knows what. Probably the National Anthem. So we left. Instead we went to the Mikazza Cafe and got frappucinos, and hung out with Sarai (other sister) because she works right next door. My parents rolled into town about 3:15. For that whole incident, see the entry below.
And now my parents are here, and their group, and it's been busy, busy, busy. They are leaders of their group, and also trying to get a bearing on a new environment. It is also so nice to see all these people I know, even though some of them are people from my parents' church that I don't know all that well. But, I do know some of these people VERY well, including some good friends, and my cousin's wife and their kids are here as well.
We all went out to eat at a nice restaurant Sunday night. Monday was a semi normal day, and we had a new group come in, a group that is helping with a very large VBS they daycare is running this week. They were planning on 100 kids, but Tuesday, the first day, they had 130! That's a lot of kids! This other group came specifically to help out with the VBS. They are doing a great job, and so it leaves me with not much to do officially, but I find myself doing lots of other things. Some of that includes talking to my mom about the facilities here, plans for groups, and situating her new house. It feels awfully weird to be showing my mom where to get paper towels, and telling her about how the traffic light in works! It's amazing to sit and realize how much I know about this town and our place here. I take for granted all of the information I have stored in my brain.
Marcus and Erin showed up Monday afternoon, and so there are MORE people that I know. We played Clue in our front living room Monday night, and it felt so weird to be in Mexico, playing Mexico in our living room (which we never use), and being up late at night. I thought about going to bed at a little after 10, but I started wandering around and found that our teachers, Brigi, Leo, and Geno, were still preparing for the next day, and I drove them home about 11:30. It was not fun getting up at 6 (because it was my shower day!).
Like I said before, the other group that is staying here is helping with the VBS, and they take a lot of their vans to pick up kids in the morning and bring them to the center. My dad is also supposed to use his van to pick up kids and take them home. There was some miscommunication today and because my dad was still out, and we were taking kids home earlier than my dad thought, I had to hop in my dad's van and follow Abel to drop off kids.
So this is a picture you can get in your mind: I'm driving a late 80s 12 passenger Dodge or Chrysler or whatever it is van. I put on the O Brother Where Art Thou? soundtrack, and I have 20-25 little ninos bouncing around in the back. Now, I don't know about you, but that's just weird. After passing the hospital, and getting onto the VERY bumpy roads up by these kids' houses, it was sort of surreal to realize what was happening. Bumpy roads, Mexico, 20-25 kids in this 12 passenger van, and singing ¨O sinner, let's go down.. let's go down, won't you come on down. O sinner let's go down, down to the river to pray¨.
So, there are lots of things going on. It so warm and comforting to have my parents here, partly because Mom is doing such a great job at setting up her new home, and everything is from MY home! There are cups and bowls that we've had since forever, and everything I recognize from their house.
And this is how great my mom is: She brought me a John Steinbeck book of short stories, Mt. Dew, and cheddar cheese. And not just any cheddar cheese, but TILLAMOOK, and that is a great mother.
posted by Meghan @ 5:15 PM
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