Ow, that hurt like crap! Not 5 minutes ago I was sitting peacefully in my own personal space at dinner, trying to eat beans that were way to spicy for me through my shaggy moustache, sweat beading up on my forehead and my nose starting to run, when Angel, a 12 year old Mexican boy, leaned over, into MY bubble, and plucked one of my moustache hairs out with his fingers. As he held it triumphantly between his fingers and showed it to his peers around him as if it were a trophy, i couldn't help but let a tear gather in the lower corner of my eye. Mostly the tear was a result of my mouth being on fire and a piece of my upper lip missing. And through my single tear, i could see a small piece of skin still clinging to the lone hair Angel had heroically taken from me. They all laughed. I tried not to cry or explode. And as you can deduce by the fact that i am writing this now, i did not explode. But i am growing a moustache, and so is Kyle. Mines been going for a solid 3 months while he got a late start and is running on 2 months. The kids at Casa Hogar don't like our moustaches even though it seems that every Mexican man over the age of 30 has one. They are constantly telling us we should shave and we say no but i guess today Angel thought he would start the process early for me.
On that note, we are now in our 12th week at Casa Hogar, which is just crazy. It would seem at this point that we'd have a pretty good grip on the realities of Casa Hogar but we are still amazed daily by what we don't know because of our inefficiecies with Spanish. When we arrived here, we figured an orphanage in Mexico would mean we'd be roughin it a bit. I mean, we have electricity and ovens and 2 tvs but we still have to wash our clothes by hand and theres no air conditioning and the showers are freezing and there's goats and all that good stuff. So 4 or 5 weeks in when we discovered the multiple washers and dryers here at Casa Hogar that they use for sheets and blankets, we still figured ourselves to be living a bit below our normal standards. It was a surprise and of great help for my jeans to find a washing machine because when i am expected to wash clothes by hand it just doesn't happen that frequently. But I'd say the biggest surprise happened a week ago. The weather had been getting perpetually colder, especially at night. Don't get me wrong, its still hot as butt during the day, but at night it gets cold and the cold showers we'd been taking had been getting colder and colder. It was to the point that we would run and do push ups every night to work up some type of body heat before jumping under the slow drizzle of icy water to scrub down our grubby bodies in less than 60 seconds. Then on wednesday we were off-handedly complaining about the showers to Fernanda (16 year old daughter of Mamma nad Pappa). She informed us that they have hot water here at Casa Hogar. Our mouths hung open a bit. She says in the niños bathroom they take hot showers everyday. To quote her (translated to English of course) "I don't even take showers if there's no hot water." That was the kicker. Needless to say, that night we took 20 minute showers in steaming hot water. A hot shower is like the love of a woman. We then bought 4 packs of cookies and took 2 liters of milk from the kitchen, found the dvd of the lion king, put on our pjs and snuggled up all cozy like on the couch in the play room after eveyone else was asleep and had ourselves an evening to remember.
So yes, after nearly 3 months here, life is good and getting better. We've been able to travel around a bit and see other states. Last weekend was one long misadventure to the beach, but some stories are better left for around campfires than through cyberspace. Yesterday was Thanksgiving and it was really fun. For thanksgiving, Mexicans usually find the youngest goat or calf they have, sometimes only days old, and have their youngest child be the one to actually kill it. This usually takes place on a raised alter in the backyard made of animal bones dedicated to the patron saint of Santalajuaranina. The point is to celebrate renewal and vitality in the presence of youth. They also use the blood of the goat as gravy for the turkey. Its pretty good if it's not to coagulated. If anyone still believes me at this point, just know that Thanksgiving is a striclty American holiday and they do none of these things in Mexico. At Casa Hogar, they didn't really know what it was. So we went to the house of these Texans we had met a couple of months earlier. They live in the capital city of Tamaulipas, Victoria, and we had 24 hours of American thanksgiving paradise. Madden 2009 and football in the yard and deliscous food. The only bad part is that they were all Dallas fans and Dallas won and that was kind of annoying but i got over it after 6 pieces of pie. Literally 6 pieces. I didn't sleep well. But they were really kind to us and let us hang out with their family and all so i forgave them for liking TO.
Anyways, that's a brief update on our life. Everything that has happened inbetween the above events involves playing and working with the kids and its a lot of fun most of the time and it's gonna be really sad to leave here in a little more than a month but so it goes. In the meantime, we shall be trying to enjoy every last moment we get with them.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Phinally!!
Dedicated to my father and my father's father. Thank you both for your love of the Phils.
So I don't know how many of you are following the sports world these days, but if you haven't been, I'm excited to tell you that last night, the Philadelphia Phillies won the World Series for the first time in 28 years! I know many of you could probably care less about baseball and/or the Phillies (and I could name a few of you right now) and I'm cool with that, but this is a big deal for me, okay?
I've grown up a Philadelphia sports fan all my life. It's its own culture. The people. The smells. Veterans Stadium. Cheesesteak. Broad Street. 610 WIP sports radio. Booing Santa Claus. Throwing batteries. Eye of the Tiger. The 700 level. The Crazies. Chickie and Pete's...
Unless you are a Philadelphia fan, it's impossible for me to describe to you what all these experiences are like, especially from Mexico. But what I can tell you, is that the city and its fans are passionate about its sports and passionate about winning. We'll rally around anything and everything in the City if we think it's got a chance. But before last night, the last time the city of Philadelphia crowned a champion was 25 years ago in 1983. This however, was before I was born, so I had never experienced a great moment in Philadelphia sports. The Eagles, close. The Sixers, haha. The Flyers, heck no. St. Joes, made a good run. Villanova, never had a chance. Smarty Jones (this is a horse by the way)...2 outta 3 ain't bad, just not quite enough. You get my point.
Anyway, baseball was my first love and the Phillies were my team. I began playing when I was 3 years old and like many other little boys who played baseball, I wanted to be a pro baseball player when I grew up. Ever seen the movie The Sandlot? That was me. Baseball was life. In 1993, the Philadelphia Phillies were good. They made the World Series. I was 7 years old.
It's funny what you remember from when you were 7 years old. I don't remember much. I don't remember what gifts I got for Christmas. I don't remember what I got for my birthday. I don't remember who my friends were in school. I don't remember my favorite toy and I don't remember family vacation. I pretty much don't remember anything.
But what I do remember is the '93 Phillies. I can name the entire starting lineup. Dykstra, Daulton and Kruk, these guys were all my heroes. It was a magical season and yet, it ended with disappointment. I remember who I was with, exactly where I was sitting and the atmosphere in my grandparent's living room after Joe Carter, of the Toronto Blue Jays, hit the game 6 winning, World Series winning, homerun. I cried.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I found it quite ironic that the next time the Phillies should make the World Series, 15 years later, I was stuck in Mexico, in a country that could really care less about my Philadelphia Phillies, let alone "beisbol".
However, with the Phillies up 3 games to 1 in the Series, I knew game 5 was something I didn't want to miss. In fact, this realization came to me in the middle of class on Monday. I ran back to Casa Hogar after class and told Ben the urgent news: I had to watch the Phillies. Asking around to see if any restaurants in Mante might carry the game , it was finally decided that this would be too much of a hassle. Instead, Ben and I were invited to travel with Alma, a teacher I work with in the school, to her house to watch game 5. So, for the first time in our 7 weeks here, Ben and I took the bus and a taxi to her house. It was sweet. Upon arrival, we were showered with good ol' hospitality (something we are learning to love), ate popcorn, drank Coke, walked down her lovely little street, purchased some corn on the cob (smothered in parmesean cheese I might add) and watched the first half of game 5 entirely in Spanish. It was a really fun evening. Ben got a little antsy towards the middle of the game, so he left with Alma's nephew, Alejandro, and the two of them went off and watched some Catholic dancing festival out in the street. Only in Mexico.
Rains fell in Philly and delayed the Series until yesterday, when Ben and I again took the opportunity to travel to Mante and watch the rest of game 5. This time, we took different rides into town and rendevoused at Laura's house. Now Laura is another teacher I work with in the school. She lives with her husband, her mother and all four of her children, one of which is married and has two kids. Their house is busy, yet filled with so much history and love. Before the game started, Ben and I had some extra time to kill, so we walked around Mante for a couple hours (we're really beginning to feel like locals) and did some general exploration. We ran into people we know and we talked with people we didn't know. It was fun. And once again, upon returning to Laura's house, we were lavished with hospitality and fed extremely well, as we sat there, in this quaint, warm Mexican home, with people we hardly know, watching the Phillies win the 2008 World Series.
Two pretty stinkin' sweet evenings.
As I've gotten older I've realized that sports certainly aren't everything, they just aren't. But one thing I really appreciate about them, is the incredible force they have in bringing people together. Even for some Mexicans and a couple gringos.
Thank you Phillies.
So I don't know how many of you are following the sports world these days, but if you haven't been, I'm excited to tell you that last night, the Philadelphia Phillies won the World Series for the first time in 28 years! I know many of you could probably care less about baseball and/or the Phillies (and I could name a few of you right now) and I'm cool with that, but this is a big deal for me, okay?
I've grown up a Philadelphia sports fan all my life. It's its own culture. The people. The smells. Veterans Stadium. Cheesesteak. Broad Street. 610 WIP sports radio. Booing Santa Claus. Throwing batteries. Eye of the Tiger. The 700 level. The Crazies. Chickie and Pete's...
Unless you are a Philadelphia fan, it's impossible for me to describe to you what all these experiences are like, especially from Mexico. But what I can tell you, is that the city and its fans are passionate about its sports and passionate about winning. We'll rally around anything and everything in the City if we think it's got a chance. But before last night, the last time the city of Philadelphia crowned a champion was 25 years ago in 1983. This however, was before I was born, so I had never experienced a great moment in Philadelphia sports. The Eagles, close. The Sixers, haha. The Flyers, heck no. St. Joes, made a good run. Villanova, never had a chance. Smarty Jones (this is a horse by the way)...2 outta 3 ain't bad, just not quite enough. You get my point.
Anyway, baseball was my first love and the Phillies were my team. I began playing when I was 3 years old and like many other little boys who played baseball, I wanted to be a pro baseball player when I grew up. Ever seen the movie The Sandlot? That was me. Baseball was life. In 1993, the Philadelphia Phillies were good. They made the World Series. I was 7 years old.
It's funny what you remember from when you were 7 years old. I don't remember much. I don't remember what gifts I got for Christmas. I don't remember what I got for my birthday. I don't remember who my friends were in school. I don't remember my favorite toy and I don't remember family vacation. I pretty much don't remember anything.
But what I do remember is the '93 Phillies. I can name the entire starting lineup. Dykstra, Daulton and Kruk, these guys were all my heroes. It was a magical season and yet, it ended with disappointment. I remember who I was with, exactly where I was sitting and the atmosphere in my grandparent's living room after Joe Carter, of the Toronto Blue Jays, hit the game 6 winning, World Series winning, homerun. I cried.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I found it quite ironic that the next time the Phillies should make the World Series, 15 years later, I was stuck in Mexico, in a country that could really care less about my Philadelphia Phillies, let alone "beisbol".
However, with the Phillies up 3 games to 1 in the Series, I knew game 5 was something I didn't want to miss. In fact, this realization came to me in the middle of class on Monday. I ran back to Casa Hogar after class and told Ben the urgent news: I had to watch the Phillies. Asking around to see if any restaurants in Mante might carry the game , it was finally decided that this would be too much of a hassle. Instead, Ben and I were invited to travel with Alma, a teacher I work with in the school, to her house to watch game 5. So, for the first time in our 7 weeks here, Ben and I took the bus and a taxi to her house. It was sweet. Upon arrival, we were showered with good ol' hospitality (something we are learning to love), ate popcorn, drank Coke, walked down her lovely little street, purchased some corn on the cob (smothered in parmesean cheese I might add) and watched the first half of game 5 entirely in Spanish. It was a really fun evening. Ben got a little antsy towards the middle of the game, so he left with Alma's nephew, Alejandro, and the two of them went off and watched some Catholic dancing festival out in the street. Only in Mexico.
Rains fell in Philly and delayed the Series until yesterday, when Ben and I again took the opportunity to travel to Mante and watch the rest of game 5. This time, we took different rides into town and rendevoused at Laura's house. Now Laura is another teacher I work with in the school. She lives with her husband, her mother and all four of her children, one of which is married and has two kids. Their house is busy, yet filled with so much history and love. Before the game started, Ben and I had some extra time to kill, so we walked around Mante for a couple hours (we're really beginning to feel like locals) and did some general exploration. We ran into people we know and we talked with people we didn't know. It was fun. And once again, upon returning to Laura's house, we were lavished with hospitality and fed extremely well, as we sat there, in this quaint, warm Mexican home, with people we hardly know, watching the Phillies win the 2008 World Series.
Two pretty stinkin' sweet evenings.
As I've gotten older I've realized that sports certainly aren't everything, they just aren't. But one thing I really appreciate about them, is the incredible force they have in bringing people together. Even for some Mexicans and a couple gringos.
Thank you Phillies.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Little, Little, Little Ninos everywhere...
Don{t mind if I do...
* Current record for number of people we have fit into a standard, 15 passenger van: 30.
* Roosters. Boy, do I love roosters. But please, do not believe that ole, timeless myth that roosters only crow when the sun is rising. They definitely do, but they also crow whenever the heck they feel like it. 2 am. 6 o clock. Midnight. No importante.
* Either Ben or I, or both of us (which is most of the time), have ridden in the back of a truck to and from town (Mante) at least once a day. This never gets old...
* As Ben mentioned, we went to the movies. Actually, we{ve been to the movies three times already. Our favorite thus far, without a doubt, has been High School Musical El Desafio. Saturated with themes of love, courage and overcoming adversity in a difficult and diverse world, the movie truly was inspirational and life changing for both of us......actually, the film was entirely in Spanish and we did not understand a single thing that was going on.
* There is still poo everywhere around here
* Food. We{ve learned...through observation and careful participatory studies, that they love snacks. Our theory is that because the food served during the three meals of the day isn{t much, and lacks some variety, the older folks around here find ways to squeeze in a late night food run (kind of like going to Wendy}s) or whip up something in the kitch. Anyway, as experienced moochers, Ben and I linger and hover, and ask stupid, obvious questions, as to improve our chances of winning some of these dietary delights. So far, we have been very successful.
* In more serious news, we are learning a lot. At one point, we had been to like 8 church services in 16 days, including two 3 day long revivals. These were different to say the least. With loud preaching, lots of dancing, lots of speaking in tongues, lots of healing and altar calls...it really has been different and Ben and I have had some difficulties figuring out whether it is all legit or a little stretched. Something really cool that has come out of these experiences is that it has produced fruitful and quality time between the two of us for conversation. Davidsonians, think Purple State of Mind. We{ve had really sweet talks about everything from speaking in tongues, to life, to the Baptism of the Holy Spírit, relationships, to what God is trying to teach us through all this, and its good that we have each other to bounce ideas off of and try to resolve some things. More on some of this soon...
* I am teaching English and its sweet. 3 days a week, 3 classes a day.
* The leadership here is solid. Mama Yadira and Papa Fernando are awesome and its been sweet to watch them love on these kids, their family and each other.
* About the kids, these little ninos are one of reasons we are here. So far, its been cool for me see the way they dance and sing to Jesus and love Him and the way they love each other. They love life and its been lots of fun being involved in their lives...
* Last but not least, Ben and I{s week 3 power rankings for cutest little boy:
(1) Cesar
(2) Luis (Cesars older bro...gotta love genetics...just puttin my biology degree to good use)
(3) Luis (same name...but trust us, he{s cute)
Grace and Peace y{all and thanks for your prayers.
PS: we are going to slaughter a goat here on Saturday and eat it on Sunday.
* Current record for number of people we have fit into a standard, 15 passenger van: 30.
* Roosters. Boy, do I love roosters. But please, do not believe that ole, timeless myth that roosters only crow when the sun is rising. They definitely do, but they also crow whenever the heck they feel like it. 2 am. 6 o clock. Midnight. No importante.
* Either Ben or I, or both of us (which is most of the time), have ridden in the back of a truck to and from town (Mante) at least once a day. This never gets old...
* As Ben mentioned, we went to the movies. Actually, we{ve been to the movies three times already. Our favorite thus far, without a doubt, has been High School Musical El Desafio. Saturated with themes of love, courage and overcoming adversity in a difficult and diverse world, the movie truly was inspirational and life changing for both of us......actually, the film was entirely in Spanish and we did not understand a single thing that was going on.
* There is still poo everywhere around here
* Food. We{ve learned...through observation and careful participatory studies, that they love snacks. Our theory is that because the food served during the three meals of the day isn{t much, and lacks some variety, the older folks around here find ways to squeeze in a late night food run (kind of like going to Wendy}s) or whip up something in the kitch. Anyway, as experienced moochers, Ben and I linger and hover, and ask stupid, obvious questions, as to improve our chances of winning some of these dietary delights. So far, we have been very successful.
* In more serious news, we are learning a lot. At one point, we had been to like 8 church services in 16 days, including two 3 day long revivals. These were different to say the least. With loud preaching, lots of dancing, lots of speaking in tongues, lots of healing and altar calls...it really has been different and Ben and I have had some difficulties figuring out whether it is all legit or a little stretched. Something really cool that has come out of these experiences is that it has produced fruitful and quality time between the two of us for conversation. Davidsonians, think Purple State of Mind. We{ve had really sweet talks about everything from speaking in tongues, to life, to the Baptism of the Holy Spírit, relationships, to what God is trying to teach us through all this, and its good that we have each other to bounce ideas off of and try to resolve some things. More on some of this soon...
* I am teaching English and its sweet. 3 days a week, 3 classes a day.
* The leadership here is solid. Mama Yadira and Papa Fernando are awesome and its been sweet to watch them love on these kids, their family and each other.
* About the kids, these little ninos are one of reasons we are here. So far, its been cool for me see the way they dance and sing to Jesus and love Him and the way they love each other. They love life and its been lots of fun being involved in their lives...
* Last but not least, Ben and I{s week 3 power rankings for cutest little boy:
(1) Cesar
(2) Luis (Cesars older bro...gotta love genetics...just puttin my biology degree to good use)
(3) Luis (same name...but trust us, he{s cute)
Grace and Peace y{all and thanks for your prayers.
PS: we are going to slaughter a goat here on Saturday and eat it on Sunday.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
tacos and beans
Hola from Mexico hombres... Me and Kyle are communicating to you thru cyberspace before breakfast on a warm morning at Casa Hogar, an orphanage/half way house for kids between the ages of 5 and 22 in El Limon, Tamaulipas. I{d say after two weeks of the Mexican heat and food we{re finally settling in. This place is great, once you look past the piles of poo and smoldering trash, its easy to see that there{s a lot of love that trickles from the top down. By that I mean the Mamas and Papa who run this place care for the kids well and the kids seem to get it and care for each other well. I already have a favorite based purely on cuteness level. His name is Casear and he{s 6. I{m pretty sure he{s cute enough to get away with murder and the bad thing is he knows it.
One terrific thing we{ve run into is the unexpected benefits of the language barrier. We{d heard all about the difficulties of not understanding what{s being said around you but no one has mentioned the amazing plus side. One thing is that we have no idea what{s going on, ever. This is great because 1. we can{t be blamed for anything, we{re just goofy gringos and 2. everything is a surprise. One evening me and kyle were ready for bed, he was in the shower and i was doing laundry when someone asked if i was coming, i did like i always do and said "ci." Turns out we were going to spend the evening in Mante (the next biggest city over) at a birthday party, but we don{t figure things like this all out at once. We sit down at a large table in a strange house with loud music playing. People are dancing. A trdaitional mexican dish is brought out. water balloons are all thrown at one kid, pepe. things still aren{t clicking. A birthday cake is finally brought out and then we get it. Twas great fun, but even more fun because we just got in the van and had no idea where we were going and we laugh the whole time as we}re half trying to figure out whats going on and half enjpy the ignorant bliss. The last advantage of the language barrier is that you can look a kid in the face and say what ever you want and they have no idea what your saying. Kyle takes advantage of this more often than me, saying things like, oh, jaun, mr tough guy, i{m gonna roll you into a little butter ball, and if you know kyle you know the comments and little sayings gets more and more extravegant.
but I must go now, my time has run out, so Adios...
One terrific thing we{ve run into is the unexpected benefits of the language barrier. We{d heard all about the difficulties of not understanding what{s being said around you but no one has mentioned the amazing plus side. One thing is that we have no idea what{s going on, ever. This is great because 1. we can{t be blamed for anything, we{re just goofy gringos and 2. everything is a surprise. One evening me and kyle were ready for bed, he was in the shower and i was doing laundry when someone asked if i was coming, i did like i always do and said "ci." Turns out we were going to spend the evening in Mante (the next biggest city over) at a birthday party, but we don{t figure things like this all out at once. We sit down at a large table in a strange house with loud music playing. People are dancing. A trdaitional mexican dish is brought out. water balloons are all thrown at one kid, pepe. things still aren{t clicking. A birthday cake is finally brought out and then we get it. Twas great fun, but even more fun because we just got in the van and had no idea where we were going and we laugh the whole time as we}re half trying to figure out whats going on and half enjpy the ignorant bliss. The last advantage of the language barrier is that you can look a kid in the face and say what ever you want and they have no idea what your saying. Kyle takes advantage of this more often than me, saying things like, oh, jaun, mr tough guy, i{m gonna roll you into a little butter ball, and if you know kyle you know the comments and little sayings gets more and more extravegant.
but I must go now, my time has run out, so Adios...
Monday, August 25, 2008
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