Mas Fotos

!Saludos! Can you believe I´ve been here almost a month already?? I sure can´t!! Thank you all so much for the comments--the response has been so awesome and encouraging! I edited some of my settings the other day and didn´t realize that you had to set up a blog before you could leave a comment--so sorry for the inconvenience that may have caused! Now you can post a comment anonymously, which some of you have already begun to do. But those of you who went through the trouble before of creating your own user name, I especially commend you! While we´re talking about comments, I would like to address a few of them...

The city I´m living in is actually called San Cristobal De Las Casas. I don´t know why there are so many San Cristobals in Mexico, but San Cristobal literally means ¨Saint Christopher¨...and you know how Catholics are about naming saints! I do know that ¨De Las Casas¨is the (1.) apellido of one of the hombres that fought for freedom in the area. The(2.) población is about 100,000. And no, the hurricane never came close to here; in fact, I hadn´t even heard anything about Hurricane Dean until I started talking to fellow Americans! (Yes, I do need to do a better job keeping up with the news, but that´s beside the point : ) We had a few really rainy, really cold nights in a row, but that´s pretty normal for this time of year.

As you can see from this photo, it rains so much that the streets stay constantly flooded...but unlike in the U.S., cars still pass through puddles as big as this one! And no, I did not forget about the Spanish the last time, I just ran out of time. But to make up for it, I´m going to include twice as many (3.) palabras this time.

The Hebrews class ended on Friday, and John (4.) (el maestro) went back to the U.S. on Saturday. Because Chantel and I had to take him to the aeropuerto in Tuxtla Gutierrez (the next closest city), we took advantage of the (5.) oportunidad by shopping at Super Wal-Mart (which San Cristobal does not have), and a few other (6.) lugares. We were able to buy some foods and a few items for la casa that we can´t get here in San Cristobal. Part of our job is to show around the American teachers that come and help make them feel more comfortable. As John said, we are ¨his ears and his mouth.¨ So I spent a great deal of last week accompanying him and Chantel to various locations, including these Mayan ruins in Ococingo (about 2 hours away).

At times I still feel like I am just as much a (7.) tourista as he was. I am still getting to know my way around la ciudad and getting to know more of the (8.) miembros de la iglesia. I did get lost in el centro one day, but the nice thing about being ¨lost¨here (unlike the U.S.!) is that you can just have a (9.) taxista bring you right back to your casa—and that´s exactly what I did! So the experience took up more (10.) tiempo and (11.) dinero than I would have liked, but it could have been a lot worse!! Most of the (12.) calles and most of the (13.) tiendas in el centro look almost exactly like this picture,

so it might still be a while before I can comfortably get around by myself!

On the other hand, I also feel like I´m acting more and more like a Mexicana every day. For example, I am doing a better job following the food schedule of big late breakfast, big late lunch, and small late dinner. Yesterday I ate (14.) la almuerza with some fellow (15.) cristianos who live only a few blocks from us. They do not attend the same Church of Christ I have been going to, but their daughter is about my age and teaches computer classes at the escuela. We did not eat until about 3 p.m. (typical), but it was soooo good—well worth the wait! (also typical). The Christians here have some faults, but one of their biggest strengths is definitely their hospitality.

I am also adjusting to the non-punctuality. On Saturday I thought I would have the opportunity to see my first Latin American (16.) boda, but actually I missed the ¨wedding¨part and arrived only in time to eat and meet. The wedding was supposed to start at 8:00 and did not start until about 8:30, but nevertheless we arrived during the middle of the sermon and decided to wait in (17.) el coche for the ceremony to conclude (long story).

These past two semanas have also served as a good lesson in (18.) paciencia. Some days, unfortunately, I feel like my whole day flies by without me being able to say I really accomplished much of anything. But because of (19.) la cultura, nearly everything takes longer to do here than it does in the states. If I need to wash my clothes, for example, I first have to fill up the wash machine with four to five bucket fulls of water. Then, because we don´t have a dryer, I have to hang everything up on (20.) el techo to dry...but only early in the morning, so that they don´t get rained on in the afternoon! (This is a picture of our roof.)

If we need more water or gas, we have to stand in front of our casa and wait for (21.) un camión to come by at just the right time (so if we leave in la mañana, we miss out!), then haul the huge, heavy jugs up the stairs to our kitchen. This morning we ran out of gas and I had to take a freezing cold (22.) dulcha. And if I need to go somewhere, I can´t just get in a coche and go; and sometimes I have to take 2-3 different taxis or busses to get to one place. Our bus ride to Ococingo on Friday, for example, was nothing more than a crummy 20 passenger van crammed full of strangers, and then from there we had to take a taxi to the ruins.

But don´t get me wrong...I am really enjoying living here still, and the living arrangements are really quite (23.) comodo. But I hope that we (24.) Americanos will realize every day that there are so many (25.) gente in (26.) el mundo with so many fewer privileges than us, yet who live such happier lives. Now that my (27.) noches will not be taken up translating, I hope to focus more on my English class that will start in about 2 more semanas. Even though preaching students are required to take the class, it is also intended to serve as an outreach method for (28.) la comunidad. So (29.) primero I will have to advertise for the class. I have debated whether to put ¨free English classes¨on the brochures. Some people might be more willing to come if they know they don´t have to pay, but some may also assume that ¨free¨means poor quality (which I certainly hope they won´t be!) Please pray for the success of the (30.) clase and share with me any thoughts or suggestions you might have about that.

Hasta luego,
Elizabeth

1. last name

2. population

3. words

4. the teacher

5. opportunity

6. places

7. tourist

8. members of the church

9. taxi driver

10. time

11. money

12. streets

13. stores/shops

14. lunch

15. christians

16. wedding

17. the car

18. patience

19. the culture

20. the roof

21. a truck

22. shower

23. comfortable

24. Americans

25. people

26. the world

27. nights

28. the community

29. first

30. class

Los Días de la Semana:
domingo
lunes
martes
miércoles
jueves
viernes
sabado

Los Números 1 a 10:
1. uno
2. dos
3. tres
4. cuatro
5. cinco
6. seis
7. siete
8. ocho
9. nueve
10. diez

P.S. Sorry for the delay in posting this blog. Our internet has not been working, and I have also been gone a lot.

la primera semana

Photo descriptions (left to right, top to bottom):
1. typical looking street/view of San Cristobal

2. one of the mian streets, where some of the markets are

3. inside the church building

4. and 5. streets by the church building

6. JC Enlow, John Gibbs, Chantel and I eating together on the 2nd night

7. the outside of the church building

8. one of the streets in the downtown area

Greetings readers! I have been wanting so badly to update my blog, but every time I think I will have time to do it, something else comes up. Hopefully in the near future I will be able to settle into a more normal routine and be more consistent about updates. I have spent my first week here enjoying one of my favorites pastimes: shopping! When I first arrived my room had only a bed and a sink. So I have had to buy all kinds of odds and ends to store my clothes and books in, fill up my room, and make it feel more comfortable. All that it lacks now is curtains for the door and windows (all of which are very see-through right now!) I went to a fabric store for the first time the other day to pick out material for the curtains, and I must admit, it was actually kind of fun! Shopping here takes much longer because you have to go to a different market for everything you need; and sometimes the bus ride to go to the market takes 30 minutes or more. San Cristobal does have one large department store that is similiar to Wal-Mart, but even though we can find more of what we need there, I was disappointed in the higher prices.

From 5-8:30 each night I have been translating for the Bible class that meets here at the school. Because we have been studying the book of Hebrews, I have been learning all kinds of big new words (in Spanish : ) like priesthood, concubine, and grafted. At first the teacher felt discouraged that only 5-7 students were coming, but since Mon. the number has almost doubled. The preacher, David, pleaded with the congregation on Sun. night to try to attend the class, so his words must have really affected some of the members. The students range in age from 12 to 66 and include both men and women. Daniel, the 66 year old student who has been taking the classes for credit, always comes eager to learn and preached about a 2 hour sermon last Wed. (while the preacher was still traveling). I´m pretty sure that´s the longest Wed. night service I´ve ever sat through!

As promised, I will tell you more about where I´m living; but not too much, since ¨pictures speak louder than words.¨ The school meets on the first floor of the house Chantel and I are staying in, and it has 3 classrooms. Global Missions bought the house from one of the families at church a few years ago. We live on a busy street, which has its advantages and disadvantages. One of the good things is that buses and taxies always go right by the house, but one of the bad things is that the street comes alive as early as 6 in the morning with roosters crowing, busses squealing, pedestrians yelling...and all kinds of announcements that get broadcasted through a megaphone, like ¨Agua Pura!¨ The trucks that pass by my window sound like freight trains. But really I´m not complaining, I just wanted to share some of those cultural differences with you. As for the climate...if I told you that it rarely even gets hot enough for me to break a sweat, would you believe it?? Well it´s the truth! Not only is the entire city surrounded by mountains, but the temperatures are very similar to what Tennessee would feel like in late April or early October: cold enough at night and in the mornings to wear a sweater or jacket, but warm enough during the day to feel comfortable in a T-shirt--and still get a good tan! So to all of you sulking about those steamy southern temps and unbearable humidity--na na na na na na!!!

My first few days here have really been quite enjoyable. Many of the church members have gone out of their way to make me feel welcome, and I feel grateful to have so many friends in such a short amount of time. On Saturday I went to a young people´s class at church, and then some of us hung out in ¨el centro¨afterwards (basically the downtown area, where most of the shops and restaurants are). I thought it was really appropriate that the guy who gave the class spoke on friendship, and then we were able to go out and have fun together afterwards--something I later learned that they hardly ever do, but that they all enjoyed very much.

Random thoughts:

--I think I´m going to start wearing only shoes that are completely flat on the bottom, so that I won´t feel so tall compared to every guy I meet--I´m just not used to that!

--I´m starting to see more and more signs of the Mexican culture becoming Americanized. For example, the last time I came (which was only 3 years ago) nearly everyone greeted with their traditional custom of hugging and giving kisses on the cheek, but now only some of them do that, and the majority just shake hands. I think that´s a real shame!

--Today I ran on a track instead of the normal roads and sidewalks. It really killed me to see the hurdles falling apart and the high jump and long jump pits overgrown with weeds!

--This week I rode a motorcycle for the first time and also ate tacos off the street for the first time (I figured if I´m going to get sick, I might as well get it over with). To my utter astonishment, I actually enjoyed both very much--and still have yet to be more than a teeny bit sick to my stomach (knock on wood!)

Have a great day everyone...and thanks again for your comments and interest!

--Elizabeth

p.s. 1 I wanted to add more photos, but it just takes too long; so I will try to add a little at a time.

p.s. 2 ¨mañana¨ means morning and tomorrow

!Estoy aquí! (1)

(2) !Saludos a todos! I´m sorry that I have not had a chance to write yet; but to make up for it, I´m probably going to write more than usual, so please bear with me. First, Friday was a long day of traveling and sitting in (3) los auropuertos. I traveled with John Gibbs, who is here to give a class on Hebrews. Our flight from Atlanta arrived in Mexico City around 2:00, and we were supposed to take the next flight to Tuxtla Gutierrez around 3:15. We walked quickly and hurried through customs, but by the time we reached the Mexicana counter (the airline for our next flight), take off was less than 20 minutes away, and the attendant told us they had already closed boarding. So we had to wait for the next flight--another two hours. Even though both of us have traveled internationally before, neither of us had the sense to put any emergency contact numbers in our carry on items! So I had to call home first to get a number; but not until we had spent an hour searching for a phone card and a place to exchange our money. Supposedly all of the money exchange places were outside the airport, and after inquiring at about 20 stores, we were finally able to purchase a phone card with American money--and get pesos back. Finally, around 5, I was able to reach Mr. Enlow (director of Global Missions), but by that time our ride had already left to pick us up at the airport. To top it all off, our plane that was supposed to leave (4) la ciudad de México at 6:30 was an hour late. It´s times like these when I feel especially grateful to know Spanish, and when I can really appreciate the value of a (5) teléfono celular. Luckily the boys at the Tuxtla airport helped us retrieve our luggage without any problems and our ride was still there waiting for us after 3+ hours--both of which would have probably never happened in the States! But we did not arrive in San Cristobal until nearly 11 p.m.

Then we woke up early on Saturday to go visit the Sat. school in Ococingo, a town about two hours away. In addition to the main school here in San Cristobal, Global Missions has also established a few "Sat. schools" in the area, where the preachers-to-be take classes for eight hours on Sat. to earn credit instead of taking classes throughout the week. I know it probably sounds confusing right now, but hopefully everything will make more sense after I have posted more blogs (so I am not going to spend too much time talking about it (6) ahorita). Even though this particular school just started at the beginning of May, they already have close to the limit of 30 students attending the classes faithfully. It just so happened that Mr. Enlow was already here checking up on things when I arrived. He had intended to say only a few words to the students but ended up preaching a 2-3 hour sermon. Next we met briefly with Antonio (the director of the school in Ococingo), to remind him about some of his responsibilities. We are going to try to purchase desks or tables for the students there, and more materials for the teachers.

Sunday, of course, was (7) iglesia day. I was amazed at how clean and comfortable the building was compared to other places I have visited in Latin America. The congregation here is also different in that they have two Sunday services--one at 10 a.m. and the other at 4 p.m.--just enough time for the members to go home and eat their big (8) almuerza before going back. I spent the afternoon with the family of Chantel´s boyfriend (Chantel is my roommate/co-worker). The preacher and his family were out of town, so Mr. Enlow again preached. Because there are no (9) muchachos\(10) hombres in the congregation who know a lot of English, Chantel had to translate for him, while I translated for Mr. Gibbs on Sunday night. Even though we know of no scriptural basis against it, both of us felt pretty uncomfortable to be in that position. Luckily we made it through the sermons without any problems and the members responded very well to each message. One of the younger couples from the congregation gave Mr. Gibbs and I a ride to the hotel after the evening service (where the two men are staying), and then we visited with them in the hotel while we waited for Mr. Enlow and Chantel to return from another congregation. They really enjoyed talking with Mr. Gibbs more about some of the things he had discussed in his sermon and hearing humorous stories about his childhood. Since Mr. Enlow had to leave early (11) esta mañana to go back to Mississippi, he bought us all supper at an American cafe to close out the day.

Random thoughts:
--I tried goat meat yesterday. It was not bad!
--Chantel and I discovered that not only did we both study Spanish in Cuernavaca, Mexico, we also participated in the same (12) viaje de misiones in the same area in Venezuela (just not at the same time). So we have mutual friends not just from FHU, but from around the world--what a coincidence!

Well that mostly brings you up to date. I will write more about the (13) escuela/(14) casa/city later. I´m also hoping to post some pictures by the end of the (15) semana, so stay tuned...

Thanks for reading all of this!
Elizabeth

1. I am here.
2. Greetings to everyone.
3. airports
4. Mexico city
5. cell phone
6. right now
7. church
8. lunch
9. young men
10. men
11. this morning
12. mission trip
13. school
14. house
15. week

Los Colores:
verde
rojo
azul
negre
blanco (white)
gris
rosa
pùrpura
amarillo
naranja
castaño