There has been plenty of political buzz recently and I can't help but to be following it like it's my job. I've always had an unhealthy interest in the game of American politics and that doesn't end just because the election has...after all in about a year I will in fact be a "degreed" political scientist, for whatever that is worth. But on to the purpose of my ramblings. Regardless of whose box you may have bubbled in on Nov 4th, there is no denying that President-elect Obama is doing things right so far. Just check out this article from MSNBC to see for yourself.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27690267/

Still alive...which means I'm still dying

With complete foreknowledge that no one checks this blog anymore I am posting anyways. But what could be better than not disappointing readers with high expectations, than not disappointing any readers at all? Deep, I know. Try and piece that one together. But blogging is somewhat therapeutic and even after these first few sentences I can feel the effects of putting down thoughts on a template other than my personal journal, which can sometimes be so personal that I often omit topics seemingly less, for lack of a better term, "personal". I say "first few sentences" loosely as I have written and deleted numerous paragraphs about everything from what God is teaching me to lifelong frustrations to my disdain of ignorance among a supposedly education society to why in the world so many people like Coldplay.
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And once again I just deleted two full paragraphs about something God is teaching me and I don't know why I can't just leave it on the page. Maybe I will be able to share it soon. This past year has been one of great hurt, great growth, and great joy. All of which are necessary in the sanctification process. And maybe the reason I can't leave more details on the page is because people don't like the reality that God prunes us so that we "might bear MORE fruit". My prayer is that of Paul in Philippians 3:10. May I share in that fellowship that Paul talks about in that verse.

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That transition happened much too quickly...

My time in Mexico has officially drawn to a close. Tomorrow morning I am waking up at 4 o'clock to get to the airport for my day full of seemingly endless flights and layovers. I leave out of Merida at 650, get to Mexico City at 830 and have a 5 hour layover there. I then arrive in Atlanta after a 5 hour flight and have a 3 hour layover there before finally getting to Dallas at 11 tomorrow night. But that isn't the hardest reality that I am going to have to face in the next 24 hours. I already said goodbye to most of my Mexican friends last night, but the family that I have been a member of is having their Posada celebration today, where they will dress up and act out the part of the Christmas story where Joseph and Mary are searching for a room in an inn. I have been asked to play the role of Joseph so that, and I translate and quote, "the pictures come out very handsome." This will be fun but the goodbye process will be brutal. The 20 family members that have taken care of me and literally been my family for four months will all be there with gifts and cards to give to me hugs and send me off. Family is a huge huge deal in this culture so we had family gatherings quite often and this last one will be very tiring emotionally knowing that I will probably never see most of them again. Granted, I get to see my family and girlfriend tomorrow night in the states which obviously makes this whole situation much easier on me. But I will have so many restless hours of sitting in airports tomorrow to think about what I am leaving behind.

I remember before I came abroad and people would ask me why in the world I wanted to study abroad in Mexico. I have come to the conclusion that if you want to study Spanish abroad, you really should not go anywhere else. First of all, name 5 cultural elements from any other Latin American country than Mexico. Can't do it easily can you? But let's brain storm here...sombreros, tacos, Pancho Villa, piñatas, tamales, hammocks. Mexico easily has the richest culture in Latin America (bold and slightly biased statement, I know). As far as Spain goes, great place, but living in Texas with a degree in Spanish I really need the vernacular and accent of a Latin American. Seriously, have you ever heard a Spanish speaker in Texas using the lisp they use in Spain? And specifically this part of Mexico...the culture here in Yucatan is even more rich than the rest of the country. I live within 3 hours of 500 Mayan ruin sites and within 8 hours of over 1400. I live less than a 30 minute drive to the nearest beach. A 15 minute bus ride to the oldest Cathedral on the Continent. I can walk to the nearest Cantina. And I haven't been cold since getting here. Not to mention Merida being one of the safest cities in the world and Yucatecans being as hospitable and helpful as your average small town Texan.

I guess I just say all that because this has been a really good semester full of tons of memories. But to be honest, my time has come to an end here and it is time to go home. I can't wait to be close to my friends, family and Ashley. I can't wait to go to Crossroads on Sunday. I can't wait to eat Tex-Mex, i really miss it. And I can't wait to sleep in my own bed. So until we meet on the other side of the border...

Hasta luego México. Te he disfrutado más que podrías creer.

Today my beautiful little sister, who is on her way to becoming a beautiful young woman, turns 11. I hope that your day is amazing, Dana. You are a giant blessing to me and I look forward to being able to see you grow in who you are as a person, but most importantly in who you are as a follower of Christ. I love you sis!


So here was the problem. 3 days in the 2nd largest city in the world really doesn't give you enough time to do much of anything. But, with the help of an eight hour tour bus ride I got to see a good portion of the center and south of the city. I would say that everyone needs to see the Center of the town where the Cathedral is located at least once in their life. It is built on top of the Aztec city of Technochtitlan and the ruins are visible in the square AND all of the building from the 1500s onward that were built by the Spaniards are sinking because they were constructed on top of old Aztec pyramids. It's way cool.
I also got to celebrate the day of the Virgin of Guadalupe in the home of a Chilango family. Chilango is a word people in Mexico use to describe those from Mexico City. It was really neat, mainly because they gave me enchiladas verdes. Side note, in Mexico City all types of non carbonated beverages are called "agua". So with my enchiladas I had agua de manzana which was more or less homemade apple juice. The tour bus took us by some really cool places, most notably the house of Frida Kahlo, the infamous artista. The following day I went to the ruins at Tlateloco and the 3 cultures plaza where the Mexican government opened fire on 14000 students during a protest in 1968 and killed about 2000. After that venture we went to the Basilica where 8 million people had been the day before and saw the original cloak with the Virgin's imprint. Then we trekked it out to Teotihuacan to see the ancient city there and saw the 3rd most massive pyramid in the world. That was a very quick overview, but here are some pictures to help fill in the gaps. I'll be home in 5 days so I can show you all of my pictures then.

Cathedral in the center square

One of Diego Rivera's paintings criticizing the Spanish rule

The Old Basilica

Teotihuacan

More Teotihuacan

Alright, I have no more options. Today I have GOT to finish my papers. I have been procrastinating enough with things like checking my Facebook profile 2954 times a day and trying to find the Mayweather-Hatton boxing match from Saturday online somewhere. But seeing as both of my two remaining papers have to be turned in tomorrow before I hop my flight to spend a few days in Mexico City, I really have no more time. But for one last activity of procrastination I decided to blog today...

Tomorrow I'll be going to Mexico D.F. (That's the real name for Mexico City folks) to witness one of the biggest celebrations in Mexico. The celebration of the Virgin of Guadalupe. We have all heard the story in elementary school about the Mexican Catholics belief of the virgin Mary appearing in Mexico. The story goes as follows, Copied from Wikipedia:
According to Catholic accounts of the Guadalupan apparition, during a walk from his village to the city on December 9, 1531, Juan Diego saw a vision of a Virgin at the Hill of Tepeyac. Speaking in Nahuatl, Our Lady of Guadalupe said to build an abbey on the site, but when Juan Diego spoke to the Spanish bishop, Fray Juan de Zumárraga, the prelate asked for a miraculous sign. So the Virgin told Juan Diego to gather flowers from the hill, even though it was winter, when normally nothing bloomed. He found Spanish roses, gathered them on his tilma, and presented these to the bishop. According to tradition, when the roses fell from it the icon of the Virgin of Guadalupe appeared imprinted on the cloth.

So I'm going to the Basilica in Mexico City to see this image along with 8 million other people who have traveled world wide to do so. I'll also be going to see the ancient site of Teotihuacan which had it's peak as a civilization between 150 and 400 AD. Most ancient tribes in Mexico claim their ancestry back to this city. It is quite significant and should be a very fun trip. Well, I'm off to what should be my last bit of school work this semester.

Nos vemos pronto

Is it really two weeks to the day that I come home? That is really bizarre to me. But contrary to popular belief I actually HAVE been busy writing papers recently and still have plenty more to do before this coming weekend is over.

This past weekend I hopped on what turned into a 15 hour bus ride to the southern mountains of Mexico close to the Guatemala border. It was beautiful. I stayed in a little city from the colonial era and every building had those awesome red brick roofs. The city is named San Cristobal de las Casas, and it is pretty much THE place in Mexico to buy very quality artisan goods for a very low price. These people are all very talented in their trade, whether it be jewelry making or knitting..., but they have no means to come down out of the mountains and sell their products so the prices are naturally lower. Saturday morning my friends and I woke up and took a boat tour through this beautiful canyon that was an average of 1 km over our heads most of the time. I wonder how it compares to the Grand Canyon...it can't be far off. The Grand Canyon is probably a little bigger but you don't get to see crocodiles and Spider monkeys there. Sunday however, was the coolest day of all. I went and saw three breath-taking waterfalls on my way to the Mayan site of Palenque. I'd argue that Palenque is the most impressive Mayan city of them all just for the fact that it sits at the base of a giant mountain chain. Well, that is really all I can do to explain this past weekend. It's unbelievable how hard it is to try and portray this stuff in writing...

Pretty Church in San Cristobal...there are many more, but I liked that this one was yellow...

The beautiful streets of San Cristobal

Entrance to Sumidero Canyon

Waterfall at Misolha

Behind same waterfall

Waterfall at Agua Azul...yes the water really was that blue. More actually

Palenque