Ok, a little more info on the Festival of the Black Christ. I'll obviously know a lot more when I get back, but apparently there was an era in Mexico in which the governing body was opposed to anything religious(surprising with how Catholic Mexico has always been). But during this period the government would destroy religious buildings of any kind. Well the church is Campeche was burned and all that remained was a statue of Christ that had turned black from the fire. The fact that it remained intact calls for celebration every year (still unsure how long it has been) since.

I thought it would be cool to have a word of the day that we could all celebrate together in three languages since my class of the Mayan language is so awesome. The words will obviously be very simplistic seeing as I will probably never be able to use complicated words in Mayan. So today's is:

Maya: Ki'ichpam
Español: guapa
English: pretty (in the attractive sense)

Used in a sentence....Ashley is very Ki'ichpam.

Hasta

I went to a restaurant called "La Musa" tonight to watch the Mexico vs Brazil soccer game. Talk about intense. They sure do love their soccer in Mexico and, even though we lost, it was one of the most fun things that I've ever done.

This weekend, Saturday to be exact, is Mexican Independence day. I'm definitely going to buy a huge Mexican flag. And also this weekend is the Festival of the Black Christ in a little town called Campeche on the west coast of the Yucatan. Now, just to make things clear, there is nothing racist OR sac religious about this Festival. Apparently there is just this statue of Christ that is in black iron and they celebrate it every year. So a few of us from the program are going on Friday to experience whatever the Festival of the Black Christ might entail. Both of these events have tons of tradition built into them, especially the whole independence thing as you can imagine. Check back for pictures and stories. I can't wait to share them with you.

Viva México

Definitely not adjusted yet to whole waking up at 6 after studying till 1 thing...

Still making small observations:

-The same loud German shepherd jumps out and scares the daylights out of me every morning as I walk by his fence on my way to the bus stop...you'd think I'd see it coming after 2 weeks.

-You know those girls that talk really fast and use words like "like" and "whatever" too much, and despite the fact that they are trying to communicate something you can never tell just exactly what that is...well they have those here in Mexico too and it's even harder to understand the point they're trying to make in a second language.

-I brought my American study habits with me to Mexico and they're just not going to cut it. I have to get used to reading all of the material, something no one does in the US. A normal Mexican class involves about an hour of discussion over the reading from the night before, and when you don't read the material, well let's just say I've got to be a little more intentional with my time.

-I saw the world's tallest tower of tequila when I walked into Wal-Mart today. Yes they have Wal-Mart here. But literally from the floor to almost the ceiling was this huge tower of tequila. I don't think they can get away with that in the states. And just how in the world would someone be able to purchase a bottle without that bad boy toppling over and killing them?

-Mole is a type of sauce that is fairly common in Mexico and even in parts of Texas. But here in the Yucatan they eat Mole soup which is made out of tomatoes, chilies, and chocolate. Chocolate soup? You're darn right.

Well that's all I've got for today because I've got to get back to that whole reading thing we just talked about.

Mexicans really know how to throw parties. Last night was my host brother's birthday so he had a little shindig. I helped him get the house ready to have company as we were expecting about 60 people (all of which showed up). But then I was really impressed when the rock band showed up. How many people in the states have live music at their parties? Not to mention they played full blast in the back yard from 12-2:30. I guess there is no law against disturbing the peace in Mexico. And for food...he definitely had a taco stand come and set up in our front yard. All the free tacos you could want. I personally went easy on the tacos as to be careful not to repeat the hospital episode, but it was awesome never the less. So I hung out at the party till about 3 and met new people, discussed Bush and Iraq, offered my opinions on the Felipe Calderon situation, learned new slang, and when I was exhausted (and no one was leaving yet) I decided to go ahead and go to my room and sleep. The party rocked on until about 6:30 in the morning, music full blast. And of course I woke up at 9:30 this morning completely unable to fall back asleep so I watched 6 episodes of scrubs and made myself some eggs and coffee as my host parents went to the beach house for the night. I say all of this really just to stress the same thing that I've stressed before...we don't know how to celebrate in America. Everything here is cause for celebration with friends and family. If there is one slice of Mexico that I want to bring back home with me, other than the salsa (not the dance), it is this.

These are 3 terrible pictures of last night, but in them you'll see the back yard full of people, the band, and the taco stand...all at my house.

So maybe culture shock has set in slightly. I knew that it would be only a minor setback when it did, but here is what is going through my mind this morning...not to be a downer or anything:

I miss my...

-air conditioned house
-bed
-couch
-T.V.
-favorite foods
-Dr Pepper
-family
-dates with my beautiful girlfriend
-friends
-church
-car and all other forms of private transportation
-Frisbee golf games with Nurge
-university's football games
-routine of playing my saxophone at the previously mentioned...

It's a reality...we are all very comfortable within our own culture. It's a reality that we often don't realize until we are out of our home culture for a couple of weeks. And I never thought I'd say it but: Middle-class Suburban America, today I miss you.

V.I.P...Me?

Last night I went to a disco...which is what they call clubs here in Mexico(unfortunatley there is no disco music, I was disappointed). I'm definitely not the club type, by any means, but we were invited by some Mexican students and I knew it would be a good way to make local friends. And believe me, it was. We pulled up to the club and there was a huge line of about 50 people waiting outside. We kinda stepped way to the back and away to show that we weren't yet waiting in line as some of our friends hadn't arrived yet. As soon as we were all ready we stepped up to the line and immediately the huge bouncer at the front points to us and says, "you", he lifts the rope gate, points in, and we walk in front of all of these people and into the club. I felt awful! But apparently having Americans in your club draws more business so they let us in. We were also able to get a table immediately..something that is very coveted at this particular establishment. We were getting stared at all night. People kept wanting to buy us drinks, which we politely declined because accepting a drink from a stranger....well, you are all aware. It was a pretty good time seeing as I don't dance, but oddly enough there really was not very much dancing going on for this to be a disco. It was more like a concert with a really good Mexican cover band that was playing Nirvana, Audio Slave, Metallica, and a few others. It was a good one time experience for me, but I would just prefer to sit back in a cafe and hang out with friends. I'm lame, I know.

I'm finally feeling almost normal after this weekend. Thankfully my stomach should now be accustomed to almost any type of food that I should encounter here in Yucatán. On to new news, there has been one minor change in my class schedule for the semester. In stead of taking the Culture and Mindset of Latin America ( as I found it to be too abstract of a class to take in a second language) I will be taking Mayan Language. I’ll be learning my 3rd language through my 2nd language. I can’t even begin to describe how cool this will be. You see, here in the Yucatán there is a lot of Mayan spoken and I’ll have the opportunity to use some of the phrases I learn when I travel to some of the small pueblos around the peninsula. There is a common saying around here that in essence claims that you cannot know a culture until you know the language. Language is one of the biggest ways that a culture is lived out. So many insights into Mexican culture can only be understood in Spanish, and I imagine that it is even more so with the Mayan culture. We’ll see how it turns out.

Hasta luego

Here are a few photos from my trip to Dzibilchaltùn on Saturday. The first picture is of the Templo de las Siete Muñecas. This temple is famous for its brilliant display of the equinox. The Mayas calculated exactly where to but the opening of the temple so that at the exact moment of the equinox the sun would shine perfectly through the door opening and onto the altar. Millions of people gather each year to observe this phenomena. The other pictures are of just random ruins at Dzibilchaltùn. The last picture is of the cenote, which is where the Mayas would bathe, swim, maybe even get water to drink. And yes, I did swim in the same cenote as the Mayas swam in thousands of years ago. It was awesome!

I have some pretty sweet pictures of my trip yesterday but I'm just not really in the mood to put them up right now. You see, I got the opportunity to learn a lot of new medical vocabulary in Spanish last night as I spent the entire night in the hospital. I apparently ate something bad while I was at the beach yesterday afternoon and at about 6 yesterday evening I threw up. I wasn't too panicked because everyone throws up a little bit their first week in a foreign country with drastically different eating habits. It's a common illness known in Mexico as turista, because it's the tourists who have the weak stomachs. Well I started to get a little worried after my 11th time throwing up because there was nothing left anywhere in my body expect for fluids that aren't supposed to leave their location. So, my host family took me to the hospital. As is turns out, the average person who eats contaminated food has about 10,000 bad bacteria in their system that are making them sick. After my blood work came back the doctor told me that I had about 30,000 bad bacteria in my system. and on top of that, I was extremely dehydrated from the...well, you know...."water loss". Because of this, in the past 12 hours I have exhausted 4 IVs, many injections (in both arm and butt...the latter of which I'm still bitter about), and many trips to the bathroom. I write all of this with the knowledge that some of you will be so disgusted as to never want to read my blog again...I understand. But I have to hold true to you all, the readers, in writing about both the good and the bad. So for now, hasta luego my friends, and don't drink the water in Mexico...

A few random picture of my trip so far...
The first a picture of the dining room. Taken from the living room.
The second is in my back yard. The stone cross has the family name on it.
The third is a picture of the new library...very cool
The next is a picture of the group waiting at the bus stop on campus with the Anthropology building in the background.
And the last is my bedroom, complete with blue hammock in the foreground.




There will be more pictures after this weekend of my trip to some Mayan ruins and the beach at Progresso.

Supposedly there is this thing called culture shock. Less of a shock and more of a clash really…A clash of your home culture and the one in which you are visiting. Supposedly it exists. Supposedly. And if this is true, then, in the next day or so I will start a downward spiral of frustration and annoyance of everything having to do with the Yucatecan culture…supposedly. To be honest, there are many things that I miss about home. I miss my family, friends, church, school, and my girl friend, whom I miss oh so much. But to go through a period of disliking the Yucatecan culture seems unlikely at this phase. Maybe it’s because I’m in the honeymoon phase of living here, or maybe I just fit so well here in Mexico, I don’t know. But as of now, things are going well. It is really fun to see how quickly my ability in the language improves daily. After studying Spanish for 6 years, such drastic improvement in just a couple of days is very encouraging. I’m to the point verbally where I can sit down and have an intellectual discussion over just about anything there is to discuss. For example tonight during la sobremesa, the period of time after dinner where the family sits and talks, my host parents and I discussed the differences and similarities between the Mexican and American public education systems.

I’ve decided which classes I will try to take. They are as follows (hopefully):

-Racism and Discrimination (Extra interesting because both are a big part of this

Culture)

-Cultural History of the Mayan Area

-Latin American Culture and Mindset, a Literature class

-History of Mexican/United States Relations

All of these classes will be in Spanish with native students. I’ll also be in an advanced Spanish class with a few other Americans that are in the same boat as I am.

One last thing about Mérida. It is probably the safest large city I’ve ever been in. The population is about 1 million, but they take pride in the security of the city as well as the way they treat foreigners. I feel completely safe, as well as the embassy here tells me I’m safe, walking through the streets alone at midnight. Something that you wouldn’t expect in Mexico.

Hasta

The major differences between Mexico and the US are easy to pick out and more obvious to readers back home. Because of this, it is the small differences that bring a smile to my face many times throughout my day…

Small Cultural difference (cont..)

-Brakes are for emergency use only in Mexico…which makes many emergency situations as stopped cars approach quickly in front of our speeding bus.

-People walk very slowly here and it doesn’t help that I’m 6’2’’ with a stride longer than most body lengths.

-Things that appear to be the same in Mexico as in America tend not to be. For example my sandwich for lunch today appeared completely normal…until I bit into the jalapeños and ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise mixture.

-Toilets in public places sometimes don’t have toilet seats.

-There is a different understanding of time. Meeting someone for lunch at 12 means that they will stop their previous activity at 12 and start the voyage to meet you for lunch. They aren’t late because, technically, the activity of meeting you for lunch did in fact begin at 12.

-In Mexico if you don’t talk about a problem, it doesn’t exist. For example, you will rarely here open discussion about poverty, racism, homosexuality, or any other “hot topic” because they don’t exist…

And the best part about all of this is that I love it so much. My bus ride to school in the mornings is awesome. Jalapeños add an amazing flavor to ham sandwiches. I’m a guy, so who needs toilet seats? The relaxed pace of everyone being about 10-15 minutes late is good practice for my patience and flexibility.

One last thing, it is interesting how quickly I forget English. Not really forget, but I have to think much harder about which word to use and how to spell it in English than I did 4 days ago. And if your name is Ashley, don’t worry because I’ll relearn the language just for you on my flight back home.

Hasta

Small Cultural Differences...

-I have been served soup 3 times so far in Mexico and each time I have been given a HUGE spoon, so big I almost can't even use it.

-The moment that a person steps on a bus here in Merida and pays his/her 5 pesos, the driver hits the gas with no regard for whether or not your footing is secure.

-When you put your bank card into an ATM it is not always a for sure thing that you will get either your card or money back.


I'm starting to get settled in here in Merida and I'm noticing some interesting things about the culture. First of all, Yucatecos have a very strong sense of state pride. They are above all else Yucatecans and then after this, Mexicans. Something that those of us from Texas can relate with. My family serves me food and then tells me whether its Yucateca or just plain Mexican food. Also, being an American here means one of two things. Either you get ripped off because the people know that most Americans will pay the high price...or you get a huge discount because the owners know that you being in their establishment will draw attention and business. Thirdly, La Universidad Autonoma de Yucatan is very beautful. The campus is not centralized like universities in America. Each different facultad, or major, has its own campus.

The night life in Merida is also unbelievable. It was Grandmother's Day nation wide in Mexico today and I went to a photography show of local grandmother's. And since many of the Abuelas, and people in general, here are Mayan there was a huge traditional ceremony full of singing and dancing. If you've never seen a 65 year old Mayan couple dance....you're missing out, sorta. And then there are endless restaurants, bars, clubs (which they call discos, and beautiful places just to walk around. I understand completely why so many Americans retire in this city.

Hasta

Today I discovered that waking up early in Mexico is no easier than waking up early in the US. I started orientation today and have discovered that Merida is an absolutely beautiful city. I saw the oldest Cathedral in the continent, which is right next to my university, and sat in a coffee shop dedicated to Frida Khalo. Tonight I celebrated my birthday with my new extended family because two of my new family members are one year older today as well. Side note, birthday cake in the Yucatan is quite different than we are accustomed to in the US. People are very interested in your political views and are very well educated in world events. It welcomes different view points in a very tolerant, yet still opinionated manner. It almost makes it more comfortable to talk politics than in the US where people are easily offended. But right now it is almost impossible to think and write creatively. I'll be back tomorrow with more.

Buenas noches

I'm here!!!! So after a night of sad goodbyes and a day full of flights and headaches I really didn't know what to expect when my host family picked me up from the airport. I screened my way through customs and walked through a door to see a woman, who looks oddly like my Granny, smiling really big holding a sign with my name on it. I knew right away that it would be a warm welcome. My host parents are probably the most friendly and lovable people I've ever met. I have 3 host brothers that are mid to upper twenties and my own room that is probably better than my room back home...mainly because in the Yucatan people sleep in hammocks. That's right, directly next to my bed is the most comfortable hammock I have ever laid on. As a matter of fact this very hammock will probably be the location of most of my blogs this semester seeing as my family has WIRELESS INTERNET. I was informed that no one in Mexico had internet in their home and I'd have to find some internet cafes....well that's apparently not true. One last small surprise i received today is that my host family has a beach house about 30 minutes away from here that they are taking me to the weekend after next. I'm roughing it so far, but I'll keep you updated.

Hasta

Mexico sweet Mexico in exactly five days. Supposing the category 5 hurricane hasn't demolished my host home I'll be hanging out at a cantina on Sunday evening blogging about my first day in Mexico. My hope is that this blog will provide a way for me to let you all here in the states see what my days in the Yucatan are like (Yodeling will probably not be a part of it)....as well as give me the opportunity to think in English for fifteen minutes during my day, giving me a huge break mentally. So check and comment regularly. Who knows, maybe I'll learn how to put pictures on here.

Wild Heart?

I'm in the process of reading "Wild at Heart" by John Eldredge. I'm aware that many in the Christian community are not huge fans of this, or any other or his books for that matter. And while there are some things that I don't quite agree whole-heartedly with, I'm finding this an excellent read that speaks into a lot of the growing areas of my life. On another note, it is finals week which may just be the best and worst week of the semester all hurled into 7 fabulous days. It seems that there is unlimited time because normal schedules are not afoot, but there are also exams to study for. Exams that could not be studied for in 2 weeks time. Exams that encompass everything that I never attended class to hear. Exams that have a great impact on those things they call grades. I happen to have two of those exams today, and what am I doing? Listening to Shawn McDonald and blogging....enough said.

I decided to see what kind of coffee I was. I think this is more accurate than they could ever know.

You Are an Espresso

At your best, you are: straight shooting, ambitious, and energetic At your worst, you are: anxious and high strung You drink coffee when: anytime you're not sleeping Your caffeine addiction level: high

What Kind of Coffee Are You?

In less than 3 weeks I'll be at Kanakuk, then back to FloMo for the annual Mexico trip, then back to Kanakuk, then I'm moving to Mexico... Is it just me or will I be going between Texas, Missouri, and Mexico quite a bit in the next few months.

But seriously, I'm moving to Mérida, México August 26th for a semester. I will be living with a Mexican family and taking business, archeology, history, and grammar classes all in Spanish. I'm learning to deal with the fear that I'm feeling. I'm trying to apply David's experiences in the Psalms to my fear, knowing that it is the same Big God that came through for him that will come through for me. I want to ask all of you to be praying that God would put faithful believers around me while I'm in an environment that can be pretty dark at times. Out of all of the challenges that I'll face while abroad, including not being around any English-speakers for 4 months, the one I'm most concerned about is the potential lack of Christian fellowship that I will have. Why would God not come through to meet this need if He will meet all of my others?...He will, but for some reason my flesh still wants to doubt Him.

I know the updates have been very occasional, and probably will be for the next couple of months, but once August hits I will be using this blog to journal during my semester abroad. So please, continue to check.

Hasta...