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Hola todos!
I arrived yesterday to the wonderful, busy, and colorful Mexico! I had a long day of traveling. I left Phoenix at 9:05am pacific time and finally arrived to Cuernavaca around 7:30pm central time. On my first flight to Guardalajara I met a guy on the plane who worked for Anheuser Bush brewing company and now works with Justin Timberlake to come up with a new kind of Tequila to go on the market in about 2-3 years! haha I tried to talk about the orphanage as much as possible to see if I could Justin Timberlake to donate to Friends of the Orphans but it didn't work...next time (as my dad would say).
Then I had to get my luggage (two huge 40lbs bags) and check in again in Guardalajara and catch my next flight to Mexico city. I managed to understand people, but I stayed pretty silent and just nodded my head as I navigated myself through the airport. I finally arrived 50min late to Mexico City and was met by Carlos, NPH's driver who pack a small truck with me, my three bags, another new volunteer and her two big bags and another NPH pick
up guy! Then we proceed to SPEED through the traffic of downtown Mexico City. Let's just say I would never want to get behind the wheel in Mexico. Where there are two lines and three lanes, cars make 5 lanes. You cut people off or you get cut off. You slammed on the break 1 inch from the car in front of you. All these things that teens in the U.S. pay to learn NOT to do in driving school!
Then the drive through the lush green mountains and through the clouds to Cuernavaca began. The drive which is usually an hour took over two because we got hit with...wait no SLAMMED with LLUVIA...LOTS of LLUVIA (rain)! We could barely see in front of us because the windshield wipers could just not keep up!
Finally I arrrived to Casa Guadalupe which is where me and the other new female volunteers are staying until we are done with language school in two weeks. At that point I will move across the street to Casa Nolan and the rest of the girls will move to Miacatlan which is where the orphanage is located. After settling in we ate at a
nice and delicious restaurante where I had "enchilada de mole en la casa". VERY good. Not quite as spicy as the homemade mole Steven and I made at his house (we had forgotten to take out the seeds in the chiles...oops).
This morning I had language school at 8am! We bolted through the narrow and busy streets to get to our language school where I took a diagnostic test (I'm in level 1) and then just jumped right in. My teacher is a middle aged woman who is very nice and funny (she went on a rant about Mexican men today) and there are three other woman in my class. It's very personal teaching and I feel really good about it! I'm understanding so much more than I did when I first got to France last year. I feel like I am picking it up quickly and I really do enjoy it! Today we played "jugar de la oca" which is this fun game where you roll die and if you land on an "oca" (goose) it's good cause you get to move more spaces toward the end and if you reach the end first you "gana!" (win). We
also played bingo or "lotteria".
After school we got a tour of the home in Cuernavaca where the high school kids live and all the national and international offices are located. I saw Casa Nolan where I will share an Apartment with another girl Daniel is an employee of NPH. We had lunch there which consisted of black bean, pork, rice, fresh avocados (they have an avocado tree there) and corn torillas. They also had desserts which are only there on Wednesdays because they get left over food from Cosco on Tuesday evenings. I met Mario who I will be working with and another woman Melanie who does LIFE TEEN now, but who is going to leave in August.
Tomorrow we have more language school, then Friday we got out to Miacatlan for the kindergarten, 6th grade, and 8th grade graduation ceremony and dinner and dance! We are going to stay in Miacatlan tomorrow night because the dance goes to midnight, then come back to the city Saturday morning for the high school graduation ceremony, mass, dinner and dance!
This is an update so far! I am enjoying my time so far and the other volunteers. Everyone
has been so welcoming and I cannot wait to get more Spanish under my belt so I can get to know the pequenos! I love you all and you are in my prayers!
paiz,
Natalia
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Elizabeth
non-member comment
love from Cleveland
Nat! I just wanted to say what a joy it was to read your entry and I'm glad to hear how well things are going thus far. I just kept thinking- "gosh, all those talks, all that discernment, all those rides between ND and SMC deliberating over our futures- and look at you! you're actually doing it!" you have been in and will continue to be in my prayers.