Visiting Miacatlan

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Buenas Tardes Todos mis amigos!

So it's about 1:45pm here, and I am in Casa Guadalupe (temporary housing)...and I have some good news and bad news. Which do you want first?

Well, the good news is I took lots of new pictures from Miacatlan and I had a wonderful time seeing the orphanage which is huge and beautiful (in an ancient MExican colonial way. It used to be a sugar plantation and coffee plantation). So I get to post pictures now because I picked up wireless here! Whoohoo

Bad news is I am sick (my weak American stomach couldn't take the water, which I was brushing my teeth with just to help my body start to build an immunity, and food much longer) 😞 Hopefully it will pass within a fews days, but if it doesn't I will go to the doctor here.

The orphanage is amazing. We had a lot of fun at the graduation which was on the basketball courts and the different groups graduating (kinder, 5th, and 8th) performed dancing. Then they got certificates. As the 8th graders received certificates, they played the classic 80s song "Turn Around" in the background. It was...interesting.

Then we went to mass, the chapel is open to the outside and large and beautiful. The ruins of the old chapel that used to be there are right behind it covered in rich green ivy vines. Then we had lunch which was a SPECIAL meal that consisted of noodles, small piece of chicken (thanks to the 14-16 year old boys who were asked one afternoon to go into the chicken pen and just kill ALL of the chickens for this meal), beans, tortillas, and chips with a yummy salsa of tomatoes and guacamole which are grown there. Apparently at Lent they give up tortillas for the whole 40days. They rarely ever get meat so they obviously don't give that up.

I also got to meet volunteers who live there now who are staying for another year and past volunteers that came back to visit for the graduation. We also walked around and saw the giant pigs who are very very smelly, the greenhouse, the chicken pens and the corn fields. They have a pool which was donated by a man who went to visit and was overwhelmingly hot, so he gave them a pool. HOwever it's green right now because they are going through a financial crisis just like most of the world is right now and can't afford chlorine.

The dance was in the dining hall, and they actually had a DJ for the first time ever. They had all these colorful lights and most of the music tended to be cumbia and techno. I got to dance with some adorable kindergarteners who take their moves pretty seriously and love to take pictures! Then some older kids who will act embarrassed but then all of sudden bust out a move here and there. Although I left the dance early because i wasn't feeling well, the older kids partied it up until 1am! Viva la Mexico!

love and blessings all,
natalia

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Photos

visitors quarters
where we stayed

Maria
Serious dancer.

Marcos
He liked to feel the vibration of the music through the balloon.

Comments

[John]

I hope you get better Natalie, glad to hear you're having a great time there otherwise!