Monday, July 7, 2014

Still here, but not for long.

It's a good thing that I'm not getting paid for this, because I definitely wouldn't have a job anymore!  But for those of you who still keep checking and reading for some odd reason, here are some of the sweet things I've been able to do in the last few weeks!  (Also please note that you can see bigger versions of these photos by clicking on them!)


Jocelyn with a curious monkey.

Zoo

The Guadalajara Zoo was pretty cool!  We had quite the adventure in the first place just getting there using the buses, but once we did we had a great time.  One of the coolest things is that they actually let you go into enclosures with animals.  Monkeys and kangaroos anyway (what could possibly go wrong?).  But nobody died, we just had a very startled Jocelyn!


Tonala

We spent one morning at the tianguis, open air markets, in Tonala.  They have absolutely everything and more for sale there; it was insane!  After 11:00 or so, there was so many people there that you could hardly even walk down the aisles.  But there's lots of cheap and awesome stuff, which meant I probably spent too much money, but I would have paid a lot more for it all anywhere else!

Mexico City

Ruins at the Templo Mayor
(please excuse the rain-induced water spots)
Guys - I got to go to Mexico!  Wait, aren't I already in Mexico?  Well, turns out that if you're already in Mexico (the country), everyone says that Mexico City is "Mexico."  It's rather strange to go down the highway reading signs for Mexico when you thought you already were there... haha!

Tara at the Cathedral.
Anyway, we got to see so much while there.  After 7 or so hours on the bus, our coordinators from the university took us to see the Templo Mayor, which is an archaeological site in the middle of the city containing one of the largest temples of the Aztecs in the city of Tenochtitlan (now Mexico City).  If you're so inclined, this site gives a good description of the temple site and history.

Also on the first day was the National Cathedral, an attempt at seeing the National Government Palace (closed that day of course), several other buildings in the downtown area, and dinner at the very classic Mexican restaurant.

View of the city from the castle.
Alright, day 2.  First was the Castle of Chapultapec, which is essentially a castle on a hill in the city that has inspired me to build a cabin-style castle on the side of some mountain in Montana when I win the lottery.  But really, this place is significant because it was a sacred place for the Aztecs (the name actually comes from their word for grasshopper apparently), and the buildings have served as a Military Academy (think West Point), the imperial residence, presidential home, observatory, and now a museum.  The views were also just fantastic.

Me in front of the Sun Stone
Next is the National Anthropology and History Museum.  This was definitely a favorite, though of course we didn't have much time there (only 2 hours or so!).  This museum goes through the history of Mexico, its indigenous people, the various civilizations formed here, and up through current native people's lives.  It was amazing to see the sheer volume of artifacts and that many of them were in fabulous condition.  One of those was the Sun Stone, which is not the Aztec Calendar, but actually a large gladiatorial sacrificial altar.

In the Casa Azul.
We then had the afternoon free, so most of us decided to go to the Casa Azul (Blue House) which was the home of Frida Kahlo.  I've learned about this artist several times, but it was definitely cool to walk through the house and see her paintings, some clothes (like braces she had to wear after her accident), and get a better understanding of her life.  The trip also warranted the use of the Metro in the city, which was an experience in itself!

Our group with the Moon Pyramid
as the background.
I think that day 3 was my favorite, because among a few other sites, we got to visit Teotihuacan, the so-called City of the Gods.  Guys, I got to climb the Sun Pyramid!!  It was amazing to see all of buildings and just experience it all.  Definitely a must-see if you ever get the chance.

Tequila

The university also took us on a day-trip to Tequila (the place), which is obviously a large producer of tequila (the drink).  We went on a tour of the Jose Cuervo factory (did you know that cuervo is Spanish for crow, the bird?) and got to see how they go from the agave plant to the beverage.  Sample shots were provided for
A demonstration of cutting the spiney
"leaves" from the agave plant.
those who wished to try (though they tell me that the first one with 30-something % alcohol was awful!), and we had time to wander around the village.

This trip was on July 4th, so many Americans in our group celebrated with the Tequila shots.  But while in the village they also honored us with several cannon shots (or fireworks? not sure).  In reality, the occasion was for the first Friday of the month, but it was fun to pretend.  Made us feel like we were home!

Chapala and Ajijic, again

The wonderful Ed and
Dorothy McCauley.
After returning from Tequila, I hopped on another bus and went down to Ajijic again to visit Dorothy and Ed (and dogs of course).  It's always a pleasure to visit them!  I spent most of Saturday with Dorothy at the Casi Nuevo (Almost New) consignment store that she volunteers at.  I helped some customers, shopped around a bit myself, but also got to meet and talk to lots of her friends who are regulars there.  It was an interesting experience, because apparently there are several students who come in who are learning English, and since Dorothy doesn't speak Spanish, they practice their English with her sometimes.  It was fun talking with these students, and being able to bounce back and forth between English and Spanish.


___________________

And here I am on Monday, and it's starting to sink in that I only have 5 more days here.  I'm kind of happy, because I'm ready to see the family and get back into my mountains and open spaces.  But I'm kind of sad, because I'm met some of the most wonderful people here and learned so much.  I've gotten to that dividing point where things are starting to become familiar and my Spanish isn't bad, and another month would seal things in a little more which would be awesome.  But my time is coming to a close, and I wouldn't trade it for much of anything.  This week will be full of goodbyes and trying to somehow pack my suitcase with all the things I've acquired.


One thing that has really struck me the last few days is God's faithfulness to me in this whole trip.  Before I left, and through the whole planning process, I was completely freaking out.  What if it wasn't as safe as they told me, and I was caught in the crossfire of a gun fight over drugs?  What if one of my buses was pulled over by criminals?  What if I caught some random disease and died?  What if my flights didn't go well, or they wouldn't let me into Mexico?  (What if they don't let me back into the States?)  None of those things have happened, thankfully, but even if they did that doesn't change that God has promised His faithfulness to His children.  He is still in control, still on the throne, and still loves me through it all regardless of my circumstances or attitude.  That's just insane, I would never be able to do that to another person.  We've been going through the book of Numbers in the church I've been attending, and we see over and over again that God's Chosen People just keep messing up, bad.  God has no reason to keep them, it would be easier to wipe them out and start over, wouldn't it?  But no, He keeps forgiving them, keeps drawing them in to Himself, taking care of them, and eventually fulfills His promise in His timing.  What an awesome God we serve!!

___________________


Finally, here's a picture of an insect of some kind that I found in the bathroom sink the other day.  You're welcome.





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