Back in the United States

Hello! It's April, and I officially back in the US, and have been for a few weeks. I found the transition back to life in the States to be a bit more difficult than I had imagined it--we talked about reverse culture shock upon re-entry, and I have to admit to experiencing some of that. I felt it strongest when I walked into one of our American shopping malls...oh my goodness, talk about excess, I walked into a department of huge, decorative, and (by all true functionality purposes) useless handbags/purses. Although, a lot of that initial culture shock has worn off now, and I have readjusted to life in the States pretty well, I would say--although I do still sometimes forget that I can flush the toilet paper here, so I throw it out in the trash can. I am currently craving Velveeta macaroni and cheese often; it's one of the food items that I missed most down there, but I am now beginning to really crave some traditional Mexican dishes, and might have to soon stop into an authentic Mexican restaurant to get a quick fix. It's good to be home though, and to get to see my family more often and catch up with them.

I want to especially thank all of you who supported me financially and in prayer during my time in Mexico. Really, thank you so much, you've been such a blessing to me and to many Mexicans whose lives were touched as a result of GFM's presence and involvement in Tlaxiaco. Also, if the site allows, I will be posting a pictures-with-commentary slideshow here of the time I had in Mexico. So, watch for that in the near future!  :D 

Wrap Up!

Hello! I am so sorry that I have not blogged in nearly two months :( Really, I am. We've been so busy the last two months, wrapping up the school, then preparing for short term teams to come down, hosting nearly a month of short term trips and living in villages around Tlaxiaco, and now graduation preparations! So, starting from the beginning...

We officially finished the school year, including the curriculum of 60 required books--averaging two per week. I feel like I have learned so much over this school year; most of which I will not fully realize until a bit of time has passed and I've had adequate time to process and think on some of this stuff. We've been challenged in our faith, and also had some intense, thought-provoking discussions on a variety of subjects relating to the books we read. The content of most of these books was so important and profound, that I am finding it hard to process 60 books of those type in such a short period of time; some of my favorites or some that were particularly challenging I will plan on reading again the future. Highlights, according to my tastes, include Eternity in Their Hearts, Ragamuffin Gospel, Foreign to Familiar, Organic Church, various writings on the Postmodern movement, Mustard Seed Versus McWorld, and This Present Darkness.

We started preparing for our short term mission teams and trips in the beginning of March.

[side note: my birthday was March 4th--I am now 23, wow--and the girls took me out into Tlaxiaco and to a Mexican birthday dinner of Tlayudas, which are HUGE tortillas with tasajo (a type of beef), beans, and quesillo (a type of cheese). They are so big that they literally do not fit on a plate. Also, I received some awesome birthday packages in the mail! Thank you so much to all of you who sent cards and/or packages :)]

So, short terms. We put together a program, for orientation and training purposes, for all those coming down on our short term trips. Lindsay H and I were in charge of the Hot/Cold Climate skits, which demonstrate the culutral differences between North America (labeled, "cold climate") and Latin America (labeled, "warm climate"), and they went over very well! Our schedule looked something like this: teams arrive Saturday from Oaxaca, and then on Sunday and Monday we have full (read: morning to night) training and programs and sessions full of information. Tuesday morning we get up early and head out into a village within about an hour's drive of Tlaxiaco. We stay with host families in the village until Friday night, when we return with the teams back to the base. We have a debreif evening session, and then the next morning (Saturday) we ship that team off to Oaxaca for flights out only to receive a new team in a few short hours. Even though it was a jam-packed, super busy schedule, the experience of running and participating in these short term trips was unforgettable. The first week of outreaches we went to a village called Tidaa, the second we went to Teposcolula and Yolomecatl, Yucoaxaco, and finally Tepos San Juan. For these trips, the medical team hosted medical clinics in the villages and also put on a 'health camp' for the local school's children, teaching them about water sanitation, dental hygiene (Mexicans drink Coke and other pops like water since it's cheaper, and they think tastes better, than potable water), germs, and the importance of hand-washing and protecting their skin from the sun. The medical clinic was where I worked for these outreaches, and it was truly an exceptional experience. I spoke and learned much more Spanish during these days, and also co-consulted with nurses and medical students. We saw 175 patients in one day, and 120 another day! But the average per day was hovering more around 40ish. Then, the last week of outreaches, the medical team stayed at our own base and did a clinic here, and then traveled to Agua Zarca (another village) for a day, and then went to the jail in Tlaxiaco. The patients (inmates) at the jail were particularly interesting to me. I wondered why they were all in there and how long their sentences were (of course I never asked, though!). It was a men's only prison, although we saw families in the common area who must have been visiting. Most of the time, when the men were waiting to be seen for medical treatment, they'd be making things--everything from baskets to handbags to hammocks to soccer balls and sweaters/scarfs--all from knitting, weaving and sewing. I was baffled that the inmates were using knives...and that we were allowed to come in and even bring medication in from the outside for our patients.

I learned so much about village life, and medical conditions common in village-type settings. We had to improvise and tweak treatment options so that they'd be sustainable for our patients, which was a great exercise in thinking outside the box. Most definitely the short term medical outreaches were my favorite part of the entire year...I am so confident of my desire to serve patients who do not have access to adequate healthcare, and I feel like I have got to experience a bit of what that might be like. These weeks have even further established my zeal for this work, and given deeper roots to related goals.

There's a lake here?

Yesterday, was the 25th birthday of one of our roommates, Leah! We were all excited and decided to celebrate by going to the "lake" in the afternoon. I had no idea that there was a lake anywhere around here, and with the water scarcity we experience, I thought for sure this "lake" would be nothing more than a semi-large puddle. So, we piled into our 16-pass white van with a small grill and some hamburger patties, queso, buns, and ketchup. We drove past town and up a mountain a little ways (on frightful roads). Out of the left of the window I saw a dam (it was of course, dry)! I couldn't believe that there was a dam in this town, where we have to be so careful of water allocation. So, after about 25 minutes of driving, and sharing the front seat of the van with the birthday girl herself, we arrived at a beautiful (albeit small) lake. It was the only the second 'body' of standing water on the ground that I had seen in a very long time--the first being water at the bottom of the ~20ft well we dug a while back. After surveying the area, we set up 'camp' and played games, read, built a camp fire, went to the edge of the dam overlooking a wide spanse of land (very beautiful). When dusk settled, we cooked the hamburgers and then banana boats, and sang around the camp fire (ha ha!). We stayed until the only source of lighting came from the fire or the half-moon. After cleaning up and loading up we started out for the road in the van. Problem. With the van, the boys had scaled a small incline and then drove a bit further. We were not making it back over the small wall. We figured it must have had something to do with the immense poundage in the van. Everyone piled out, except Leah and I, because we could not risk giving up our highly-coveted front seat status. For about 12 minutes we tried and failed to make it over the wall and back onto the road. Finally, with what sounded like a lot of effort from the engine, we made it over! The drive home was less eventful, but still fun. :)

Community Development

Last week, the MTSers learned a few 'community development' ideas. We devoted a day to learning about and how to use different tools and strategies which can be (and need to be) passed along to the indigenous peoples in many parts of the world. First we learned about a method of cooking which requires no electrical energy, no gas, and no real oven to speak of. It's called solar cooking, and it is aptly named as this method of cooking harnesses the energy of the sun, and uses a small device made of plastic to heat food  up to temperatures of 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Solar reflecting panels can be added to the sides to increase cooking temperatures up to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. The device is just a small black box with a clear plastic top. We, of course, tested this method with a chicken and vegetable pan and also a cake. Both cooked up in just a couple of hours, and tasted great, you'd never guess that they were not cooked in a conventional oven. We also learned of a few other fireless cooking options and techniques. Very interesting, and very appropriate and relevant among indigenous peoples and those living without most modern conveniences--since cooking over a fire is a certain health hazard. Some statistics claim that cooking over an open fire for 3 meals a day is the equivalent to smoking 15-20 packs of cigarettes per day! Along with lung problems, cataracts develop in the eyes of those who cook over an open fire long term, not to mention the great, and ever-present burn hazard. If anyone would like to look up the solar cooker we were using, you can find it online, it is called the SOS Sport Solar Cooker. They are marked up for sale in the States, so that they can be sold inexpensively to the people who are in real need of them. I, for one, think it's a great idea for people everywhere--it uses no electrical energy whatsoever, or gas, so it is environmentally friendly and "green." 

Prospero Año Neuvo Para Todos!

That means Happy New Year to all you non-Spanish speakers!  ;) 

I arrived back in Tlaxiaco at 1:30am Saturday night after three weeks in the States for Christmas break. Although, I have to say that it wasn't much of a 'break,' as we were so busy the entire time--although I don't mind, I enjoy busyness, and it was great seeing my family and catching up with them all! We had a wonderful, blessed Christmas and turn into 2009. It was hard to leave my family and John, but it was so great to get back into Mexico!

Now we are all re-adjusting and getting back into the swing of things. It was also great to be reunited with my GFM family here in Oaxaca! The girls I live with and I have a lot of fun in our room, and we've been missing the good times and togetherness! :) Today is Dia de los Reyes (Day of the Kings) which is just as big as Christmas in Mexico, it represents when the Wise Men found baby Jesus in the stable. So, the gringos threw a party for the Mexicans in the Colonia in which we live (Aldolpho Lopez Mateos) today! We made 350 tamales for the party (so that is the first authentic Mexican dish I know how to make), stuffed piñatas, made stove popcorn, and displayed Chronicles of Narnia in Spanish for the crowd. We had about one hundred people show up for the celebration; it was a success!