Life in Mexico

I would just like to give you a quick update about life in Mexico.

We didn’t have school off for Labor Day; instead we had Thursday and Friday off for Mexican Independence Day. The Independence Day is Friday, September 16th and instead of having classes we marched around Ticul in our uniforms from 6:30 AM (yes, in the morning) to about 9:30. The parade was the quietest one I’ve ever seen or been a part of! I thought people would clap and cheer but instead we walked in our lines silently with only the sound of the ‘banda de guerra’ or the war band (drums and trumpets) playing.  And yes, it was mandatory.

Independence Day means a lot of partying and Dzan is well-known for its ‘corridas de torros’ or shortened to ‘corridas’.  I have never seen one, but from what I understand it is like a rodeo or a bull fight. It takes place in the center of town and I knew it was something big when, about a week before, we heard loud fireworks (sounded like gunshots) throughout the day to get people’s attention. Next I started seeing more horses and bulls than usual. Finally I saw the stadium being built. They build it out of wood and put it up in only a couple a days. It didn’t look like the sturdiest structure but apparently people pack the top and bottom levels.  Las corridas are something in which we choose not to participate.  The bulls are mistreated and tortured before being killed. I believe they are a kind of sacrifice sometimes to a Mayan god or a Catholic saint. My friends from school ask me why I don’t go and it is a really good opportunity to talk with them. Everybody I have met is Catholic and I want to find out more about what they believe. Please pray for me as I talk to them about God and His Truth.

I recently finished my fourth week in school and it was so much better than the first day! I have two very good friends who are always willing to help me and I try to return the favor by teaching them English.

Before coming to Mexico I knew how to speak Spanish but now I am learning to speak it like they do and I am learning their vocabulary. For example, in kindergarten I learned that ‘adios’ means goodbye. Yes, they say adios at times but their most common word is ‘bueno’. I used to think bueno meant good but now I know it also means: goodbye, see you later, and thanks all at once. Also, instead of saying Buenos Dias, Buenos Tardes, or Buenas Noches (Good morning, Good afternoon or Good night) they either say Buenos or Buenas. They are always using that word, so I do too!

Besides becoming a better Spanish speaker, I also hope to learn a little Mayan. I became friends with the owners of a store by my house and each time I buy Cremax de Nieve vanilla wafers or Chips Morado Fuego (my favorite snacks) they teach me phrases and words. It is so cool to learn about the Mayan culture and Yucatan history in school! There is so much I didn’t know!

Last weekend we went to the Mayan ruins in Uxmal. They were so very amazing! We weren’t allowed to climb the tallest pyramid but fortunately we were able to climb the second largest. The stairs were a lot steeper than I expected and I wondered how I would get back down without breaking something. The view was spectacular and it was cool to think I was standing on something constructed between 900 and 1200 A.D.  We don’t have structures that old in the United States.

This is just a taste of some of the Mexican culture I am experiencing.

God has always helped me and I know He never has and never will forsake me.
To God be the glory, Shelbi