Hello Friends, Family, and Curious Strangers,
¡Saludos de la Ciudad
de México!
This is my first blog post from México. And I’m in my last
week here. Nonetheless, I wanted to write to share how I’ve been blessed
abundantly throughout this time, and maybe a few things I’ve learned.
I was sent to México City (really, a municipality outside
the federal district called Tlanepantla) by the Evangelical Friends Mission.
“Friends”, or Quakers, are known for practicing peace (non-violence), being
open to current revelation by the Holy Spirit of GOD, and choosing to live
simply.
A link about a Quaker: casadelosamigos.org
I came primarily to learn—of the culture, of how the church
works in their community, and of the reasons why México is the way it is. I
also wanted to support a cause, so I’ve been volunteering in the Compassion
International Mexico office. Compassion works to alleviate poverty by
connecting through churches poor children in Mexico with generous sponsors in 1st
world countries.
CULTURE
It is every sight, sound, rhythm, taste, smell, and feeling
that you may experience here. Every moment is fully Mexican. The colorful
square-ish homes, the tiendas (stores) and puestos de comida (food carts), the loud traffic, the
broken sidewalks... and in smaller towns the rural peace of hot dust and
savagely resilient brush, the cobbled streets, the houses in hacienda style, the asoteas (flat rooftops) where you can see for kilometers.
In the street there is music sounding from las casas (houses), las tiendas (stores), unabashedly cranked all the way up, filling
the air with rhythms of banda, bachatas,
reggaetón, and the occasional US pop.
La comida is
flavored with chile y limón, cilantro y epazote, y canela (cinnamon) y chocolate. It is accompanied always
by tortillas or tostadas, and aguas frescas
or café. It is communal—we always
share meals together. And it is made from scratch—everything in the house is
freshly bought in the market and prepared with love, and you can also find
countless puestos (kiosks) in la calle
(street) selling Vitamin T (tacos, tortas,
tlacoyos), fruta picada (chopped
fruit), churros, y jugos (juices). All
delicious.
Walking through the city there are parts that smell of carnitas (roasted pork tacos) or pan (bread), and others like Parque Chapultepec where you just keep
inhaling as deeply as you can because the naturaleza
(nature) smells so fresh and healthy. And, of course, one of the prices of
“progress” is contamination of our natural world, and so there is plenty of
that smell as well—here in the city.
When we have traveled through the Mexican countryside and
various towns, I watch the landscapes pass by in wondrous delight. When I
learned how to get around town on my own, a sense of independence and freedom.
Upon seeing new sights, a new museum, Aztecan ruins, an excitement and
stimulation in that student in me. In greeting friends in the church, Compassion, or home, a warm acceptance.
I suppose the best thing about being in any new place is
experiencing wonderful things for the first time and then getting the chance to
experience them again as you develop rhythms, favorites, and friendships.
PEOPLE
& PLACES
I have been blessed to have met distinctly beautiful human
beings in this time. The family that hosted me took me in as one of their own.
The parents have impressed me with their love and consideration for one
another, their mutual efforts to work, keep house, keep faith, keep strong
their marriage, and continue supporting their grown children. The mother has a
strength and perseverance that you couldn’t imagine—that I think stems out of
love for her family and for GOD in each human being, and just stubbornness. And
she is just a delight. She is a joyful spirit—singing and dancing through the
house chores, laughing and cotorreando (joking
around) when her family or friends are present sharing a meal—and she has an
almost-limitless well of patience and understanding. This is Lety. I love her.
Her husband is also a truckload of fun—his jokes, his
expressions—he can always make us laugh. I was very surprised when I first
began to see how he and Lety run their house—that he helps, that he doesn’t demand things (like food), but rather asks favors, and that he is just as
involved in the lives of his children as Lety. This is Toño. I love him too.
Through Lety and Toño I’ve met their friends—another married
couple with grown daughters who are kind and wise—the woman made the effort to
take me to various super interesting museums in D.F., including El Templo Mayor.
El Templo Mayor is
the ruins of the principle temple of the Aztecas, and was said to be the center
of the earth according to the position of the stars. It is where the Mexicas*
[Meh-SHEE-kus] gathered to offer sacrifices to the gods, among other
activities. You can enter the temple and walk among the ruins, which are
incredibly preserved—serpents carved out of stone, and other designs with paint
still intact after being covered with dirt and built over for hundreds of
years. After you walk through the temple ruins, you enter the museum which
presents more artifacts that were found in the excavation of the temple and an
impressive exhibition of history throughout eight large themed rooms. It is
really incredible. And the entrance fee is only $64MX pesos, which is like $4US
dollars. AND, it is right in the middle of the city, which is just awesome that
they preserved this area amidst grand buildings and modern shops.
I’ve also been invited into a group of older people from
church to play basketball after the Sunday services. It is the best.
And Compassion International is just chock-full of awesome
people, which make it really fun and worthwhile to be there.
And lastly, the “goodbyes” have been too many, really, but
the “hellos” are worth them, maybe? I’ve met people from other towns, states,
and churches, who have taught me various life lessons, and encouraged my soul.
For now, I sign off, as my computer is about to die and
maybe not wake again... for a while.
PEACE! LOVE! JOY in the ADVENTURE!
*”Mexica” is nauhuatl (the indigenous language of the
Aztecas) for “Azteca”. It is where we get the name of the country, México.
