I have wanted to come to Mexico ever since I can remember. I have always been fascinated by and amorous of the culture, the people, the food (ahhhh, the food), the music, and really just about everything Mexican. I can't explain why, it's just always been this way. So, I finally am here in Ocosingo. I have to tell you that I absolutely love being here. This is how I imagined it would be. The culture really agrees with me. The people of Ocosingo that I have met so far are kind, extremely hard-working, witty, and not concerned with unimportant details, like whose time zone we are going to follow (we're in Central, but are using Mountain time due to visiting pastors from a few hours west of here ignoring the time change). Surprisingly, the food really agrees with me as well. I apologize for the downfall of decorum, but "regularity" is a common and acceptable topic of conversation here, and I am happy to report that I have not had Montezuma's Revenge exacted upon my person.
Moving right along, here's a typical day for you. Most of us rise around 5:30 (in the AM), sometimes to the sound of fireworks announcing someone's birthday. Climbing out of bed and untangling myself from the mosquito net (mine is pink, by the way), I go to the bathroom. Luckily, the ladies' room is connected to our rooms. The men are not so fortunate. They cross the road to powder their noses. Okay, back to business (yes, pun intended). You can't flush TP, and flushing is only when necessary. You can wash your hands in the sink as long as the faucets work, but you must use sanitizing lotion afterward because you got The Water on your hands and particles of The Water might get into your mouth and/or eyes otherwise. You brush your teeth with bottled water because, well, see previous sentence. After getting dressed, you go to devotional and breakfast at 6:15. "Wait a minute," you're saying, "you didn't mention anything about a shower!" We've got showers, but you're just going to get dirty anyway, so we save that for later, because cold showers feel better when you're really ready for one.
When you walk out of the ladies' dormitory, your first sight, every morning, is a guy cranking up a lawnmower to mow the same patch of grass, every morning. After a delicious breakfast, we head to the worksite which is right around the corner. There are probably two main obstacles I have had to overcome on this trip. The first is standing around while other people work, waiting for something to do. This is very frustrating for me. I have always been of the ilk that if someone near you is working, you'd better help or find something to do, then take a break together later on. Not so here. Because of the language barrier, you can't just start doing something because you might do it wrong or mess up someone's plan. So you have to find a translator who is usually busy translating for someone else, and then the man in charge says to wait for another load of rocks or bricks or sand. So you spend a few minutes brushing up on your spanish, talking with another mission member, or getting out of the way of the multitude of dogs on the site. There's also the occasional random horse that wanders through the worksite. Working with the Mexicans is great, because they are exceptionally patient, they try their very best to communicate the job to you, they don't get mad when you mess it up, and they like to have fun, too. While I'm on the subject, I would like to take this moment to commend our group for being some fine workers. We have really accomplished much in the way of working together on very physically demanding tasks, without complaint or reluctance to help one another. Being with my church family in this way has certainly reminded me of why I chose N. Wilkesboro Presbyterian as my church home. I love you all!
After work, we get our showers (there is hot water in the annex showers, but it's just easier to tough out the cold ones right in your dorm). Another delicious meal is graciously provided for us by the wives of the pastors on retreat here as mentioned earlier. The afternoons are pretty relaxed, giving us time for fellowship with our Mexican brothers and sisters as well as each other. This brings to mind my other major obstacle faced on this trip: my security blanket I lovingly call "Personal Space" got left in the van at the airport. People get really cozy around here. I must admit, this really tried my patience for probably the first couple of days. After realizing I had no choice in the matter, I am happy to say that I can rub elbows with the best of 'em now (well, it's a work in progress, anyway). Isn't this part of the trip, after all, leaving our security blankets at home?
The evenings are varied, with bible school on some afternoons. Okay, this reminds me that there are kids everywhere here. They are some of the most precious children I have ever been around! Really. They love to have their picture taken, so I would wager that everybody else's pictures, like mine, consist mostly of children. They are so sweet; we've made friends with many of them.
I should wrap this up as we were told to keep these blogs short. Considering the trip that I am on, I think it is OK to tell you this next thought that I am now reminded of. One of my former neighbors was known as being long-winded, and another neighbor once diagnosed him as having "diarrhea of the mouth." Well, I suffer from "diarrhea of the fingers." Once I get typing, it is hard for me to condense my thoughts. Thank you for your patience if you have read this far!
I'll close with saying again what a wonderful trip this has been for me, and I thank you so much for all of your continued prayers and kind thoughts. I look forward to coming home and seeing everyone, but I have a strong feeling that I will see this beautiful place again. At least I hope so, if it is in God's plan for me.
Much love to you,
Mary Lew
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