Recently I've learned a lot about Mexico. I'm a curious person and so I ask questions. But what I have learned has made me think, a lot. My dad asked me before I left whether or not Mexico was a third world country. I didn't really know and I assumed it wasn't so I just said no. But what I've learned is that it isn't a first world country, nor a second world country. It is a "developing" county. About 50% of the population lives in poverty as a third world country. 20% live as a first world country, like the U.S. and the remaining 30% are middle class. I guess I wasn't expecting these numbers, so they took me by surprise.
Friday morning, as we were driving through small towns I saw lots of children walking to school. I inquired about the education system here and what I learned breaks my heart. 4 in 100 children that begin elementary school graduate from high school and 1 in 300 make it to the University. Many children are forced to quit their studies to help their families make ends meet. Kristine and I met one Mexican girl the first time we went to a bible study. Her name is Norma and she is new to the faith. She is 23 years old and she works from 7-3 in her family's panaderia. From 4-8 she attends school. She works six days a week. She is not in the University yet. I can't believe it. I don't know how she does it. But I've learned that this is not an uncommon situation here. Carlos also informed me that only 60% of the teachers actually pass a test issued covering mathematics and grammar.
I also learned that minimum wage is 50 pesos for 8 hours. That is equivalent to just under 5$ for a whole days work. I know..... the first time I heard this I thought I misunderstood but when I asked for clarification these same numbers stared me in the face. About 40/45 % of the people earn this. Others earn maybe two or three times this. But if you think about it, it's not a whole lot more. I've heard many people argue that Mexican prices are way cheaper, but in reality they are not a whole lot different from the U.S. At least, not enough to make up for the difference in pay. Many people work six days a week and get paid for seven days of work. I still can't believe it. I make twice the minimum wage in ONE hour of work. Carlos shared with me that the problem with Mexico is the poor distribution of money and that is due to a lack of Education.
I am really enjoying my experience here. I live with a middle class family. But I so wish that I could experience the other 50% of Mexico. I want to know both sides, and it makes me so sad that what I'm receiving here, is the best of the best. I don't want to walk away from Mexico only having known the 50% of Mexico that is first world. I want to experience and learn more about how the other half live. I'm hoping that I will have that opportunity.....
I posted some pics so you can click on the link to view them.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
rEaLity iN mExicO...
Guanajuato
ckr). San Miguel is known for it's beauty. Next we stopped in Dolores de Hidalgo where we visited the Cathedral in which the "Grito de Dolores" was given almost two hundred years ago. This is the event that marked the beginning of the Independence. We also visited Miguel de Hidalgo's house. He was the leader of the Independence movement until his death in 1811. We strolled around the city while enjoying some "Beso de Angel" ice cream. Here we are at the above savoring every last bite. =)We finally arrived in Guanajuato in the evening and decided to rest up for the next day's journey. We began our adventures early the next morning. Our first stop was another Catholic Church. We visited the church because it was constructed with the profits of the silver mine that we also visited. I am continually awed by the amount of effort that these churches must have taken to construct. Inside they are absolutely gorgeous and there is so much gold. I'm still learning about Catholicism and I'm hoping that by the time I leave here I will have grasped a clear understanding of the religion.
We then visited one of the first silver mines established in Guanajuato. We were able to go down into the entrance of one of the mines and it was really neat. They had some hard hats at the entrance that we could use and Kristine and I decided that it would be fun to use them. Who would
have ever thought that you actually needed it! I seriously was going for fashion when I put that hard hat on but by the time I exited the cave I was glad that I had chosen to use it. I followed Kristine and Carlos into the cave, all of whom are shorter than I. Carlos is probably a whole foot shorter and so he just walked through 
with no problem, but as for me, every 5 or 6 feet or so I would bunk my head on the ceiling. My head felt so heavy with the hard hat but had I not wore that hat I may have had some serious injuries. (hehehe.....) Here is a picture of me playing around with one of the tools that miners used to use. Poor Carlos, we asked him to take so many photos of us, and sometimes we felt silly being silly in pics. I'm sure he was relieved when his duty ended in the evenings.We also visited the Museo de la Alhóndiga de Granaditas, where most of the Españoles were killed two hundred years ago. Now it is just a museum that contains most of the history of Mexico, but it was neat to think that we were standing where the Spaniards had taken refuge a couple hundred years ago.
Here Kristine and I are standing near the replica of the bell that initiated the start of the Independence in Dolores. The original is actually located in Palacio Nacional in Mexico City. I'm hoping that Kristine and I will have the opportunity to return and see Diego Rivera's murals.In addition, Kristine and I visited the House that Diego Rivera lived in until he move to Mexico City when he was eight. It is now a museum and contains many pieces of his artwork. I really enjoyed this museum. I think I tested the patience of Kristine and Carlos who wanted to go at a more rapid pace.
After a long morning of visiting museums, we enjoyed a pleasant meal together in the center of town. Later, Kristine and I departed for the Mercado, the town market. We spent hours wandering around looking at all of the different things to buy. It was so neat. After our adventures with
out Carlos, we returned to the hotel where we played in the pool and got ready for the "Grito."At 9pm we headed to the center of town to dine. After finishing our meal we headed over to the main plaza where the Grito was held. There were sooooo many people but it was so cool to actually see the grito take place. After the shouting there was a celebration of fireworks. I don't think I have ever been so close to fireworks in my life. But it was quite an experience, and one to remember!
On Sunday we were granted the privilege of sleeping in. After breakfast we took off for the Mummy Museum because I really wanted to go. Kristine wasn't so interested but she had planned to hang out at the mini mercado there. We spent forty minutes driving around town in search of the museum. Carlos said he knew where we were and how to get there. In a book that I read recently it said to just let men figure it out, them them find their way. I would have rather stopped to ask for directions but I wanted to be supportive of his determination to find the museum without help.
We finally arrived to find a huge line and to be informed that we had not been supplied with adequate funds for our trip and if I wanted to go inside I would need to pay for it myself. Well, that would have been fine, except that I had spent my money on gifts the previous day. Since Kristine and Carlos were not going to enter I decided to check out the market with Kristine and be on our way back to Morelos. On our way back we stopped in Querétaro which is where the conspiracy started. We returned to Cuernavaca in the evening. I had a lot of fun on this trip and I learned soooo much, too.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Life goes on....
Kristine and I are having a lot of fun but we are both missing the comfort and support of home and friends. Please keep us in your prayers as we continue our journey here in Mexico.
On a more upbeat note, Kristine and I have continued to attend our Aerobics class despite the embarrassment it always brings. Kristine told me that it must be hilarious to the teacher that we still continue to come because, "No. 1 We absolutely suck (excuse the language) and No. 2 We're sassy about it." Every time we begin an exercise that requires coordination we give the instructor a look like, "are you kidding me?" The instructor has taken note of our attendance and now knows are names. The other day I was completely unable to do one of the exercises so she stopped the class and asked me to move forward so that I could see. I shrunk further back and kindly protested by saying that I could see perfectly from where I was at. I definitely did not figure the exercise out even when the teacher came and stood right next to me showing me the exercise. Sometimes I just stand there with a puzzled look and wish that I were somewhere else. And other times I just do what I can do and I smile at the Instructor. I think that Kristine and I are comic relief for her. We are the youngest in the class and yet we are the least coordinated. I so wish that you were there to get a laugh out of it yourself.
As far as my family goes, they are amazing. I am truly blessed to be a part of this family. When I am sad they always remind me of everything that I have and that I should be happy. They remind me that above all I have Christ and I should be happy and loving. It's not always easy to hear this when you're having a pity party, but it reminds me again and again where my heart and mind should be. This experience truly is a blessing from God and I should seek to get the most from it. I think the thing I'm most excited for in the remaining time is building stronger relationships with my family. They are so loving and Mirna and I have amazing conversations. She challenges me to defend my faith and beliefs and to explain them thoroughly. Although I'm at a point in my faith journey where I'm asking questions, I'm being challenged to push past that and seek answers so that I myself can provide solid proof and answers to Mirna. Right now, she is at a point in her faith journey where she is asking very difficult questions about God. She doesn't attend church because of the conflict it brings in her family, but she does believe in Christ and she is craving to know more and more. I hope that God continues to give me the strength to minister to her and be the listening ear that she needs.
Tomorrow, Kristine and I begin teaching English to children at a local church. I am super excited for this new experience for I feel that I will learn so much. We don't have any materials to work with so I'm being challenged to use my creativity. Please be praying for this experience. We will be teaching for the next twelve weeks!!!!
Well, I don't have any other exciting news at the moment so I'll bring this to a close. This week is a busy week so I probably won't update my blog until next Monday. Once again, thank you thank you thank you!!!! You don't know how much joy it brings me to know that my friends and family are journeying with me.
Mexico City
This last weekend Kristine and I traveled to Mexico City. We were accompanied by our Culture and Civilization teacher, Carlos. I kind of felt bad for the guy because Kristine and I were wandering all over, taking forever to shop. He was sooooo patient with us and he told us to take as much time as we wanted. We'll be spending the entire next weekend with him, too. We have a three day excursion and at this point, it looks as if it will just be the three of us!
We first went to visit the Palacio Nacional but were unable to because they were doing some preparations for the Presidents arrival. He will be speaking on September 15th. Their Independence Day is the 16th. We won't be in Mexico City but we will be shouting, "Viva México." I really want to go back when we can go inside because there is a mural there by Diego Rivera that tells the History of Mexico. I was fascinated by his last mural and I would love to see this one. We wandered around a little bit on the plaza and did a little shopping. There are so many indigenous people selling things and they all cost relatively the same. You just want to buy something from everyone. We got to see the remains of a Aztecan Pyramid and we got to go into a really old Cathedral. Part of the building was originally constructed by the Aztecas.
After we finished near the plaza we visited the Museum of Anthropology. Our teacher took us through the Aztecas & Olmecas. It was interesting but there was just soooooo much information that it was a bit draining as well. We got to have our picture taken under the ORIGINAL Aztecan calendar and that was pretty neat. Kristine and I took some time to go through the Mayas and a few others. We then moved on to the upstairs which consisted of the different Indigenous groups today. I was kind of bummed because there was so much information and I did not have the time nor the energy to read it all. Hopefully, I'll be able to get a descriptive overview soon. I'm so fascinated with the different Indigenous groups and their way of living.
For those of you who prefer to look at pictures rather than read, I have uploaded some pictures to my Flickr account. Just click on the picture above and it will take you to the other pictures, too. There is a pretty comical picture there and also the one with us beneath the Aztecan calendar. I hope you enjoy! =)
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Tepoztlan
Here are some more pics of our adventures in Mexico. Just click on the picture and it will take you to Flickr.com. Then you will see some of my other photos to the right. Click on it to see the rest. I hope you enjoy! =)
Thank you once again for journeying with me!
Monday, September 3, 2007
A weekend to remember....
Saturday Kristine and I traveled to Tepoztlan, an older town that mostly consists of indigenous people and foreigners. First, we hiked up to the pyramid, Tepozteco
. It was 2 kilometers to the top. We were the only students on this excursion and we were accompanied by Irma, the program director. She told us that the average time to hike up it was an hour and a half but that she could do it in 30 minutes. I gasped for air when I heard that. Anyways, we got lucky and Irma was sick so she went slower. It took us about an hour to get up the mountain. I´d like to say that I was right up there with her all the way, but I definitely wasn´t. It was a hard hike, and I´m not one with great skill. Therefore, I ended up hiking up alone most of the time, meeting people along the way. I met a group of kids who encouraged me all the way. Later in the day I ran into them a couple of times and we exchanged greetings. I think the only thing that really got me up that mountain was my own determination. There were wet stone steps all the way, making it impossible to drag your feet.
Here is a picture that Kristine took of me while I was climbing the last part of the trail. The closer we got to the top of the mountain the more steep it got and the more slippery, too.But after a long hard hour of heavy breathing and sweating I finally made it to the top. It was probably one of the proudest moments in my life. I know is sounds crazy
but, really, the hike was crazy. I prayed to God numerous times to open my lungs so I could take in his beautiful creation. Sadly, he didn´t open my lungs but he did open my eyes to the breathtaking creation around me.On Sunday, I went to Church and then returned to the house around 2 for lunch. At 3pm my family and I were picked up by a taxi. We went to Office Depot to buy a couple of things and then we went to the Galerias. The "Galerias" is the mall that they have here. It is a bit smaller than the malls in the Portland area but is very similar in appearance. The stores are all different but you can find your favorite popular brands in the department stores.
While I was at the mall I decided to get my hair cut. I went to the Salon and my family helped me pick a hair style. After I had chosen what I wanted I was ushered to the back where I sat in a massage chair while I got my hair washed. My hairdresser was a young man, and I must admit that it was a bit of an awkward experience. Usually you talk to the hair dresser as they are cutting your hair but since I didn't feel like exposing my wonderful Spanish skills he cut my hair in silence. Mirna and Arantza were with me the entire time and that made it a bit easier in some respects. Mirna proceeded to tell the young man that I had a beautiful face and that she wanted the best for me. That contributed to the awkwardness. Anyhow, I didn't chop off my hair I just chopped it up. It's quite different, but I like it. (And mom, I know you won't like the bangs because they are in my eyes but I think they'll have grown out by December!)
Before we left the mall we bought some sweets for the ride home. Here we are, Arantza and I, eating mango covered in chili. It w
as messy, but it was delicious. Before we arrived home we stopped at a Panadaria to by some pan for supper. Arantza and I got pan that had chocolate inside and it was soooooooo good. It wasn't a chocolate cream it was just mushy dark chocolate inside. Not a very good explanation but it was delicious!
