Barranca y Tonala

Saturday, one of my roommates and I decided to go "hiking" with Ricky, the son living in our house.  Oh my gosh!  This was not hiking like I have hiked before.  The pictures do not do it justice..it was by far the hardest thing I have ever done.  After nearly spraining my ankles on the way down (the path was nothing but pebbles), we finally go to the bottom of the mountain to find a beautiful river.  The peaceful feeling lasted about 5 minutes due to the fact that we had to hike, or should I say crawl up an abandoned railroad to reach the top.  There were literally points in the path that in order to move forward and not tumble down the mountain, it was necessary to get on all fours!  We opted out when we got halfway up the mountain to exit onto the pebbles and weave our way back to the top.  It was a great workout, but extremely hard. My goal is to go back once a week so that I can one day tolerate going up the whole way on the railroad tracks. 

View from the top of the mountain

Random horses on the trail

On the way up...this pic does not do it justice!!

Sunday, I went to Tonala, which is a huge market about 45 minutes outside of downtown.  It was crazy, but I got lots of souvenirs.  I have one midterm on Wednesday and the other is on Thursday.  I have been a little frustrated in class because I feel like by the time I grasp something, we move on to something more complicated.  Then, I walk out on the street and have no idea what people are saying!  It is so frustrating, but I know I have to be patient in this. We are going to La Puerta Vallarta this weekend, which is a beach about 5-6 hours away.  I am excited, but also anxious in that I am traveling with a group I do not interact with much here. While I do desire companionship here, I also know that the Lord is continuing to teach me to fill myself with Him alone.  I cannot tell yall how much your encouraging emails and phone calls mean to me!  I miss ya'll so much and am praying for you too!  

My Safe Haven...

Starbucks is only about 5 blocks from my house!

This is definitely my safe haven and I am so thankful we found it.  It is the place I can come and communicate with all of you and it brings a sense of peace to my day!  It is so cute and best of all, has great internet service!  Well, I am almost done with week 2!  I have to say that week 2 week by pretty fast.  Thank you so much for your continued prayers and encouragement.  I know I have said this before, but they truly do keep me going and lift my spirits!  I love hearing from ya'll!  So my roommates are from Nebraska and I already have one of them saying ya'll!  I love it!  Yesterday, my group went to Zapopan, which is about 15 minutes from where our school is.  It was beautiful and of course when I took out my camera, it was dead!  I am going to back though on my own so I can take pictures.  The people here in Guadalajara are extremely proud and protective of their country and bring everything to the feet of their "virgin" asking for help in defending their country.  We went into a church yesterday where we walked into the entry way and their were pictures of babies, thank you cards, etc thanking the virgin for protection and healing.  But then you turn the corner and their is Jesus in the tomb.  It is obviously a very Catholic centered country and everyone is extremely religious.  But they also like to have a good time!  On the other side of my bedroom wall is a bar.  I am accustomed to going to sleep every night to people screaming, singing and whatever they are doing over there! After our tour in Zapopan, we went to dinner at a little quaint Mexican restaurant and it was delicious.  Surprisingly, the food here is not as weird as I thought it would be.  It looks weird but it tastes fabulous!  After dinner, a few people went over the a Karaoke bar and sang Shakirah.  It was so funny, because the crowd (which consisted of about 10 other people) stared at us until she started singing in Spanish, then they would join along.  It was fun, but I am not into the night scene here.  I would rather come to Starbucks and chat with ya'll!  Sorry this entry is so random!  Lots of thoughts!  Ok, well again, I love ya'll and miss you!

Inside the starbucks...so cute!

La Luche Libre

Hey!  So, last night, we went to "La Lucha Libre" which basically means to me, "very very bad WWF."  Oh goodness.  Because of all the hype here over this event, I had so much anticipation all day awaiting our arrival to the arena.  Basically, EVERYONE in town comes out for this and is an excuse for everyone to drink, cuss and scream at each other as these 110lb. mexican men "fight" in costumes that we dressed up in when we were 12.  The most exciting part of this was seeing what type of outfits the men had chosen and what songs they had chosen for their amazing entrance into the "fighting" ring.  Then came the worst acting I have ever seen in my life.  Worse than "Days of our Lives" I promise!  It makes me laugh just thinking about it!  

Anyways, we are headed to a museum tomorrow which should be pretty neat and then I am going to a Salsa club to apply what I have learned in class!  Really I am just going to watch because it blows me away how good people can dance here.  We have our midterm exams next week, so please pray that I would retain some information!  I did learn to say "Que Miran!!"  to all the mexican men that do nothing but stare at gringas when they walk by.  I don't know what is so amusing about seeing someone from the U.S. walk down the street, but apparently it is.  I miss ya'll and hope ya'll are doing well.  Oh!  I found a Starbucks about 5 blocks from my house that has free internet, so what a great excuse to go to Starbucks a couple of times a week!  

Some of my roommates, Adrianne and Kendra

First Week Down!

The roof top with private access...perfect for my quiet times!

At the restaraunt we went to on Friday, they were playing right next to our table!

"La Bodeguita del Medio"

Cuban food from "La Bodeguita del Medio"

Our front door and a little internet cafe right next door!

The street I live on

Well, I have made it through the first week and have survived! I can't say that the first week went by fast, but I was able to do so much throughout the city! I went on a tour of the city and ate at an incredible little Mexican restaraunt where they had homemade guacamole! We also went to a Cuban restaraunt in which I have included pictures from. School is good, but just frustrating at times. I think I am learning and then go out on the street and have no idea what people are saying. I just want to know Spanish NOW and know that it will take time and patience. Saturday, I was able to visit with Mrs. Imellda's (my homestay mum) family. As soon as I walked in the door, there was a precious baby boy and his little 3 year old sister! Their family was so welcoming and sweet to me while I was there. I also went to the Galleria where I bought C.S. Lewis´s The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe in Spanish. Everyone here tells me that reading in Spanish is a great way to learn the way they speak, which is definitely the hardest part of the language. I just finished our latin dance class and today we learned the Salsa. Um, I don´t think I can shake it like our instructor can, but it was fun!




Of course, God was timely in what He taught me this week. If anyone has not read, Lord Change My Attitude, I highly recommend it! I am learning about simply being content and allowing the Lord to be enough. That is so applicable to me right now in that I don´t have my friends and family here with me and at times, I feel very alone. God is so good in that, no matter where we are, He is enough. I so want to get to the point where I am completely content in what I have, but constantly growing in who I am. Let me tell you, I know God is going to stretch me here! I would ask you to pray for healthy companionship here, thatI would make a difference in the people I come into contact with and be confident in knowing the Lord has gone before me. He has revealed that to me more and more as I see that He has prepared a specific place for me here. I miss ya´ll and love you! Many of you have asked for my mailing address but they say that the mail system here is terrible and anything we mail will not reach each other before I am home!

Mi Casa

View from the entrance into her house.

Living/Dining Area

Mi Dormitorio I share with another student from CEPE.

Learning, Learning, Learning!

Thanks so much to everyone for sending me encouraging emails, comments, phone calls and texts!  They truly do lift my spirits and help to keep my focus up!  I can admit I am to the point right now where I am so sick of Espanol!!!  We are not allowed to speak in English in class and it is muy dificil!!!  We went to the zoo the other day and I got to feed a giraffe!  It was so beautiful.  They have so many animals that I do not see often in the U.S.  Yesterday, I had the opportunity to go volunteer at an orphanage here in Guadalajara and it was awesome.  The kids are basically from families that cannot support them or from families they have never known.  I am so excited about the opportunity to go there weekly.  I am starting latin dance classes next week on Tuesdays and Thursdays which should be so fun!  I am going to learn how to shake it like Shakirah!  

I am learning so much from my host family.  The nephew stays up with us nightly to simply converse with us and help us with homework, etc.  There is so much about the Spanish language that seems like I will never learn, but I am trying!  Thank you for your prayers!  God is teaching me how consistent He is and how He is the same here as He is in Guadalajara!  Love ya'll and miss you all so much!

Making the Adjustment

Sorry it has taken me so long to update this!  I am just now getting to use my laptop and promise to keep everyone up to date!  I have to say it has been 3 very long days.  Getting here was mass chaos...I almost didn't make my flight, but me and my bags made it.  It has been quite an adjustment and I am continuing to learn how to adapt to my surroundings and my living situation.  I am living with 4 other girls, all of whom are studying abroad at CEPE.  Most of them are fairly good spanish speakers, which is helpful, but also frustrating being the only one in the house that can't really communicate with my house "mum."  My host "mum" is so sweet, so serving and is trying so hard to communicate with me.  She is not having much luck!  We started classes today and hopefully things will pick up pace from here.  I am learning that God is the same here as He is at home, which brings me comfort amidst "uncomfortable" circumstances.  I read in the message bible the other day in Hebrews from Chapter 12 "Do you see what this means-all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on?  It means we better get on with it.  Strip down, start running, and never quit!  Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in.  Study how He did it.  Because He never lose sight of where He was headed-that exhilarating finish in and with God-He could put up with anything along the way:  cross, shame, whatever.  And now He is there, in the place on honor, right alongside God."  I just pray and ask all of you to pray that I do not lose sight of why I am here and the purposes the Lord has for me here and when I return.  Miss ya'll like crazy!  

I am a blogger now!

Just wanted a way to keep in touch with you all while I am in Mexico.