My day of straight Spanish speaking began at 9am and didn't end until 6:30pm. Yes, I'm in Mexico and always surrounded my Spanish, but for these 9 and a half hours it was straight native speaking. This is probably the number one reason I'm tired - so much to soak up! Went to the 9am service at church this morning followed by a women's bible study/sunday school! Turns out Emily and I were in the one for married women, so when we go in the future we'll go to the one for young adults! Silly us. The sermon today was on keeping the faith, and not just loving God or finding joy in life, when you are in good circumstances. So basic, yet often hard to do. A passage that was read today and meant a lot of me was 2 Timothy 2:8-13 "This is my gospel, for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God's word is not chained. Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory. Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him. If we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us. If we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself."
After church I returned home and talked with my mom for a while. We were having family lunch (as is typical in most of Mexico - to spend the majority of your Sunday with your family) and everyone began to filter in soon after I arrived. Surprise, surprise, they're all extremely nice! They all speak English, but we of course talked in Spanish, except a few times when they couldn't think of the Spanish equilvalent for something (phew, it's not just me!) We took this picture out on the patio before everyone left!
Couple on left (brother-in-law Miguel and sister Montserrat, she's pregnant and they have the two older kids in the front Saíd (boy) and Zahía (girl)), Brother (Diego), Mom (Patricia), Couple on right (Brother Porfirio and sister-in-law Adriana with their adorable 8 month old baby Silvana)
So that's the crew! Minus the last daughter who lives in Texas with her husband, son, and baby on the way! Today we embraced the typical Mexican family. Lots of love, laughing, eating, and talking! We had a traditional Yucatecan dish, Queso Relleno, which is meat and spices inside into a ball of Edam cheese that has been carved out. It was incredible, and topped with delicious salsas! It was quite the process to make, and we all savored the hard work! Flan for dessert, need I say more? Patricia also this morning made Jamaica which is the juice of a hibiscus flower. So good! Diego brought us all treats from his trip, and we all were additionally graced with the presence of a massive one pound Toblerone chocolate bar. I loved the culture of today - all just grazing on the food, eating in no set manner, very comfortable, and close knit! The afternoon consisted of a little Karate, discussions on inappropriate television shows for kids, trashy American versions of "Mexican" food, and movie talks, as well as lots of messing around with the kids, one scraped knee, and many full bellies! It was really exciting getting to know my family more! I enjoyed sitting around the table and talking, time flew by! After we cleaned up my mom and I went to the panaderia (bakery), stopped at a tamale stand, and I got dropped off at the Central House. All while riding in style of course (I won't ever get enough of the white beetle!)
Today was such a nice and eventful day - I made new friends/family, and got a really good taste of the Mexican culture that I love! I've only been here two weeks, but a fabulous 14 days it has been!!!
Ps. One of the gifts I gave my mom was a photo book of the Twin Cities area. I had flipped through very briefly with Patricia earlier, but tonight my family had asked me to explain a few other pages and after I was going through just browsing all the different pictures. I came upon the page of Lake Harriet and realized the couple right at the front of the picture is my grandparents!! My dad's parents often go to the concerts there, and sure enough the picture captures them in their lawn chairs. It's of their backs but I could tell it was them - Very weird, very funny!
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