A lot and a little have happened since my last post. A lot simply because it's been a good two months since I last posted, but a little because I more or less got into a routine here. Most days have consisted of school, work or church stuff, or a combination.
As of last week, I finished school (the official date was Nov 26th), which seems crazy that I'm already all done before December. School was manageable minus the exam weeks. For example, during the 3rd quarter exams week, I had 4 presentations, 4 exams and 1 report due. And I only had 4 classes. We had weeks of coasting, and then they just piled on the work in one, concentrated week. It parallels with what I've learned about the time and work culture here: wait til the last minute to do it.
I went on two other trips since then: one to Oaxaca and one to Guadalajara. For the latter, I forgot to bring my camera. But honestly, instead of traveling, I spent a lot of time building relationships. I've gotten to know some really awesome people at church, and I know I'm going to miss them. Along those lines, I also love the students I'm teaching for the English classes. They are all 10+ years older than me, but they're really friendly and excited about classes- they've made the job super enjoyable.
People always ask not IF but WHEN I'll be back. God willing, we'll see how that plays out. I've really enjoyed being an English teacher and have picked up Spanish pretty well. I keep telling people I couldn't hardly make sentences when I arrived, but now I'm able to have normal-people conversations. I could see myself in Mexico or another Spanish-speaking country in the future... but that's all God-willing. We'll see. As of now, I still have time left back at Purdue.
Speaking of, my flight date back to the US is Dec 17th. That means I have about another 3 weeks here. I'm still staying occupied with school and work, but without school, I have A LOT more free time. I'm trying to take in the Mexican life for the last few times here and will be hanging out with friends for last times. It's definitely bittersweet because this place is starting to feel like a home, but I do miss home home.
Well, I don't think it would be too interesting to recount all the details of the what I've been up to, but I do want to add that I've learned a lot about life this semester. In Mexico, I've learned those things that you can't just read up on or have someone tell you about it, but you must experience them. A superficial one being how to master public transportation in a city. With learning the language, I've had to deal with a lot of frustration and failed attempts but am more resolute and wiser for going through it. God has taught me un chorro (=a bunch) about reliance and faithfulness in Him. I suppose, I could go on with a list of things and examples, but I'd rather tell you about it person. So if you're curious, please ask all about life when I get back :)
Lastly, I kept saying I was going to post about the international students and a daily life in Mexico. First of all, I decided my daily routine here wasn't necessarily exciting enough to write about; thus, I procrastinated and eventually decided against babbling on that topic. Concerning other internationals, I just thought it was fascinating how many other countries were represented in the program, so I wanted to list the ones I can think of: Germany, France, England, Czech Republic, Canada, Norway, Australia, Belgium, Spain, Ecuador, Colombia, Uruguay, Paraguay, Argentina, Honduras, Peru, Finland, Italy, Japan and more that I can't remember at the moment.
I'll probably being posting one more goodbye. I hope to be seeing your lovely faces soon!
This was the place we stayed at in Oaxaca. Man, it was super nice. A lot of buildings here have indoor patios, which I find really cool.
This event couldn't really be captured on camera to be appreciated. It was a wedding procession with the whole 9 yards. There was someone leading the group while shooting fireworks from their hands, they had giant paper maches of the bride and groom, there were ladies dancing with baskets on their heads, there were more dancers in the streets, there was people all over the place taking pictures... and all this went on in the middle of the street without notice. Seriously, there were cars trying to get through but this wedding parade stopped up traffic for a good while. It was sweet.
We drove an hour and hiked some more to see the amazing mountainside of Oaxaca. We swam in these natural springs.
We had tour guides that blind folded us and leads up some ancient pyramids. It was cool taking the blindfolds off when we were at the top (See next picture for view).
God is so awesome! On the other side, we could see other pyramids.
Prayer requests:
-That I would maintain a sense of openness and willingness to what God is doing here
-For some friends of mine: Juan, Erjona, Brad, Andrew, Nav, Chad and Enrique
-Safe travels for everyone going back home
-A bigger desire for God's will and not mine
Love,
Andrew
