Bienvenidos a México!!!

I have heard this phrase over and over again since arriving in Mexico: Bienvenidos a México or Welcome to Mexico!!! It has come in the form of a greeting after arriving at the airport or when meeting somebody new.
But, there have been some other times that I have heard it such as:
*when the electricity went off for 4 hours during a storm one night
*when we were driving to a clinic and there was a section of the street flooded so we had to
turn around in a narrow street
*in traffic or when somebody runs a red light
*when driving the wrong way on the highway because the right way was blocked
*after eating real Mexican tacos (like in this photos)


I've had a few days here in Mexico to take it easy and adjust to the 7,500+ ft. elevation. Because of my many travels to Guatemala and my time in El Paso/Juarez most things are pretty familiar and there is not a lot of culture shock! I've been challenged with speaking Spanish again and love being surrounded by the language - I can't wait for mine to improve some more!

A street in Pachuca, notice the houses on the
mountain in the background -
Pachuca is surrounded by mountains,
and the poorest live on the mountains.

I've been staying with a wonderful missionary family and have enjoyed my time with them so much! Today (Sunday) I traveled with a traveling medical clinic through the university to a nearby town. They had mobile dental offices and an eye clinic as well as doctors, nurses, pharmacists, psychologists, nutritionists, etc . . . who were able to help the people. After graduating from the university there is a requirement to do a certain amount of social service ranging from 6 months to a year. There were between 40-50 people staffing this clinic and a foundation that helps to fund these clinics provided us with breakfast and lunch as well as had entertainment for the patients. There was traditional Mexican singers and dancers, as well as clowns and people on stilts throughout the day. It was quite the fiesta in this little town as the clinics and entertainment all took place around the town square. I will soon start my official time with the university and will have to wait and see what that holds!

Booths set up for the medical consults.

Dental office

Town Square with Clinic set up around it

Traditional dancers from different Mexican states

Welcome baby Josephine!

My niece was born on 9/9/09 and I was so excited to be living here in Indianapolis so that I could get to the hospital and meet her just hours after she was born. She is such a beautiful little miracle - Josephine Rose!!!

Meeting her for the first time
Sleepy, but oh so pretty in pink =)

A glimpse of those pretty eyes

Proud Mom and Dad getting Josephine ready to go home

Josephine sleeping through the tour of her new room

Grandma enjoying holding her first grandchild

Can't believe I'm finally an aunt!!! So fun!!!

Day at the Indianapolis Zoo

This week mom and I were able to get to the Indianapolis Zoo for the morning, and we were so excited when Maranatha and Joseph were able to join us! We had a great time watching the Dolphin show, walking around looking at the animals, and even going for a carousel ride!!! Mom rode in the wheelchair which made it a little more interesting to maneuver around, and there was only one time that we though I was going to dump her forward . . . oops! For some reason she didn't want to go down stairs in the wheelchair, but thankfully the zoo is very handicap accessible and we just had to find the ramps.

Mom, Maranatha, and Joseph

Joseph ( I seem to always just miss his huge smile!!!)

My Urban Garden

I've had little experience at gardening - but have enjoyed trying. One year I grew zucchini and cucumbers and some herbs. Well, this year I thought I would try again, but the trick is that I only have pots to use for my garden. So, plants have been moving around from pot to pot trying to figure out the right size pot for the plant. Most of these plants I started from seed - the beans, zucchini, cucumber, spaghetti squash, and cilantro. I bought the basil and mint. Everything is getting bigger than I expected, and it's hard to keep up with the watering when the plants are in pots. The other day I decided that 3 cucumber plants were too much for the one planter because they are flowering like crazy but no cucumbers. I was contemplating just pulling up one of the plants to see if the other 2 would start producing cucumbers. So, the one day I just decided to pull up the middle plant and see what would happen. Well, once I pulled it out I got a better look under some of the leave and itty bitty cucumbers were growing =( i looked for them on the other plants and there were a couple, but not as many as were on the one that i pulled up. I was very sad, but quickly planted what was left of the root system and have been trying to see if I can keep it alive. So far the vine is alive and healthy although lots of the leave are all shriveled up and sad looking. Oops!

I have limited space, but somehow or another it seems to be working =) And so far no complaints from the neighbors =)!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is one of the bean plants - I've had a couple small servings of beans. I just started a couple more plants to see if i'll be able to have a continued harvest of beans =)

I've been able to eat 2 zucchinis already and there is a third and possibly fourth that will be ready soon - this is a photo of one of them.

I was able to freeze some basil - I ended up with 3 of those plants and they are doing fantastic. Otherwise I'm just hoping for a little bit more fruit from the garden - and that they will stay alive for the rest of the summer and into the fall! This year was kinda random in what I planted - was trying to use up some leftover seeds. Maybe next year I'll be able to try again and be a little more prepared for planting a garden that I can handle!

4th of July weekend

I have never been able to consistently celebrate the 4th of July holiday. One year I was in Guatemala, a couple years I was in Chicago sitting on the lakeshore, at Navy Pier, or in Grant Park amidst the millions of people, or at various locations like the fairgrounds near the town where I grew up. Last year I was in the midst of moving out of Chicago and was trying to get myself ready to go to Guatemala the shortly after and finish up a paper, som in the craziness didn't plan for celebrating the 4th, so I just watched fireworks on TV. Well, this year I'm living here in Indy, my mom is staying at my brother's house recovering from double knee replacement surgery and my brother, sister-in-law and her parents were all in town. I had thought it would be fun to have everyone over to my place and then walk a block or two and see if we could see some of the downtown fireworks. Well, then on the 4th it was rainy and cloudy and nobody was up for the adventure . . . good thing though because the fireworks were canceled and postponed until the 5th. So, the 5th was a busy day at my brother's house and once again nobody was interested in attempting to see the fireworks . . . except me! So, I just went back to my apartment (thankfully early enough that there was plenty of parking!) and about 5 min. before the fireworks started I walked about 3 blocks to Mass Ave. and had a perfect view of all the fireworks. It was great. Then they were over and I walked past all the poor people stuck in traffic trying to leave and back to my apartment. Next year I think that I will be planning a 4th of July party at my house - and I'll supply the fireworks =)
Here's the only 4th of july photo that I have from this year:

All in a Sunday

This morning I got off work around 3am, came home, and went to bed. I woke up to my alarm getting me up in time to make it to my church's spanish service which doesn't meet until 12:15pm, since I knew I wouldn't make it to any of the earlier services. I was rushing but ready to get out the door on time, so I grabbed my purse and Bible and rushed out the door. Before closing the door I always turn the lock on the door handle and then close the door and once outside I lock the deadbolt. Except today when I went to lock the deadbolt, NO keys in my purse!!! ooooops - they were still inside. Thankfully my sister-in-law has a key to my apartment and was able to come to the rescue and get me back into my apartment! While I was waiting I was able to re-pot some of the plants in my garden. I currently have green beans, cucumber, zucchini, spaghetti squash, basil, mint, and possibly cilantro growing. They are all in pots so I'm not sure what will grow and what will not, but i'm hoping that I get lots of use out of the plants!!! All were started from seeds except for the basil and mint!

Anyway, after cleaning up the house some and working on a project for school I decided to go for a jog/walk down by the Indy canal. It was beautiful outside, a bit crowded on the canal but not too bad. Then I saw the most precious little family of ducks swimming around, the little ducklings were tiny and so cute to watch. I rounded the curve of the canal and down a little ways was one lonely little duckling just kinda sitting scared stiff in the water all alone. I was so worried for the little duck. Paddle boats were going by it and it just hardly moved because it looked so scared and was so tiny in comparison! I couldn't leave without making sure that the little duckling got reunited with it's family, but how because the mama duck couldn't see the duckling and the duckling couldn't see the mama duck. So, I walked back down around the curve to see what the mama duck and other babies were doing. After a few minutes they started to swim back in the direction of the lost little ducking. I was so excited I just kinda walked slowly with them making sure they made it back far enough to be reunited. After about another 15 min. or so the baby duck was finally reunited with it's mother and siblings. Whew - that was a stressful exercise, but all turned out ok in the end!!!

The day ended good as it looks like we are close to finishing up our project for school. Actually, myself and another classmate are putting together a professional poster to represent a project we completed last fall and will display it at a poster session during a conference for public health educators. The conference will be in Chicago at a hotel in Greek town and I can't wait to go!!!

Memorial Day weekend

I had plans to visit my good friend from Guatemala who is visiting Warsaw, IN with her daughter on Sat. of Memorial Day weekend. Before I left that morning I decided that since I didn't have to go to work until the following Wed. that I would continue on to visit some friends in Chicago as well. Below is my friend Anel and her beautiful daugher Annika. We had fun at McDonalds so that we could chat while Annika played on the indoor playground.
I love how she was laughing hysterically like in the above photo, until we went to take the below photo and she wouldn't even look at the camera let alone smile!

Then I went to Lowell to spend the night at my mom's house before heading up to Chicago Sunday morning. I was able to go to Armitage en Espanol - it was so great to see my chicago church family and be welcomed back with open arms by the spanish congregation. I even got to meet a couple who are still missionaries in Guatemala after 59 years . . . they are well into their 80's and continue to minister there. What a testimony! Sunday was a rushed day as I got in a quick visit to the old apartment and got to see one of my housemates that still lives there. Then off to lunch with another friend. And then, probably the whole reason I needed to get to Chicago to visit: to see Jeanette and her baby Shayne!!! They are below - he is such a beautiful little angel!!! I was so excited to finally see her again and meet her baby! As we were walking in the park we had fun running into a former co-worker from Children's who was 40+ weeks pregnant and trying to walk the baby out =) It was nice to catch up with her unexpectedly (and thankfully she has since had the baby)!!!



After my visit with Jeanette I was able to see Jackie - another former housemate from the Nottingham house. Monday morning was spent playing with her niece and nephew and then going to brunch with some of her family. Then back to Lowell to see mom before having to get back to Indy for work on Wed.

It was a fun spontaneous trip, although I never get to see everybody that I want in such a quick visit to Chicago. There were so many good friends that I would have loved to see, but time just didn't allow!