He always had a plan

It's been five months since I moved to Mexico, and I feel like my life here hasn't even started yet. I've been trying to enjoy my free time between college and "real life," but I'm honestly just ready for God's plan for me here to unfold. With the economic crisis, just finishing college, and moving to another country, it's hard to know where to start looking for a job. I don't want to just take anything and end up with a job that I really hate, but I also don't want to aim for something too specific and end up with nothing. I went to a few interviews here and there, but nothing seemed to be right.

Once José Luis and I knew for sure we are going to be able to visit Tennessee for Halloween, I figured continuing looking for a job at this point would be almost pointless, since I can't take a job then immediately ask for time off for the trip. One Monday, for some reason, I felt like I needed to check the job listings online one more time. I saw a listing for a job as a bilingual agent at a contact center called COINTSA, which said that if you are an American citizen, this job would be perfect for you. The pay looked great, so I sent my resume. I got a call that morning to come in on Wednesday for an interview.

I was nervous, but more excited when I walked into the office that day. I wasn't exactly sure how it was going to go, but I had learned more than ever to know that if it didn't work out, there was something better out there for me. Instead of your normal interview setting, they put all the candidates for the job in a room with desks. There were three other candidates besides me, and I was the only native English speaker. The lady giving the interview said they had just become the contact center for a company in the States and that was the reason they needed a bilingual agent. First, they made us take an 87-question personality test to measure our level of personal contact, what we would do in certain situations, etc. Then we had to write an essay in English on why we are interested in working for the company and why we are the best choice for the position. Then we all talked one-on-one with the interview lady for about five minutes each. She said this was the first interview round, but there would be another one to check our English level. Obviously, since I'm from the States, she didn't think the second round would be necessary for me. I asked if I was chosen, if my visit to the States would interfere with the training period. She said she didn't think it would be a problem. After a few other questions about my resume, she said she would let me know in a couple of days how the first interview round went.

The next day, I got a call from the office saying that I had been chosen for the position and that I can start training when I get back from the trip. Although being an agent at a call center wasn't my dream job, I think it's a great place to start and I'm so thankful to God for providing for me and always having this plan for me in mind. I'll only be working Monday through Friday, I get vacation time, and with monthly bonuses, the salary is higher than I expected. Even the training period is paid. Working in an office means a lot more friends, too.

I guess the moral of the story, as always, is that God really never leaves nor forsakes you. Although waiting for His plan may seem to take forever, it's worth it. Even if it is a little weird that I'm an American handling customer service for other Americans from Mexico.

Acapulco

It's nice to be able to say you're going to an exotic Mexican beach for a weekend getaway. Acapulco is more or less a five-hour drive from Puebla filled with beautiful mountain scenery. José Luis' parents share an apartment there with their best friends. Last week was José Luis' dad's birthday, so every year around this time they take a week's vacation to the beach. We only got to go for the weekend because José Luis had to work, but it was still nice and relaxing. We spent lots of time in the sand and sun and eating seafood. They have a maid that comes to cook for them when they stay in the apartment. There were so many American attractions there that I thought I was in the States for a while. The first beach we went to even had an American flag. Needless to say, this beach is one big, never-ending party, so we had lots of fun to go along with our relaxing. I hope I get to go back sometime for a longer stay and to see more attractions.

La Casa del Alfarero

After three months, I finally got the chance to go to church this Sunday. Since the whole country is pretty much devout Catholics, I wasn't sure where to look for a "Christian" church (here they separate Catholicism and Christianity, although in reality Catholicism is just a denomination of the Christian religion). I knew José Luis had a good Christian friend named Arturo, so I asked if he would ask him if he could help us out in that area. On Friday, we had coffee and dessert with Arturo and the pastors of a church called "La Casa del Alfarero," which means "The House of the Potter" in English. At first, I was a little nervous about meeting them, because many "Christians" here have a bad image of being extremely radical "holy rollers." I figured they would want to talk about the Holy Spirit the whole time or something like that, which bothered me because I know that puts a lot of pressure on José Luis, who has been a Catholic his whole life. However, we just talked about normal stuff like work, school, etc. for the majority of the time. I got along really well with the pastor's wife, Rocío (which happens to be the name of my Mexican mother that I lived with last year), and she asked me what kind of church I went to while I was growing up and in college. I told her I was looking for a place here not just to go to every Sunday but a place where I can feel like I belong and have a family. Since they moved to Puebla about 16 years ago, she told me she knows what it feels like to feel alone and be far away from the known. She said she hoped their congregation would feel like a family to me so I wouldn't feel so alone in a strange place.

Their service on Sundays start at 11 (more like 11:15, since Mexicans hardly do anything on time) in a little building about 10-15 minutes from our house. It was sort of weird and different for Candi and José Luis because they are both used to Catholic services, but I really enjoyed it. There were only between 10 and 20 people there, but it seemed like everyone was close-nit and welcomed us immediately. It's so easy to walk into a church and feel as if God is mad at you and you better repent quick before He strikes you down. There, however, I felt as if He was right there in the midst of us, reminding us how much He loves us and wants us to enjoy the life He gave us.

The pastor was easy to understand and talked about not letting your dreams die or letting others get in the way of accomplishing what God put in your heart. I thought the sermon was good, but more than that, I was just enjoying being in the company of other believers that are serious about seeking the will of God. I plan on continuing to go there, but I may try other churches as well. They have a Bible study/coffee session on Thursdays, too, that I may try out soon. I'm really thankful for that service, that breath of fresh air that is going to help me continue forward in my search for the purpose that God has for me here in Mexico.

See how they run

I have lived in a small town pretty much all my life and have never had a mouse problem in my house. So when I saw a mouse run across the counter in our kitchen yesterday, let's just say I was a bit concerned. I definitely steered clear of the kitchen until José Luis picked me up to go to the movies.

After I told Candi about our little issue, she, too, started hearing dirty dishes moving around in the kitchen and asked me to buy a trap on the way home from going to the movies. So, instead of buying the kinds that slam shut, we bought a kind with sticky, gummy stuff (meaning we have to kill it afterward). Although we put down two traps with two different kinds of cheese, we still came home to nothing.

Tonight as I was sitting on the couch waiting for José Luis to arrive again (story of my life), I saw it run across the living room then back into the kitchen. After that incident, I thought it might be a good time to take Miel for a walk.

Later tonight, José Luis and I were playing around on my computer when Candi told us to come quick because she saw not only one, but two mice run under the couch. José Luis was trying to explain to us that it was going to take all three of us to kill them, to which we responded with a very weak, "Ok." So we trapped them in between the couches, armed with only a broom and dustpan. When the first one made a run for it, José Luis smashed it up against the window with the broom, killing it effortlessly. The second one, however, figured out how to get out of our trap and headed for the kitchen. José Luis happened to be quicker and hit it with the broom as well. This one didn't give up the fight as easily, though. It got up and tried to start running again, but José Luis responded by stomping on it.

Although our floor was left smeared with bloody mouse guts, at least we are rid of them. José Luis told us that those were only babies and that there has to be a mother somewhere. He also mentioned the tiny detail that bigger ones will hiss and jump at you, making them much harder to kill. And the whole time we're thinking, "Great." He told us the biggest problem is Miel's food being on the floor all the time and that we need to start putting it in something that the mice can't get into and only feeding her certain times of the day to solve the problem.

I certainly hope that works, because I am still scared to even put my feet on the floor...

Sequin jackets and pink feathers

Sorry I haven't given any updates on what's been going on here lately. I guess I only want to recount the most interesting of stories. Or maybe I just forgot about my blog...

Either way, I've been getting the royal treatment while I've been here and I thought you might like to hear some details. For two weekends in a row, José Luis and I have attended two dinners where we had to dress up all fancy. The first dinner was the installation of the new president of the Rotary Club here in Puebla. All the women had to wear either black or white long dresses, and of course I don't own one because I've never been to anything in my life fancier than prom. So for that one, I had to borrow a dress from Gaby, José Luis' sister. However, I was quickly informed of another party the coming weekend.

José Luis' parents are members of a danzón club in Puebla. Danzón is a dance from Cuba, usually danced by old people (not a whole lot of movement). His parents helped organize the event, which included various danzón groups performing in front of around 2000 guests. I figured if I am going to events like this so often, I better go ahead and buy a simple black dress. I spent a lot of time and energy planning the whole outfit: jewelry, shoes, makeup, hair, etc, expecting this evening to be similar to the week before. José Luis and I looked pretty snazzy that night (as you can see from the picture), but when we got in the car, he let me in on a little secret about danzón parties. Apparently, I was going to see some very strange things that night. He told me his mother, who comes from one of the wealthiest families in Puebla, is mortified to participate in the whole danzón thing because it's for nacos (Mexican version of redneck). She only goes because his dad enjoys it. This would not be Rotary Club night.

When we entered the dance hall, I knew we had to be some of the only people there that had any fashion sense at all. We saw sequin jackets, chains hanging from pockets, and even a suit equipped with pink shoes and a pink feather for the hat (if you want to see pictures, click on the link to the left for my Facebook albums). We hardly danced at all because the music was all danzón/boring stuff. I think we had more fun making fun of the way people were dressed and how they danced. Although not the most memorable night of my life, it still deserves to be put on my list of amusing things that can only happen in Mexico.