Halloween

After five months of living in Mexico, I finally got to come home to the States for a visit. The plans were very last minute, because we weren't sure if José Luis' schedule would allow him to be gone for so many days. About a week before we left, we had decided that José Luis, his sister, Gaby, and I would be making the voyage in car from Puebla to Dover. Two days before we left, Gaby felt like leaving for a week would put her behind on her German classes and gym training, so she decided not to go. The next day, José Luis' friend, Arturo, called and begged to go with us. Since I've only driven in Mexico once, José Luis figured it would be a good idea to bring a fellow Mexican along to help drive on this side of the border.

The original plan was to leave Puebla around 5 or 6 in the morning and arrive in San Antonio in late evening so we could get a good night's rest and get up early the next morning to drive on to Tennessee. Let's just say not much worked out as planned. First, José Luis had been working very hard all week to get the factory ready for his being away, so he decided to rest a little more and come get me by 6:30. He was there almost on the dot, thank the Lord, and we drove on to pick up Arturo at 7. Arturo turned out to be a fun passenger on such a long trip, but he has one defect: he never gets in a hurry. When we got there, he was at the bank exchanging pesos for dollars. Then he had to go to one of his offices to check on something. We didn't get out of Puebla until 8:30 that morning. With all the times Arturo had to stop for coffee then a bathroom break 15 minutes later, plus taking an hour to eat breakfast and dinner, we didn't get to the border until 11:30 that night. The guys had to get their permission form to be in the country, so we finally got into the States around 12:30. We really wanted to make it to San Antonio, but we were so exhausted that we had to stop right across the border in Laredo.

No one got in a hurry the next day, either. I pretty much had to drag Arturo away from the free breakfast, his coffee and freshly-made waffle in hand. We did a little better that day, stopping less and taking less time on breaks. However, we still got a late start and didn't get into Arkansas until late evening. Then, the biggest downpour you ever saw happened. We couldn't see anything and were afraid to go any further. So we had to stop somewhere between Little Rock and Memphis. I was really sad that I didn't get to spend my first night with my family, but I also knew it was necessary.

The next day we got up fairly early and made it into Dover sometime around noon. We ate a big lunch made by the best mom ever :) and then went out to the cabin for some time with my friends. I was able to see a lot of high school buds in one of my favorite places in the world. The only person that I was sad I couldn't see was Alyssa, because she was in New York for her fall break with her boyfriend, Jake. I had really been missing her because she doesn't use the Internet hardly at all and doesn't always answer her phone. I have only talked to her once since I moved, on her birthday. She called us during the party screaming because Jake had proposed to her in one of her favorite places in the world, a dance studio called Steps. Although I missed her, I was happy for her. We had a good night's rest out there, although it was too hot to make a fire :(

The next day was the big party at Kim's house. José Luis and I dressed up as X-Men, Wolverine and Storm. Arturo dressed up as a war general. The best costume, though, had to be Mom's and Mrs. Sharon's. They made this contraption thing to make them look like they were on a roller coaster. They had fake legs hanging down in front to look like they were sitting down, when really they were just standing up behind it. They spend a lot of time and energy on that thing, but it was worth it. Kim had lots of great decorations and food, and it was great to see all of my family again.

Sunday was church day, and both José Luis and Arturo seemed to enjoy it. After church, I took them on the scenic tour of Dover, which included my Aunt Dee's house. They seemed to enjoy that, too. That night we had more company in the house than I think we've had in a while. Kim and Cindy came after church, then Sharon and Gerald, then Myrna and Floyd, then Lee, then Nate. Even Kevin came over for a little while. We played Loaded Questions and had a great time, as always. Floyd even made me a wooden spoon for me and burned his name on the back. One of the best presents I ever received.

I had told José Luis many times about Patti's Restaurant and how they have the best pork chops in the world, so on this trip, I promised to take him. José Luis, Arturo, Mama, Chris Engelman, and I went to have lunch there and had a great time. They loved the food, little shops, and decorations. Chris even ate a two-inch pork chop! José Luis and Arturo kept bothering him to come to Mexico for Christmas because he could make a lot of money pretending to be Santa Claus. It was so funny how serious they were. That night, my dad's family came for a visit. Aunt Brittye and Uncle Jiggs even drove from Memphis to see me! We ate hot dogs and played Loaded Questions, as well. It got pretty interesting, as it always does with my dad's family. We made fun of José Luis and his pewter stein he bought at Patti's. He was ridiculously proud of that thing, telling everybody the whole night to touch it to see how cold it was. Although I was sad because it was my last night at home, it was nice to spend it with family.

The next morning we had trouble leaving on time again, but this time it wasn't Arturo's fault. Mama wanted to make us breakfast and I wanted to pack up some things to take back to my house. Plus, it was just hard to say goodbye. I think we finally left around 9 or 9:30, and once again, we didn't quite make it to San Antonio. José Luis and Arturo had appointments the next day, and figured we would get as far as possible then stop to make those appointments before arriving in Puebla. However, they both wanted to stop at this big outlet mall in San Antonio, so it was pretty obvious we wouldn't get very deep into Mexico that day. Shopping was fun. José Luis bought Wii and also a lot of Victoria's Secret lotions for the women in his family. Arturo bought...well, pretty much the whole outlet mall. I think he bought like three or four pairs of Crocs. Why he needs that many, I don't know. Around six that evening, we made it to the border. What happened there, though, deserves its own paragraph.

Crossing the border is a lot easier than you think, if you have the right papers. Before we even knew it, we were in Mexico and realized the guys hadn't turned in their permission forms on the other side. The form lasts for six months, but if you don't plan on coming back before it expires, they highly suggest you turning it in. If you don't, it just looks like you stayed. So we asked a Mexican police officer what we should do with the papers, and he said you have to go back to the States to turn it in. So we turned around and got in the other line to cross back over. After they got that all worked out, we once again crossed into Mexico. Finding the immigration office to fill out my tourist visa was also a challenging task. We asked about every person we saw, and they all told us different things. Finally, we found someone that knew what he was talking about, and we made it to the right place. Getting my forms were easy, but it was already pretty late. So we stopped in Monterrey for the night, and José Luis' dad agreed to fill in for him at his appointments. I'm pretty sure Arturo was able to reschedule, as well. So we were able to make the last leg of the trip without being rushed.

In total, we were on the road close to 70 hours. I know that's a long time, but it was a lot more fun than being on a plane, and a lot cheaper, too. What we spent on gas and on toll booths didn't even end up costing what one airplane ticket would. So in the end, it was worth it. We obviously made a lot of mistakes, but it's something to learn for the next time. I am so thankful and blessed to have had the opportunity to go visit my family and friends one more time before beginning work here. I hope to be home for a decent amount of time at Christmas, as well. Can't wait to see you all again!

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...