Where are you at? How did you get lost??

The first day of the internship at the Patronato was on Monday (7th) starting at 10:30AM and finishing at 1-1:30PM. I left the house right after my morning class at 9:30 in order to get to my internship by 10:30. The visiting professor said it was fastest for he and his wife to go an opposite way to catch a bus that goes downtown than what I am used to. I waited at this spot for about 5 mins and began freaking out because I didnt know if this was the same street that we normally use to get on the bus going downtown. So, after 5 minutes, I start walking away from that spot and end up making a big loop to go back to the corner that we normally get on the bus at. So after 15 minutes of walking in the neighborhood just to grab a bus to go downtown, I was sweating like none other and I was only 2-3 blocks from the house! At this point I was very nervous and working myself up because I had just been wandering around aimlessly and feeling very lost and absolutely getting nowhere. And for those of you that know me really well, I hate not knowing where I am at and how to get to where I am going. Once I got on the bus 2-3 blocks away from the house, we drove by the place I was at but became impatient so I became even more mad at myself than I already was. Since this was my first day of going downtown and switching buses on my own, I was a little apprehensive. I looked even more like a tourist when I kept checking a piece of paper that I wrote the corner of what streets the next bus I needed to catch would be on. Oh well. I got on the bus I needed to be on that would take me to the Colony where the Patronato was at. However, I did not know that this colony was split up into 4 different sections. I got off the bus in the part of the colony I thought I was supposed to be in (and mind you, I was very nervous at this point--on the verge of crying) and when I got off the bus, I didnt recognize anything. After walking back and forth a single block a couple times to see if I recognized anything in site, I knew I was completely lost. This was not good for my mind or my emotions because I was literally freaking out at this point. I was about ready to start crying in the middle of nowhere. However, the doctor (my supervisor) gave me her cell phone number and I told her where I was at. She ended up sending her chofer (sp) to come and get me and take me to the Patronato. Thank goodness for the kind hearts of the Mexican people! Her chofer was super nice and he was very gracious to give me a ride and showed me where I would need to get off the bus if I would have kept riding it. Such a blessing!

So, I finally got to my internship site at about 11 since I stood around in the same spot (out in the middle of nowhere, mind you) for about 20-25 min in the hot sun. I bet the doctor's chofer was chuckling when he picked me up because I was drenched. But anyway, when I got to the Patronato about 30 min. late, the doctor felt horrible that I got lost and offered me crackers if I wanted them but I wasn't hungry after being stressed out for a couple hours. She gave me a big hug and told me it would be ok because I think she could obviously tell that I was worked up. God is so good! But after we got through that whole conversation of her feeling awful, she took me to the classroom I will be in for 3 weeks. This classroom works with adults about my age and older that have mental and physical disabilities. Since I was already worked up, I had a harder time focusing on what they were asking and telling me in Spanish, but I got through just fine. But, I couldn't leave without being hit really hard by one of the students.

I had no idea that that day would get worse by me getting hit by a girl a little older than me but much smaller than me. I later found out why she hit me randomly because all I said to her was "Hola, como estas?" (Hello, how are you?) in my sweetest voice and I got a hard hit to my back. So I later found out as the teachers took her out of the room and were making sure that I was ok, was that she has obsession with princesses and especially those that are blonde, have blue eyes, and have lighter skin. I wouldn't consider myself a princess, but I guess I fit the criteria! To calm her down, they started singing a song from Cinderella in Spanish and I told this girl that my favorite Disney princess was Cinderella because she has blonde hair. However, my talking to her didn't calm her down because the teachers asked her if she wanted to hit me again and she said yes. I think there was just a bit of jealousy going on there or something...I haven't quite figured it out yet. Oh well! You never know what you are getting yourself into when you are dealing with severe autism and mental disabilities. Luckily, it didn't hurt, and I didn't want to hurt the girls' feelings, so I just kept talking to her sweetly, but apparently that doesn't work for her! I'm quickly learning that patience is a virtue but is a much needed quality if I'm working with students with disabilities.

Once my day was over at the Patronato, I got on the bus going downtown and got to the other bus I needed to take to get back to the Central House just fine. Let's just say it made for a long morning! Later that night I ended up feeling very shaky, weak, and not hungry and I was afraid I was getting dehydrated like I had been before, but luckily the professor and his wife had drinks with very high electrolytes in them so that kept me from being dehydrated! God is so good in that too!