Trip to Chiapas: Friday

On Friday we left Palenque and made our way to San Cristobal which was another 5 hours driving through the mountains on very curvy roads. On the way we stopped at two waterfalls.

This was the first waterfall we stopped at. Its called Misol Ha. It was spectacular and in the fall there is more water because it is the rainy season, so we lucked out and were able to just watch the water constantly falling below.

We were also able to follow a paved path to go behind the waterfall. It was great!! However, we did get a little shower while behind it. It must have known that we were going to have to all ride together for a few hours! It was something I have never experienced before so it was fun to do something different instead of things always being in Yucatan.

The second waterfall we went to was called Agua Azul (Blue water) which is very obvious as you can see that the water is blue once it falls off the rocks. These waterfalls were spectacular and we were able to swim in the water after climbing many steps and going to the top of the waterfall where there is a calm pool where hardly any water falls. The water was absolutely freezing!! I was screaming for a couple minutes because it was like ice water and the sand below was disgusting! It was super wet sand and squishy. I couldn't stand it for long. All the girls starting laughing at me but I hated standing on the squishy sand. Also, I think my body freaked out as I was just sweating like crazy and then jumping in a pool of ice cold water. It probably wasn't a good idea, but I couldn't resist the cold water.

Once we stopped at Agua Azul we kept trucking along to make good time to San Cristobal. A lot of the girls took dramamine because of all the curves and even after taking it they felt sick the whole trip. I, on the other hand, had a great time. I didn't take Dramamine at all because I think the curves are fun and when we went around them quickly I would laugh and have a good time as most of the other people looked at me as if they hated me. =) I thought back on my experience with my parents in Norway when we were on a tour going down a mountain that had 27 tight turns and I was the youngest one on the tour. So, it ended up being the 80+ year old lady and I sitting in the very front seat by the driver and throwing up our arms going around the corners. It was hilarious but it reminded me of it!

San Cristobal is a colonial city surrounded by mountains. The architecture was absolutely beautiful. I was able to wear jeans, a fleece, northface jacket, and a scarf the whole time I was there!! I was pumped! I even wore my hear down both days all day which I haven't done since being down here. My hair is definitely getting long! But Friday after we arriving we got settled in at the hotel and went to find some food downtown. After relaxing at supper with a couple cups of coffee to warm up, we walked around to different shops to find prices for different things so we would know what to barter at the markets on Saturday. It was also the night that all of the Day of the Dead festivities started so as we walked from our restaurant to the main square, we heard a band playing and I didn't know if they were protesting. But, come to find out, it was a high school band with a director and all were dressed in Halloween costumes. We stood and watched them for a while and then Tiffany and I went back to the hotel because we were both exhausted. All the other girls stayed out and did whatever. I don't even know what they did the rest of the night. The sad part about the walk from our restaurant to the main square was that we walked by refugees that were captured by the federal government for supposedly having arms and so a couple of their members were assassinated by the government. Chiapas isn't exactly the safest state. It also demonstrated again that the Mexican federal government is very corrupt and will file false charges on someone and make them suffer. It was very sad. But, I was glad to get a good night's rest since I knew I had a big day of buying gifts coming up!

Trip to Chiapas: Thursday

This past weekend I went to the state of Chiapas and got to experience the difference in geography, climate, and lifestyle. On Thursday we made it to Palenque, a city in Chiapas that has amazing ruins. The drive was about 8 hours including a couple stops to eat. It was still very warm in Palenque because we weren't in the mountains yet but it was more humid than it was hot. The Palenque ruins are in the middle of a jungle. The geography and climate was very different because Chiapas is full of water and rivers unlike the Yucatan. Having that said, this was the reason why it was so much more humid than here in Merida. When we arrived at Palenque we got ready to go to the ruins, so I of course was preparing myself to sweat like crazy! Us students had the choice of staying with our personal tour guide that we brought from Merida or we could go off on our own and take pictures. I decided to stay with Luis our tour guide since I wanted to be able to see all the ruins and know the story behind each building. Luckily, another girl came with me so I wasn't alone with the visiting professor and his wife. I was so thankful that she came along.

In my opinion, God intervened and she came for another reason than just to come on the tour. Once we had been on the tour for about 30 minutes, we walked up some very wet, steep stairs to see a building that hasn't been completely exposed. This is so hard to talk about because it is always playing over and over in my head. So at the edge of this building once we had climbed up, Luis went to see if there were stairs but in a matter of seconds he was on the ground below. He put his right foot out to look over to see if there were any steps but the overhang was so wet that he slipt and his whole body went. I keep overplaying the incident in my head and I hear his gasp when he was falling and his huge eyes and gasping for air when he had landed. He landed on his back but more on his right side. I was so thankful that Tiffany came along because she has had first aid training or whatever you want to call it. The visiting professor and his wife and Tiffany were already down by him by the time I moved. I couldn't believe what I had just witnessed so I was standing looking down at him with my mouth wide open as he is gasping for air and screaming. I was freaked out but luckily Tiffany was able to calm him down, go through asking him questions and got him up slowly. We all walked him back 20 min to the entrance while trying not to fall again going down the steep, wet steps.

The other driver took him to the hospital and found out that he broke 3 ribs and cracked another. One way or another, he didn't puncture a lung which is amazing after falling about 15 feet to the ground below. So after walking back, Tiffany and I went back into the ruins, took pictures, saw the cascades that were on the way out of the site and found Val. We made it all the way through the huge ruins within 35min. and had to wait another 30min. until everyone else showed up. That night another driver and Luis' son came to Palenque so that we would have another driver because we took Luis' car and a 15 passenger van. Luis' son then took Luis back home to Merida where he has to wait and do nothing for 45 days which is killing him. His life is all about driving and giving tours and now he can't for a while. We missed him throughout the whole trip because Val and the other two drivers didn't know much about things we saw. Thursday night I had supper with the girls downtown in Palenque and then headed back to the hotel to relax and watch tv before falling asleep since I knew we had another 5 hour drive tomorrow through the mountains.

The following are pictures of some ruins and a cascade on the way out of the Palenque ruins.

We had to have a little fun after being stressed out but yet thankful that Luis was talking, walking, and breathing.

Gone this weekend

Hi everyone! I just wanted you to know that you will not be seeing any new blog posts until Monday night at the very earliest. I will be gone from Thursday morning through Monday night with all the program participants and our director to Chiapas, another state in Mexico. We will be seeing Palenque, which is a ruin, and also spending a couple days in San Cristobal, Chiapas which is up the mountains. We were told to bring a jacket!! haha!!! I'm sooo excited for some cooler weather...well like, 60-70. So I shouldn't be bragging but I can't wait to be in cooler temperatures. We will also be celebrating Day of the Dead which is Nov. 1 and 2 in San Cristobal so that will be an interesting experience. We have our Merida seminar and we are making our own altar...kind of like what many families make to remember their family members that have gone before them. I don't quite understand everything about Day of the Dead, but we are learning about it tonight, so I will be able to tell you more after tonight and especially this weekend. I look forward to sharing stories and pictures early next weekend! Everyone enjoy fall for me! I miss it like crazy! Everything is still as green as can be here....its kind of getting boring! I didn't think I would have ever said that, but no changes and feeling like I have been in the season of summer for 6 months is getting old. Bring on the change!!

Have a great weekend! =)

Mourning the time passing

I forgot to include in my last blog that when Angela and I had pizza yesterday at the little pizzeria, Koony's, I ordered the wrong kind of pizza. I was trying to remember out of the list was the word for sausage. By ruling out a lot of them, I came down to a few and I thought the last time I ordered it, it was chorizo. That was very wrong!! I got it and it smelled really different, so I took a bite and it was spicy. Probably not spicy to a lot of your stomachs, but as most of you know, my stomach can't handle spicy food. So I went up to our waiter and apologized and told him the pizza was spicy. He asked if I wanted to change it and I said yes, so I ordered sausage...since after the fact I knew chorizo wasn't sausage! Haha. I told him that I would pay for both pizzas because it was my mistake and they made the pizza especially for me. He didn't give me much of a response. When Angela and I got the bill I was expecting to have to pay for 2 pizzas, but he was gracious enough and only charged me for one! I was in shock. I started to feel awful because they had gone to that work and I had wasted a whole pizza. So in turn, I gave him a huge tip and vowed to Angela that I would go back there quite a few more times before I leave in order to give back what he did not make on the pizza I couldn't eat.

It made the two of us think about the difference in this pizzeria here in Mexico and a pizzeria you would find in the States. We both decided right away that the pizzeria in the States would have charged me for 2. Sometimes I think the business owners down here know the value of wanting your customers to return because the money will multiply compared to if I paid for 2 pizzas and didn't want to go back. I hope you understand what I mean.

Switching gears, I had a great talk with the teacher I have been working with at the Patronato. After only meeting with her twice, she opened up to me about her personal life. I felt awful after hearing her story. She is a single mom with twin boys that are 4 years old. Since she is now 29 and only makes 120 pesos, per day which is $9.23 she is having a very hard time providing for her boys. I couldn't believe it when she told me how much she makes per day since Mexico doesn't pay by the hour. She was telling me how hard it is when it gets cooler out since she has to buy 2 of everything for little boys that are constantly growing. It made me think of how hard it is for every family down here unless they are super rich. She also shared with me how she can't buy anything for herself since it means she can't provide for her boys and she, like all mothers, wants to put her boys' needs in front of her own. She also shared with me how hard it is to do anything social like going to a movie. Her mom watches her twin boys while she is at work but she feels as if she is using her mom if she wants to go to a movie some night. She has also decided that she probably won't end up marrying anyone since she already had kids and she is 29. I told her that it is very possible that she could, but who knows. My heart just broke for her as she was laying out her personal story in front of me and all I want to do is help. However, that isn't very possible. She has been on my mind since I left the Patronato and I feel God is laying it on my heart to do something for her, but I don't know what that is yet. I also don't want to single her out when it is more than likely that there are other single moms or struggling families at the Patronato.

The difference in pay between her and someone working in the United States is absolutely astounding. But, she still puts on a smile and is very strong at work for her boys, so I am proud of her even though I hardly know her. The kids are of course as beautiful as can be in their own ways amongst their deformities and struggles. I told the teacher today that I am definitely going to cry when I have to leave the Patronato because of the beautiful and open hearts of the children and teachers. Oh how I'm going to miss them! =(

The time is flying by way too quickly here. I'm excited to return home but I also don't want to at the same token. I wish I could be with my family and the kids at the Patronato all at once, but its not going to be possible. My life back home is more important than my life here, but how the children have touched my life since being here is never going to be forgotten. I have less than 6 weeks here and I can't believe it. I have looked at my calendar and I am going to be out of Merida for 3 out of the 5 weekends I have left here. I just think back on my experience for 2 weeks in Ukraine and how I cried when we had to leave. Once I leave Merida after spending 15 weeks here I know I am going to be a sobbing mess. I will, however, be excited to return home to cooler temperatures and the family and friends I have been missing very dearly since being here. I feel that living out every moment of the not quite 6 weeks I have left here is not enough, but, it will have to do.

This weekend

So apparently the clocks fall back an hour here in Mexico a week before it does in the States. That was some funny news when I woke up Sunday morning after sleeping for 11 hours. I don't know why but it seemed like a hard concept to grasp. I guess that comes with the fact that most Americans are in a bubble and forget that there are other people in this world than them. Not all of you may agree with that, but that is the impression I am getting from other Americans that are down here as well. My weekend was pretty uneventful since it was composed of sleeping a lot and eating almost every meal and feeling sick afterward. I am pretty convinced that I am going through another wave of mono. Yay! Not really! But at least I know the signs of it now and know how to deal with it.

A lot of you have been asking how my left ankle and foot are doing. I don't feel as if it is much different than before because at night and in the morning I still lose feeling in it and it still turns a purpleish color. I think the only thing different is that I'm pretty sure I know what is going on inside of me after seeing the doctor here in Merida. I am taking a 300mg aspirin tablet every morning which I just feel like I am taking and its not doing anything, but oh well! Maybe its helping, I just don't know it yet. But, I am still going to go see a circulatory doctor when I return in less than 6 weeks.

So back to this weekend. Sorry I am jumping around! I went out to eat with the girls on Friday night at 10:30 so of course I was exhausted. So once we were done eating, another girl and I walked back 3 blocks to the house and went to sleep. However, this night was somehow emotional for some reason. It was a mixture of being exhausted and my tummy being upset after I ate. All I can say is, thanks, Neal for staying up a little longer so I could hear your voice that calms me down! =) Saturday I went to the beach in Progreso and it ended up being cloudy and very windy, so we were all getting goosebumps!! It was probably only about 80ish, but after dealing with heat indexes of 110 for most of the last week, we were freezing! I wasn't exactly wearing things that would keep me warm--swimsuit, sundress, and flip-flops. While there I went to a not-for-profit store that sells things that are handmade by mayans. A missionary is the one that started the store and he uses the profits to then turn around and buy food, medicine, clothing, shelter, etc. for mayans who cannot buy those things on their own. So, I bought lots of gifts for people back home that are absolutely darling because they are handmade. I also did not have a problem with buying lots of things because I knew where the money was going.

After returning from Progreso, we went to a mall called Gran Plaza and did a little shopping and ate. I bought a cute blouse for $30 but of course had to forget it on the floor by my feet while I was eating Subway in the food court. I was sooo mad when we got back to the house and I realized I left it at the mall. Those of us that went to the mall sat there for a long time and talked, so I took my mind off of it. However, I reminded myself that it was only $30, a blouse I had never had before so I wasn't missing it, and that I could have lost something way more valuable than that. But to get my mind off it, I watched When Harry Met Sally with a couple girls and Eduardo, a guy who worked at Central as a language assistant all last year that is from Merida. It was one of his favorite movies so we watched it together! I slept 11 hours, took a 2 hour nap, ate pizza, and did a little homework all on Sunday. It was a great, relaxing weekend!

If there is anyone that would like to know more about the store and what kinds of things that have that maybe you would like, shoot me an email: torgesons1@central.edu !!

Thoughts from Today

I went to the zoo today for my advanced practical spanish class just for an outing. After leaving the zoo I got on a bus that I thought was going downtown, how ever it didnt. Luckily I was sitting next to a woman that could point me in the right direction. I asked her, "Este camion va al centro, o no?" which means, does this bus go downtown or no? She said no so I told her that I need to go downtown so she said, just wait until I see a bus that is going downtown and cross the street on the other side and when I see one, get off and get on the other bus. This woman was such a huge relief! Just kind of like an angel sent when I needed one. =) So, I literally ran off the bus I was on as the bus going downtown was turning the corner and I flagged it down and got on it and headed downtown. It was slick! I'm just glad she pointed me in the right direction before I got any further away. But, I was still able to get to the Patronato on time (not that they pay attention since its on Mexican time) but its just my nature to just need to be early or on time. When I got there, I found the teacher that tells me which classroom to go to since today was the day I needed to switch rooms. I am with kids about the same age but they are more severely disabled than the previous room. All but one of the kids are nonverbal or can murmur little words but even then for me, I can't understand a murmur in Spanish yet, and probably won't by the time I leave.

When I found the teacher, she was moving a jaguar that was very colorful and I told her it looked incredible and asked what it was for. She told me to come back to the same room in a few minutes and I would find out. So I did, and a bunch of media people showed up and took pictures of the kids pretending to paint the jaguar as well as interviews by journalists about what the Patronato was doing. I found out that there is some sort of festival that has 5 different jaguars, celebrating the symbol of the jaguar for the Yucatan. All the kids in some way or another helped paint the jaguar and they are going to put it in an exhibit and once someone buys it, the Patronato will get a portion of that money that can be put toward the institution. I thought it was a great marketing tool for the Patronato but also incorporating the importances of Yucatan's culture. I was in there for over an hour just observing. I was not interviewed...thank goodness because I wouldn't know what to say and would probably fumble with my spanish--haha. But when I got back to my new room, all the kids had huge smiles on their faces. They are all so beautiful and full of personality even though they cannot speak. I was captivated by their smiles, hugs, touch, and laughter. There is one girl who especially caught my attention because her face is deformed and has a lot of problems eating, but I completely understood what she was wanting or trying to communicate through her hand signals. However, I have never seen a smile so big and full of joy than this girl who is also in a wheelchair. I am going to ask if I can start taking pictures of the kids just to have. However, I will not put them anywhere on the internet for their safety and confidentiality. I will just wait to print them off when I get home.

I just hate that sometimes I can't understand the children when they say things because usually it is just a murmur or their Spanish isn't very clear due to their disability so I feel awful that I ask them to repeat things, but they always pay so close attention to what I say back. It is absolutely amazing that they have patience with me in them having to repeat things and then taking interest in what I respond with. I wish I could stay longer to improve my Spanish that much more, but its not really possible for wanting to graduate early. Plus I don't think my family and Neal would appreciate it very much. Merida is really feeling like home now thanks to my ability to communicate with people. I just absolutely the kindess of the Mexican people I have come in contact. Today was a prime example of the kindness of their hearts--the woman who helped me get where I needed to get to. I'm pretty sure that if I was in Europe, that wouldn't be the case. Merida is a place that I could stay for longer, but I know I need to return home to my family, Neal, and the life I had before coming. However, these experiences will never be lost and have shaped who I am becoming. I ONLY have 44 days left here. I'm tearing up just thinking of having to leave all this. I am starting to get over the missing part of being away from people and just completely embracing every second here. It is such a short period of time to do anything. I'm not looking forward to the next 44 days flying by like I know they will...

25 Things I Have Learned

1. Cars don't yield to pedestrians.

2. Patience isn't a virtue; it is just something most Americans don't possess.

3. Don't have a schedule when taking public transportation.

4. Drinking too much Coke turns into diabetes when you are older.

5. Don't take anything for granted because there are many people who are not as fortunate.

6. Let your family know how much you love them like its the last day you are on Earth.

7. When one person gets off the public bus at one corner and another gets off at the next corner its not that they are lazy. They are just making their money go further.

8. Stereotypes of Mexicans by Americans need to be banished.

9. Everyone here knows English at some level or another.

10. Mexicans immigrate to the US for a better life for their families and are not taking Americans' jobs. They are doing the jobs that wouldn't be done if they weren't there.

11. Mexican immigrants contribute billions of dollars into the Social Security fund without getting anything in return.

12. Fruits and vegetables would be $5 a pound instead of $.70-1.30 if there were not Mexican workers in the hot sun breaking their backs just for $.50 a box of fruits or vegetables picked.

13. Mexicans are the hardest working people for the least amount paid.

14. They get paid by the day, not the hour so they don't make as much.

15. The Mexican economy is thriving and rich but is not perceived like that, thanks to American stereotypes.

16. Unlike Europeans, Mexicans are very helpful to tourists that cannot speak much Spanish.

17. The American culture needs to stop destroying ancient cultures with McDonalds, Starbucks, and Wal-Mart all over the world.

18. I see more luxury cars like Jaguars, BMWs, Lexus, and very new cars more often here than I do in the States.

19.When guys whistle or honk and you respond to it, they get scared and go on their way!

20. Jesus Christ is alive in many different cultures, tongues, nations, and races.

21. The dogs here are not mean. They are just lonely and want attention. The dogs in the US are the ones that are mean because if they are on their own they have probably been neglected and abused.

22. I can live without the comforts of home for longer than I thought.

23. Immersing yourself in a different culture and language really forces you to learn about the culture and how to speak the language much faster than any classroom in the US.

24. All the children here are much better behaved than children in the US because they don't get everything they want and more down here. American children control their parents more and more now than ever before and Mexican children have had more discipline.

25. Children with disabilities are the same across languages and cultures. Some just don't get as good of care as those that are in the US do. They all have the same struggles, smiles, hugs, laughter, and touch which are what I love the most.