May 31, 2008
Guadalajara, Mexico

It is hard to believe we have only been out of the U.S. for 2 weeks! We hit the ground running and it has been a whirlwind ever since. I thought I would share some highlights.

Highlights:

Orientation week-

New Orleans- last minute details, weigh luggageJ

Flights- received all our bags! A small miracle…

Journey to the church- watching Mexican men I didn’t know proceed to throw my luggage on top of the suburban and attempt to tie it down…14 of us and our luggage piled in and I sat in the front with four Mexican men from the church…as we pulled out of the airport the driver said to let him know if I hear a thud because we would need to retrieve the luggage (he was serious!)…so began the bumpy hour long journey…

Transportion- Our main transportation this summer (other than walking and the bus) is 2 1988 suburbans (its not what you think). They are very old and we often feel like they are on their last leg. We have been forced to take just one of them several times. It’s quite ironic and comical to see 16 Gringos (what they call Americans) pour out of an old dirty vehicle on an elite college campus in MexicoJ

Day 1- orientation meetings, walk to Iteso (the college campus we are on), dinner with the pastor his wife, lookout point over all of Guadalajara

Day 2- Opportunity to go to Futbol Game (American soccer)- this was great fun and exposure to the culture for us. A bit scary at times (for example they don’t let you take water bottles or wear belts in the stadium because people will use them as weapons, first time I’ve ever seen heavily armed policemen protecting the opposing teams’ fans the entire game), bribed our first cop (a way of life here) on the way home when we got pulled over with 14 people in the suburban and no taillights- the driver didn’t have his wallet and they were going to escort him to jail…

Day 3- Toured downtown Guadalajara- very beautiful here- the flowers, trees, fruits, architecture are unique and they are the most vibrant colors I’ve ever seen

Day 4- worked at Santa Ana- an extremely impoverished area just around the corner from us, we are working on a church plant there, ate our first meal from a “corner stand”- tummies seem to be doing okay

Day 5- cookout- opportunity to meet a lot of Iteso students