Expectations

Hey everyone!

When we came down to Mexico, we had certain expectations of what we would encounter. Some of those expectations have been right, but some have been wrong or there have been things that have occurred that we could have never prepared for. Here is a list of just a few:

THINGS WE THOUGHT WE'D MISS, BUT DON'T
1) Driving instead of walking
2) AC (don't hold us to that one, the hot season hasn't come yet...)
3) Having instant access to the internet
4) A dishwasher
5) Not being able to flush your toilet paper
6) American food (again, that one might change in a few weeks, ha ha)

THINGS WE DIDN'T EXPECT TO MISS, BUT DO
1) An automatic washing machine/dryer that isn't the wind
2) Windows that are made of glass and that aren't just a screen
3) A life where scorpions and ants lived outside
4) Being able to pronounce words correctly when reading
5) Having two Wal-Marts and an Aldi's with a two mile radius (nearest market is a 45 minute bus ride away)
6) Along the same lines, being able to buy everything at one store.
7) A sermon that had three points and lasted under 3 hours (it is really funny to watch Natasha try and sit through a "big kid service")

THINGS WE WEREN'T EXPECTING TO LOVE, BUT DO
1) Fresh food for every meal
2) Not having to cook any of our meals (our host mom cooks amazing food!)
3) Fans
4) Learning (as weird as that sounds, ha ha)
5) Not paying taxes on any purchase ever
6) Mexican prices (example: a tasty chicken panini as big as our faces is 12 pesos which translates to roughly $0.90)
7) The people here (we were expecting to really like everyone here in Mexico, but everyone here is so incredibly nice that it is a little overwhelming!)

Here are also some pictures to give you a better idea of our life in Mexico:

Part of the route we walk to school every morning.

 

 

Our room and literally EVERYTHING we own here in Mexico

Our saving grace in the morning. We named the coffee maker Ms. Hughes. And don't judge out mugs. They were literally the only ones in town!

Levi went on a hike and found a bridge. This is the only way to get to one of the nearby villages.

The beach at Roca Mar. One of our favorite weekend hang-out spots.

The rest of the beach. The grass hut on the right is a restaurant owned by one of the host families, so we get all the awesome off-menu specialties no one else knows about!

Hope you enjoy! Please keep praying for us! Hasta luego!

Week One Complete!

It's been one week since we left for Mexico. How crazy is that???

For the most part, things have gone really well. We had the typical stress-filled travel days. We nearly got bumped from our flight to Chicago, one of our bags got separated from us because the airlines didn't have enough room for it on the plane in Springfield (it somehow got to Mexico City, thank ya Jesus), our plane to Mexico City was delayed 6 1/2 hours due to a mechanical problem, and our plane out of Mexico City was delayed an hour. BUT, for all those problems, we had no other issues and made it to Puerto Escondido in one piece. A lot more things could have gone wrong and we are thankful that they didn't!

Levi on the lawn of our school.

As for Mexico, we are adjusting well. It is the "dead of winter" down here with temps only getting in the low 80's during the day and in the low 70's at night. Brutal, right? Don't start hating yet. When March, April, and May roll around and it's 100 degrees in the shade, you'll be the one's laughing :)

The hardest thing to get used to is all the night noise. We are surrounded by chickens, dogs, pigs, and parrots that are all either pets or livestock of the people in the homes surrounding us. Wednesday night, some random dog barked from 10:00 PM until 4:00 AM. Needless to say, we got no sleep. By the grace of God, another student here had several extra pairs of industrial grade ear plugs and gave some to us. We have slept well since then.

A cool tree we pass every morning on our way to classes.

As for Spanish, we are moving right along. Week one was all terms and concepts we were familiar with, but that will change soon. We are learning a lot of new things, too, and are excited to learn more. The people here are all very understanding and helpful with our limited understanding of Spanish. They just smile as we butcher their language to pieces. Everyone is so friendly and we feel very safe in our village.

Our school!

Keep praying for us as we continue to learn the language and assimilate into the culture. We still can't believe that we are here and are so excited to see what else is in store!