Day 1

August 20, 2010

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Don’t hurry, don’t worry. You’re only here for a short visit so be sure to smell the flowers along the way. –Walter Hagen

I woke up this morning and I heard a male and female speaking French downstairs… that was totally unexpected. I know that there is an international student in what is supposed to be my room right after she leaves, but I also know that the student is female. So, who on earth was speaking French downstairs? I surely don’t think it was my host father… Unless, the female international student has a friend over? It’s a mystery at the moment.

For lunch, I went with Yonseili and Ashley to a nearby restaurant, La Tablita del Tartaro. I was a bit nervous walking in the city for the first time even though I wasn’t alone. The thing is, I know we stand out. All I can think is that we are targets for thieves. But I keep my cool and pretend to walk as if I own the place. I’ve heard that’s the trick. The looks definitely make me feel uncomfortable, but of course, what else am I to expect?

I went with my host mother and brother to look for an Ethernet cable so that I can extend the internet from my host parents’ room to what will be mine after Lea leaves my soon-to-be-room. No luck. They’re all kind of expensive here, and they’re not all that good. The walking and taking a taxi was interesting. I am having a hard time dealing with the pollution I am breathing in, from all the exhaust the buses leave. My eyes and my nose are irritated now. I’ve learned that I need to have thick skin when getting a taxi. Many taxi drivers, if they can tell I am not from here, will take advantage and either charge me more or take me the long way so they can ‘justify’ why they need to charge me more. I’ve also seen that traffic in Juarez is nothing compared to here. The streets here aren’t streets, they are race tracks. People swerve in and out of lanes like it’s nothing… I mean, it really takes skill to be able to drive here. You actually NEED the skill or people will chew you up and spit you out with the impatience and their car horns. Oh my goodness, I have never heard car horns being used this much. If I could get a penny for every time I heard one, I could retire as of yesterday.

The night ended with a chat Adriana (my host mom), Yonseili and I had. It was good.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY: Yonseili y yo nos fuimos a la terraza de mi hogar y vimos pasar a un avion muy cerca. !Parecia que las dos nunca habiamos visto un avion en nuestras vidas!

Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. MATTHEW 6:33 THE MESSAGE