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Thanks for stopping by the check out my new way of keeping you updated! This will work a lot better for me. My hope is to blog things as they happen throughout the month. So check back often!
Summer is definitely here and it is blasting hot!We finally broke 100 degrees a few times this week. However, with no air conditioning to retreat to, the heat tends to be a lot more noticeable. We are in the middle of June, and the kids only have 2 more weeks of school. They will then have a summer break until September. We are currently preparing for a Quinsenera for the oldest 2 girls, Sandra and Adriana. This is a traditional Mexican party for when a girl turns 15, kinda like a "coming of age" party. The girls get all dressed up in very formal dresses for a whole day that is devoted to them.
One word, Menudo....
I have heard this word be mumbled around the house and various parts of Jaurez, but had not experienced it until recently. Of course, with me being an American, this added to the experience at the orphanage. Here is the story....
Menudo is a well liked Mexican soup that has a chili base, homeny (a white corn used in Mexican dishes), and...tripe (cow stomach). Yup, that was the difficult part to swallow. I had gotten some pointers on how to eat it (being an American), like "Add as much lime, cabbage, and cilantro to it as you can. It takes away some of the taste. "What taste? I soon found out. We all sat down to dinner and of course, I had 20 pairs of beating little eyes watching my every spoonful. They all had their bets to see if I could eat it. However, I was sitting directly across from the cook, so I did not have a choice. The soup was not bad, it was the tripe and the smell of the soup as it went down. The tripe has the consistency of very thick fat that is impossible to chew through. And as it went down, it tasted like a pig barn smells. I ate it, but it was a mental battle for me. That meal stayed with me for days....
Only in Mexico....
*I met my friend for coffee the other night at this coffee shop we found in Juarez. We were sitting outside on the porch and watched as something fell off a passing truck and landed in the middle of the road. A few seconds later, a man came by to remove it from the road. We watched as he checked it out, and realized it was a hamper. The man realized he could use the hamper for something, and held onto it. A few seconds later, he waved a bus down. The man got on the bus with the hamper that he just found on the road. So much for the guy who lost the hamper, hope he didn't need it.
*Only in Mexico would you see an 8 year old boy driving the local cop vehicle. I see him every day, driving his siblings to school. Funny thing is, he should get a ticket because he is vary careless and speeds. But this is Mexcio....
Honestly...
This last month and a half, I have been really been missing my independent life. I have kind of hit a slump where I am dealing with going from one extreme to the other. I miss being a single girl, having really no responsibilities, and being able to afford 3 Starbucks a week if I wanted. I know this is just a season and like everything else, this to will pass. I have also been really tired. We have had a lot of groups come through in the last few weeks and I have had very limited time off, it is starting to take its toll.
At the beginning of May, I made the trip to Wisconsin to drive down my car. It was good to spend some time with family and on the return drive, I decided to take the 30 hour scenic route through Colorado. More so than any other time of my life, I enjoyed the time on the road.I took advantage of the silence and rest. But I really missed being here and did not realize how much until I made my way back across the border. This place now brings a sense of familiarity to me. This is where my heart is, and now my home. Regardless of how many challenges I have to face, this is where I am suppose to be.
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