En La Ciudad

Guadalajara is the second largest city in Mexico. The city is located in the middle of the state Jalisco in the western-Pacific area of Mexico. It is the birthplace of mariachi and tequila. It is 5200 feet above sea level making the climate quite cooler than the surrounding lower level cities. The climate is mild year round. Right now, it usually rains every night cooling off the mornings. It warms up during the day but without the humidity that we have in the south. I even wear a light jacket early in the morning because of my thin blood that I developed from growing up in the south. We keep our windows or doors open a lot of the time to let the cool air in our room. Just like the south, there are lots of mosquitoes here too. You could play connect-the-dots on my body from all my bites! In Mississippi it’s too hot to open the doors or windows, so we don’t have mosquitoes invading our homes. That is not the case here. Especially with the traditional house being built with the open center; mosquitoes just fly right on in. Hugo said they must like my light skin…

Being in the middle of downtown, in the second largest city of Mexico, is quite a change from being in a city where you have to drive at least ten minutes to get anywhere. On one corner that we live on there’s a sandwich shop. They sell these sandwiches called tortas. Guadalajara is known for their special bread because of the elevation of the city and the way the bread bakes. They’re REALLY good! One of the main cathedrals downtown is two blocks away from us. The church has a big square in front of it with places to sit around a fountain to relax and admire it. Many couples go there to spend time together and sit as close as they can to each other while they lock their eyes and lips on one another. If you get hungry while you’re making out don’t fret, food is never too far from the eyes. There are little stands where they sell grilled elote (corn), tacos, and hamburgesas. It seems that you can always find food wherever you are! You can also find things to buy anywhere you go. You don’t even have to go look; they’ll come up to you. You can sit at a red light and buy water, toys, and/or plastic storage containers in case you have some food in your car that you need to store. Or you can just be entertained by someone juggling torches standing on a ladder or watch a guy lay on glass but not get cut.. yes… all while waiting on the light to turn green.

We live about 10 minutes walking distance from the school that Bethany and I am going to to be certified to teach English as a Foreign Language (TEFL). In the mornings we walk down the street to everyone starting his or her workday. There is an old man that is in the same spot every morning and afternoon selling fruit. We always say buenos dias to him; he replies back with some long answer that we never understand. I told Bethany he’s probably gripping at us for never buying anything while we just smile and walk right on by haha. If you walk down the street in the afternoon, there is much more activity! People are everywhere walking along the streets, selling things in the streets or trying to get you to come into their store, relaxing in the parks, or watching street acts. There is usually a clown that performs in a big open square, which draws all the children in. If you don’t want to walk, you can hop on a bus for 5 pesos (about 13=1 dollar) or grab a taxi. I like to walk and see all the different people and things that are going on. Bethany and I were walking to the store one afternoon and saw a guy sitting against a building on the sidewalk playing a leaf to make some money. That guy had some skills to be playing a leaf. I have to give him credit for doing something and not just begging.

There are also so many different buildings that you can walk by and never notice unless you actually make an effort. There’s a little Italian place by the VilaSanta that you would never notice, but one day I heard some music and looked through the windows where I saw little tables with candles on them. It amazes me how your eyes will only see a little door and behind that door opens up to a cozy little restaurant or up to a staircase that has an entire hair salon on the second floor.

We’ve only been here 19 days. And so far we’ve only explored about half of downtown, gone to lake Chapala, and rode a bus about an hour out of the city to see the Guachimontones pyramids. We've also been to downtown Zapopan, which is like a suburb or Guadalajara. We met our friends from class at a Brazilian restaurant there. We sat at the table which the waiters came around to our plates with meet on a long knife asking if we wanted some. We could eat as much as we wanted. There was all the meat you could think of! We finally couldn't take anymore and flipped the stick, that is red on one end and green on the other to signal them if you want more food or not, to red.

Lake Chapala was about an hour out of the city. We were lucky enough to have a friend drive us there and show us around. It was beautiful! Hugo took us to some neat places, while he was here, that we would have never known about. He took us to this place that is a car wash during the day and a restaurant at night. The restaurant is called Las Papas. They have baked potatoes with meat and cheese and sauce on top. You can also get tacos. The papas were AMAZING. I begged Hugo to take me there again the next night! He also took us to a soccer game.

The Chivas, which is the most popular team in Guadalajara, weren't playing and it was raining so the stadium wasn't as crowded but you wouldn't have known it if you were blind. The noise that the fans made was much more than we ever made at our homecoming game in college. The fans didn't just make noise (play the drums, dance, and sing) when their team made a goal. They made it the WHOLE time! Pretty impressive! We were able to get out of the city for a little while this past Saturday and go to the pyramids on a school trip. I had never heard of that civilization and it was really neat to see it.

Tonight, I’m sitting in my bed listening to music and thinking about these past two and a half weeks. They’ve been so much fun, and I’ve already learned so much. I’ve also gotten really frustrated. Not being able to speak Spanish very well and living here can be quite challenging sometimes. However, no one has ever been rude. They try to communicate as best they can. Sometimes they’ll tell us to wait, and they’ll go find someone who does speak English. All the people we live with have become like family. Dany (the cooking school student) has cooked twice in the past couple days and invited us to eat both times. I was walking upstairs one night and got a whiff of something really tasty cooking up in the kitchen. I walked down to the kitchen and found Dany at the stove making hamburgers. He had two extra and made a place for us at the table. Last night he was cooking barbacoa. He brought in a crock-pot with meat. I asked what it was and he told me it was cow tongue! He then cut the skin off the tongue and began shredding the meat.

The meat went back into the crock-pot for another several hours. I went to they gym and stopped at the cathedral on the walk home to sit and take in my surroundings. I came home and took a shower. I was about to go to bed when I heard a knock at the door. It was Dany offering some of his food. He had a couple friends over, and we sat around the table enjoying tacos at 10:30! I still can’t believe how late people eat here!

Frank stopped by just a second ago and shared his day with us along with his pizza with Bethany. I got him to do some recordings for my class in the morning. The students need to be exposed to many different accents. Frank’s Irish accent is much more fun than mine!

Guadalajara has so much to offer. You can really pick and choose what you want to do and see. We have so much more exploring to do!

En mi casa

When we walked out of the airport it was like we were saying good-bye to one world and hello to another. My dad rented a car and we took a taxi to the hostel that we are currently at. Yes… we had to have two cars to fit four people and about eight bags. The driving in Mexico is almost as crazy as Italy… almost…. The place we are staying, Casa VilaSanta, is nestled in the middle of the block that we live on in downtown Guadalajara. It’s painted a beautiful blue with a cute little sign and wooden doors.

The place we are staying, Casa VilaSanta, is nestled in the middle of the block that we live on in downtown Guadalajara. It’s painted a beautiful blue with a cute little sign and wooden doors.

We checked into our room, which has a king size bed and a single bed. The furniture is stained with a pretty green color. I know… it doesn’t sound pretty, but it is! Older style Mexican casas are built with rooms surrounding an open courtyard. It’s more like a common area.

There are couches and tables and a television to sit and visit. There’s also an upstairs with about 6 more rooms and a place that you can sit and relax in the sun.

The kitchen area is public and has a

pantry and dining room. The pantry area has a big fridge that covers the size of one wall. There are plastic crates available for you to put your name on and store your food. For dry food, you can put it in another crate with your name on a shelf. The kitchen has all the necessities. The stove took a while for me to learn how to light. The gas has to be turned on and then lit with a match. On my first twenty tries, I kept burning my finger. Then I added one of those fluid lighters to my list of things to get at the store and am now a successful stove lighter. Bethany still can’t figure it out, so I have to help her. She will learn with practice J.

The other residents here have been amazing. The first day we were here, I came downstairs where my parents we sitting and saw them talking to this guy with red hair and an Irish accent. He introduced himself, Frank from Ireland, and quickly began giving us the low-down on our new home and city. He told us that the staff, at the VilaSanta, is so helpful and caring.

He also gave us a tour of downtown, telling us where to get things that we might need. He’s in Mexico because he opened a chain called, Wing’s army, which is like a Buffalo Wild Wings. His friend from Ireland fell in love with a girl from Guadalajara and moved down here to get married. They decided to open a business together and so Frank came down to get it running. He’s not sure if he wants to move here permanently or go back to Ireland, but leaning more towards staying here. He’s been here for about two and a half months and has become like a brother to Bethany and me.

Some of our other classmates from school are staying here for the month. There’s also a really nice guy living here while he’s going to cooking school. The other people stay for a week or two and move on. I went into the kitchen one night to try and scrounge up something to eat. I walked in to this amazing smell and a guy at the stove. He introduced himself and said he was from Switzerland traveling around Mexico for a couple months. He offered me some of his pasta, which I quickly accepted! Another time, I was walking around the common area and saw a couple just checking in to the VilaSanta. They introduced themselves and told me they were from Australia. They had been in the United States for six months traveling around, and then came down to Mexico for a little while. Bethany, they guy from Switzerland, and the girl from Australia, and I went to eat that night.

It’s so much fun meeting people from all over and hearing about their journeys. Everyone is so nice, it’s like you instantly become best friends. I guess people that are willing to get out and travel the world have to be outgoing and friendly. It’s just so neat how everyone can connect and share what they have with you. People are always offering their food or anything they might have that you could use. It constantly amazes me how God will take care of his sheep.

7 countries in 30 days

July has been the busiest, craziest, most exciting, eye opening, and unique month of my life! I had the opportunity to travel overseas visiting six countries for three amazing weeks. I spent a week with my aunt,who has an apartment in Tuscany, really enjoying the opportunity getting to know and understand the Italians. I found that I love the culture in Italy! I love visiting with the people when we see them in the neighborhood and not just saying the typical American greeting, "Hello, how are you?" My aunt would talk with her neighbors for a couple minutes and find out whose anniversary it was, what they were doing for the night, or whose leaving town. I couldn't believe that they would actually tell her personal things about their life as they passed each other going in and out of the houses. The Italians actually shared their lives with you. My aunt told me that there's just something about Florence and Tuscany that has always stayed in her heart, and I had the chance to experience a tenth of that special something.

I also had the opportunity to travel to Rome with the Harding University group that was studying in Florence for the summer. My dad's family spent ten years in Florence working with the churches there. The coordinator of the Harding University in Florence's family grew up with my dad's family in Florence as well, and our families still keep in touch. I was lucky enough to tag along with the students and get in on all their tours and sightseeing adventures. I had a great time and met some wonderful people! I remember seeing the Colosseum and thinking about how many times I saw pictures of friends by the Colosseum and longed to go myself.

I was so amazed at the buildings and the structure of the city. It is a major city, approximately 4 million people. The cars whiz by you along with scooters weaving in and out of traffic going well over our speed limit in the states! As you walk around the city, you will notice that on some of the buildings the bottom of the newest building is the top of a building that was built upon as the city was built up over time. Mamertinum prison, where they believe Peter and Paul were imprisoned, was this way. I was so thankful that I could experience Rome with the HUF (Harding University in Florence) group. We were present day Christians walking where the first century Christians were persecuted for believing. One of the many places we went were to the Catacombs, which are underground tombs that the Christians were buried in because they would not allow them to be buried in the city. There were also rooms that the Christians met in to secretly worship. While we went into the catacombs and explored them, we all gathered in one of the underground rooms. There was a natural spring in the room with water flowing, reflecting its sounds off of the walls and ceiling. Light shone through from a hole in the wall while we crowded in together. We had a devotional from the book of Paul (appropriate) and sang devotional songs. Our voices joined in harmony as we praised our God. The God that suffered an excruciating death for us. The God that the early Christians couldn't stop talking about and sharing with others. The God that people were sacrificed for because they believed in Him. And here we were, present day Christians, free from persecution, worshiping freely. It was such a spiritual experience and something I will always remember!

I also had the opportunity to climb the Sacred Steps. These steps were brought from Jerusalem and are believed to be the ones that Jesus was led up to Pilate on to be sacrificed. They are wooden steps that can only be ascended with on knees. For each step, there is a prayer. The prayers start with 'O my Jesus' and end with 'have mercy on me'. Of course, you can say your own prayers. I went up them saying the written prayers for each step and found it very touching. It really helped me visualize and put myself in His place. I have a scar that starts at my kneecap and follows down my shin a couple inches and is pretty tender. It’s pretty uncomfortable for me to kneel or do anything on my knees, but being on my knees saying those prayers as I climbed up one step at a time got me out of my usual comfortable prayer position and feel an ounce of pain that Jesus felt that day. So many times I pray to God and thank him for his sacrifice but do I really meditate on it and realize JUST what a horrible death he went through?

As I threw my coin into the Trevi fountain wishing to come back to Rome, I flashed back to the steps and hoped I would be able to do it again.

After the HUF group left to go back to Florence, I stayed in Rome and waited for my friend, Brian, who was flying in the same day that the Harding group left. It worked out perfectly! Brian and I enjoyed Rome a few more days before moving on to Interlaken, Switzerland.

When I stepped off the train and walked out of the train station at 6 in the morning to get my first look at the new city, I gasped and dug my camera out of my purse. The train station was beautiful, the mountains were in the background, and the city was just starting to wake up.

There was absolutely nothing going on at 6 a.m. so Brian and I walked around the town. We found out very quickly that Interlaken isn’t big at all. When we were getting into Interlaken we didn’t know which station to get off on, so we just picked one and got off at Interlaken OST. When we were walking, before we knew it we were looking at the other train station. I was disappointed because it was drizzling and foggy that morning, but God didn’t disappoint me. He soon rolled away the clouds and warmed up the temperature to make for a beautiful day. Everywhere we went was picture perfect because everywhere your eyes rested were the beautiful Swiss Alps surrounding the town.

That afternoon we went canyoning, which is climbing, jumping off rocks, repelling, and sliding in the canyons. It was a BLAST. Brian had a good time too! I definitely want to go back!!

We quickly moved on to Salzburg, Austria. It was breathtaking there as well! Sooo beautiful… God is an amazing artist!

We did the Sound of Music tour. Brian tagged along as I sang “Do, Re, Mi” and “My Favorite Things”.

After Salzburg came Paris! Paris was the first place that I really felt I had no idea what I was doing. In most places, the signs had English under their native language. Well… that was not the case in Paris. People are not quick to help you either.

I met up with Hugo at the train station, and the three of us walked around the town and stumbled upon the Eiffel tower. It was not very pretty during the day, however, at night… wow!

The city seemed very uniform to me. The buildings were all similar in appearance; very classy, but still no match for Tuscany. I missed the eye-catching geraniums decorating balconies everywhere you looked. I loved that no matter how small their apartments were, the Italians made their own gardens in their windowsills or balconies. We left Paris after two days and took the Chunnel to London.

Ahhh English… I could understand people again. I had the chance to meet up with a friend from Birmingham who was studying in England for a couple weeks and my old roommate from Disney.

England was loads of fun. We barely scratched the surface being there three days.

My trip came to an end all too soon. I have learned my favorite thing to do is it eat and try out as many foods as I can! I’m not big on museums…maybe later in life. I would rather just walk around the city and people watch. I love meeting other backpackers staying in the hostels. I made some incredible memories and could make this entry go on for days! But I’m not going to because I started another journey soon after I arrived back in Birmingham.

I was greeted at the airport with a great big hug that couldn’t be from anyone else but my mommy. I told her all my stories for the next couple hours laughing and reminiscing about the past 22 days. I was so exhausted! I took a shower and crawled in bed telling my mom, “I’m kinda tired.” She said she looked up from what she was doing a second later and I was sound asleep.

The next couple days we packed up my room to get ready to move to Mexico! I said goodbye to all my things and managed to squeeze enough clothes for the next 6 months to a year of my life into four suitcases!

I think I did pretty well!

I spent the rest of my week back in the states visiting my church family in Birmingham, my second family who I lived with for eight months, and then in Meridian with my family. I find that I’m always trying to squeeze as many things as possible into my schedule and often can’t do all of them. I constantly have to tell myself to limit my activities.

My parents decided they were going to come with Bethany and me to Mexico to make sure everything was legit. They took me down to New Orleans the night before we flew out to my new home. I met Bethany and her parents that morning at 3 a.m. in the airport! Our flight left at 6 and they said to be there 3 hours prior to departure for check-in. Being the rule-followers that we are, we showed up bright and early to the AeroMexico counter-1^st in line and nobody to check us in. So what did I do at dark-thirty in the airport? Run around dancing and acting crazy! We checked in about an hour later and Bethany said her good-byes to her parents L. Then we were off to another country, a new home, and completely new experiences.