When Damaris and I left the internet cafe on Tuesday afternoon it had just started to rain. I had convinced Damaris to walk there (here) instead of driving her parents´car, and we were going to get ice cream afterward. Instead we walked, and then ran, back home. It continued to drizzle the rest of the night which made it feel like home.

I woke up like normal and went to the classrooms at 7am, but nobody was there yet and I realized that the bus and the van were still in the courtyard. Brigida, Geno, and Avy (I´ve been spelling it wrong) soon came and said that when it rains the bus can´t go out because it can´t handle the mud where these kids live. So we didn´t have kids, but it was a good day. We did a lot of planning and made things for their classrooms. I made a sign for Geno that said "Animales de la Granja" (Animals of the Ranch, basically Farm Animals) which will be their next topic. I can do this type of thing, and actually really enjoy it. I did that, and then also cut out pictures of farm animals, put them on backgrounds and contact papered them. Except these poor girls don´t have contact paper, so they do it with packing tape instead.

Tuesday someone had given us a TON of strawberries (fresas) so we went to help Rosa unstem them. I must admit that after they were unstemmed and rinsed in unpurified water I ate a lot of them. I was a little worried about getting sick, but nothing´s happened so far, so I am good. Rosa made some delicious albondigas soup that was incredible, and we made strawberry smoothies and had strawberries and cream for dessert.

I tried to explain to them about strawberry shortcake, but they have not had it before, and how do you explain shortcake? The staff here is having a party on Valentine´s Day and I am going to make strawberry shortcake for it! Rosa said it was fine, that Americans are good at dessert. I don´t know about how well I do them, but now I feel I have to live up to Julia Child or something. I also tried to explain strawberry lemonade to the girls and they couldn´t believe me!! I explained how Red Robin does it (sugared strawberries just dropped into lemonade). They have lemon for their soup, so i put a bunch of lemon juice in my strawberry smoothie and Avy looked at me like I was crazy. I told them I could make some strawberry lemonade for the Valentine´s Day party as well. We´ll see. We also exchanged names and will be getting one other person a gift.

In the kitchen yesterday we had an interesting conversation my mother (and probably Steve Arndt as well) will just LOVE. Avy wanted to know what the word ¨like¨was, because I say it all the time. Aye! That stupid slang word and I couldn´t explain it. Geno and Brigida understand, but Avy has no idea. I have to try and cut down on that, I don´t even realize that I do it anymore.

Last night I went to church again with Brigida and Geno. Their family (their niece, Maribel, who is 22!) is so nice in welcoming me and picking me and taking me home and all of that. Last week in church a lady asked me if Jess was my pastor, and i said that yes, at my school he was. Jess and his wife Candy have stayed with her family in the past-- so you were asked about Jess! The lady said that every time her son sees an American he says "Jess!". Also, Pastor Pedro said you all will be working on a kitchen for the church while you are here.

That´s all.

Just a few things:

One good thing in Fast Food Nation was the mention of In-N-Out in California. They use all fresh ingredients (including their fries they make from scratch each day), pay their part time workers starting at $8.00, pay some of their managers 80k a year, and look at what they offer. Nothing is expensive, their stores are extremely clean. Compare that to McDonald´s and their way of doing business-- why do they have to do it that way? In-N-Out has such a strong following, mostly for their great, fresh tasting food.

My parents called Sunday night and that was good. I was anxious to hear from them since they had left on Monday. I put lots of pictures up in my room, some maps of portland and birthdays cards I received in November.

I didn´t bring any cds with me- mostly because I know I can live without them and wanted to prove that to myself. However, i didn´t count on all the kids down here loving rock and roll. They want to know what I listen to, and I try to tell them, but have nothing to show them. They listen to a lot of American music, but also a good deal of bands out of Mexico. For a while I considered asking Dad to bring down my cd wallet when he comes- it contains a bunch of stuff I had been listening to right before I came down here, on burned cds. Then I remembered that my cd player won´t play them... so I might not do that after all.

Today I rode with Rosa as she took home a group of kids early. Juanito was sick, so she took all the kids from his area home early because it is about 20 minutes away. I got to see where the kids live and it confirmed to me their great need. At school they can be made good looking (donated clothes, school uniforms, and the teachers do their hair), yet that was the dark realization of where these kids live.

Abby found yesterday that Dulce, one of the four year olds, has lice. Obviously that was not a happy discovery. Poor girl, it´s not her fault, but oohhh I do not want to have lice in Mexico. yikes.

I have been reading a lot lately, and I´m afraid I might run out of books. I have been reading the book of Isaiah in the mornings when I wake up. I´m playing the guitar a lot and finding it easier to switch between chords now. For those who know it-- my first song has been Aaron Sprinkle´s song... and now I can´t remember the name of it. (Natalie, Stephanie, Lizy-- it´s the one we all know). It is nice when I don´t have cds that I have my guitar to at least make some music. Going to church has been interesting. I don´t feel like I can sing because I don´t know what I would be saying... so I really miss singing.

I did my first load of laundry on Sunday. I have never hung up clothes to dry before, so that was an experience. I am so used to the instantaneous gratification of clean laundry done in an hour and a half, dry and ready to be folded... I´m not used to waiting a day and a half!! It makes you plan ahead.

I know these are all sort of scattered thoughts and I´m sorry for that. While I am working or by myself I think of all these things to write, but once I get here I just forget it all.

the end.

`your goodbye
it keeps me listening
for your voice
around each corner' - Copeland

Hi again. I have a little more time today to write.

Rosa and Abel are the new directors at Welcome Home, and live in the compound (it has 5 small buildings), and their 15 year old daughter, Damaris, lives with them. She has become my friend, and i came down here to this internet cafe because she also wanted to come. she spends more time on the internet than the other girls, so she might turn out to be my cafe buddy. She´s a lot like i wanted to be when i was 15.. she loves rock and roll and plays a multitude of instruments.

The original plan was for me to stay in an old bunk room in the main building, but somebody left, and so now i am staying in a small apartment. After going up to that old bunk room to trade pillows I´m glad that switch was made.

This week my schedule has been like this: the staff girls arrive at 7am, and the kids come anytime between 7:10 and 7:25. Abel picks them all up on a bus. We all eat breakfast together, then the rest of the morning is spent in separate classrooms:Geno with the babies (1-3 year olds), Abby with the 4 year olds, and Brigida has the 5 and 6 year olds who are in Kindergarten. She takes them to their school each day, and sometimes I go with her. They are so cute- they wear these blue gingham aprons... the girls´ are more like aprons (with ruffles), the boys´ are just button up shirts. Brigida says it´s just so that they don´t get stuff on their clothes. Smart people.

Mostly I float around between the babies and the 4 year olds. The 4 year olds like to make fun of my lack of Spanish skills. The phrase I have heard the most this has been ´empujame, americana´ when they want to be pushed on the swings... i try to tell them that my name is not americana, but Meghan.

Also, i get called porbrecita (poor baby) a lot. when the girls are chattering they look at me, i shrug because I don´t know what they are talking about, and they call me porbrecita. meh.

The girls have been extremely kind to me, taking me under their collective wing. I think sometimes they just feel sorry for me: they know that I don´t do much in the afternoons after they leave. They keep me busy though- i have been the market, to ice cream twice, church four times (they go to church a lot!), to two internet cafes, lunch in the park, the fabric store, etc. It has already showed me a lot about hospitality- they are willing to invite me, and have already accepted me into their group. Everytime people here greet (or at least the girls) they say hello, but also put cheeks together in a semi-hug. It´s so warm and inviting.

One of my favorite things about the Spanish language has been that they add -ita and -ito to things that are small. there are two Manuels in the baby class so they call one Manuelito. Also, just if they are small they will add it, so they have also called Juan Jaunito.

On the way down to Mexico I read Nickel and Dimed: On Not Getting By In America by Barbara Ehrenreich. This last week I read Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser. Both are very good and I recommend them both. Fast Food Nation has made me want to become a vegetarian as soon as i get back to the states (i can´t do it here, without refusing food, and i won´t do that). The chapters on the meatpacking industry are disgusting. Most of all I am concerned about the health of the American people. But also, there are just atrocious conditions in the meatpacking houses. In recent years immigrants have been recruited to work for low wages, and the injury rate is EXTREMELY high. With low workers´comp now, they get hardly any money for bad injuries. The turnover rate is high, and ... agh. it´s just really bad. I look at the kids I am taking care of and realize that it is the type of people like their parents that are lured to America with the promise of big money ($9/hr is much more enticing than the $7 a day that field workers here earn). I don´t want those work conditions for anyone. I don´t want them for these kids´ parents, and I especially don´t want that for the kids I´m watching.

That was maybe more information than anyone wanted, but I can´t stop thinking about that book today.

Everything is going well. People were worried I would get sick, but I think my greatest risk for danger involves riding in small late 80s Hondas with 6 other girls. At least everyone goes relatively slow here. I guess that´s it.

Hi everyone.

I don't have much time to write this because I am at the internet cafe with the girls I work with and they are waiting for me to get done. I will try to come in another day (maybe Monday) and update with all my information and what is going on.

I guess for now I will just say that I am doing well. Mom and dad left on Monday afternoon. That night I felt really sad and lonely but the girls that I work with are really great and I have had a lot of things to do.

The girls that work with the kids are Genoveva, Brigida and Avigail (none pronounced like we would in America, of course). They are all around my age and a lot of fun to be with. Brigida and Genoveva understand my English, and Brigida is really pretty good at interpreting. Avigail doesn't speak any English but I learn the most Spanish when I am in her class helping. She likes to talk and so we rely a lot on my Spanish/Engilsh dictionary.

Tuesday they invited me to the market, Wednesday I went to church with Brigida and Genoveva and this morning we went to a special service at the big church by the orphanage.

Thanks for the e-mails everyone, I'm sorry I can't respond today. Stephanie- Carlos isn't at the center anymore :( but Claudio, the kid with the blue knit cap is, and he is a little smart aleck... a lot of fun to be around.

I heard about all the ice and coldness you guys had last weekend. I'm sorry to tell you all that it has been i nthe 70s and 80s here in Vicente. While it's nice, I don't especially like walking in the sun... on Monday I got a little burned.

In the midst of conversations with Abby (Avigail), she told me she likes (and wants) my white skin (and lets be honest, it's very white). I told her that everyone in America liked dark skin like hers and went to tanning salons and got cancer for it. Such irony that we all want what we don't have. I asked her if whiter skin meant you were more like a spaniard and she said yes. I'll try to remember what she said when I want to wish away my white skin.

I guess that is all for now. Sorry for not giving very much information right now. I'm hungry and I think we are going to the little stand in the park to get food (where we got queso tacos, stephanie!).

Love to everyone. I miss you all a lot.

I plan on keeping this journal for friends and family to read while I'm in Mexico for three months. Most everyone knows what I'll be doing down there, but I thought my first entry should be a small overview for people who don't know.

I have visited this small town in Mexico three times with various groups (school and church) for week long mission trips where we will build a small house for a family. We stayed at this place called Welcome Home. Right now Welcome Home operates as a center for kids whose parents work in the fields, although many of them come from single parent families. A bus goes out and picks these kids up in the morning and brings them back to the center. They get two good meals during the day, and a lot of lessons, including Bible lessons and practical hygiene information. Normally these kids would most likely be left at home by themselves or with an older relative. These children don't have the opportunity to go to school because of the cost, so through donations Welcome Home provides the kindergarten/first grade age kids with that possibility.

For the most part I have been told I will be working with the toddlers. I figure that that's probably a good thing because they don't speak much Spanish either! Ruth Ann (the director there) told me that the new girl who works in that room is about my age and speaks a little English. I am hoping we can learn from each other for the next few months.

People have asked me if I get college credit for spending this time in Mexico. I don't get credits for merely going, but I am taking some independent courses with two of my professors. One involves childrens' drawings both from here in Portland and from children at the center and comparing those two groups. The other project will involve the history of Mexico and the area, with a small focus on the Revolution in the early 20th century. I'll be interviewing some older people in the area to compare the book facts with the memories of these people. Just from my preliminary reading about the build up to the Revolution it is amazing to me the history of Mexico and the obvious effects it has had on stereotypes and the social classes of current Mexico.
Another question I get asked a lot is my address to get mail, and I have to say there is none. The mail system is not that great and would probably take a long time. I'll mostly be communicating through this journal and a few e-mails. My internet usage will be sparse- about once a week.

I'll be back in Portland sometime in April. This morning it is in the low 30's and there is frost and ice everywhere. It's hard to believe that fairly soon I will be in the sunshine almost every day! A lot of people have said "you get to miss out on the Oregon winter and rainy Spring!" and they think I'm so lucky to be in the sun in Mexico. To be honest I have this Oregon blood and will probably desperately miss the rain and clouds while I am in Mexico.

My parents are driving me to Mexico, and we are taking our time to get down there (visiting the Reagan library and other places in Southern California), so it will be quite a while before I update this again. And when I update this journal again I'll be in Mexico!