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!