Angelina's Life in Motion

Hello again everyone! I hope your week went as well as mine. As usual the week was very busy! Here's what happened. Monday night at youth group we loaded 8 people in the front of a pick-up truck and put a loveseat in the back. As fast as we could, the eight of us would get out, position the couch at a certain spot, take a picture with all of us on it and get the couch back into the truck.Well, the reason we did such a crazy thing is that we were having a race with another team to see who could go to the most places on a list of places and be back within a certain amount of time. It was so fun!! So, that's how my week started. Mom, it reminded me of the Polaroid game we used
to play. :) I spent most of my free time this week preparing for my first Parent-Teacher COnferences. On Wednesday night though I went to Kids Club at my friend's church. Now, this is the same place I went last Wednesday, only this time it wasn't raining. To get there we take a bus. Sometimes we end up taking a combi, which is very small. The first time I saw one go by, I thought, "That can't be public transportation" because it's about the size of a mini-van. It has seat going around the edges of the inside, instead of in rows and a place for people to stand in the middle. We probably had about 15 people crammed in one of those, which is common. Personal space on buses here does not exist. Regular buses get just as crowded and a lot of time you end up standing. Oh well, I'm just thankful that it only costs about 35 cents to ride the bus. Anyways, I enjoyed Kids Club. The children there are precious. On Thursday, my roommate had a birthday. She was sick with a stomach bug on Tues, Wed and Thurs. Praise the Lord I didn't get it! So, last night I made us dinner and my neighbors made a cake and we had a celebration. It was a lot of fun. Well, about the PT conferences. I must say that I was a little nervous. However, everything went smoothly. The parents are very supportive and cooperative. They all thanked me for what I was doing and told me I was doing a good job. So, that was very encouraging. I am so glad the Lord called me to be a teacher. YOu know it's interesting because I want to get my Masters Degree in Bilingual and Multicultural edcuation. I am getting a lot of experience in that area. All the students are bilingual- one is trinlingual. I see firsthand the effects of being a bilingual student. So, it's neat that perhaps if God allows me to pursue that degree, I will have experiences to relate my learning to. Well, today I'm going to dinner with my friends at the Glad's house. They are teachers at the school. But, I have much much much to do before Monday, so I'll have to end this year for now. I miss seeing you all. I'd love to hear from you soon. Thanks for supporting me and praying for me. I can feel it all the time! Angelina

Wow! I can't believe it's been a whole week since I've had the chance to write! I'm sure you all are just as busy though! Well, as usual, it's been a great week and I've continued to feel overwhelmed by God's goodness! I attended a Missionary Fellowship Dinner on Thursday. It was so neat to see the missionary community united together. They are such a wonderful group of people! After dinner, we had a time of singing. The couple who led singing had a 20 year old daughter, who graduated from the school, die of cancer this summer. Two other missionary families lost an immediate family member this summer as well. So, we sang all the old hymns about heaven and meeting one day face to face with the Savior. I didn't know most of the songs, but I was so blessed to see the joy and passion on the faces of the missionaries as they invisioned themselves meeting with the Lord! Well, that was a great time! The whole week was just filled with times of fellowship! On Sunday, my church had an Independence Day party, which was really fun. In Mexico they have a traditional Independence Day shout, called the Grito. It goes back to the night (Sept. 15) that the people shouted for Independence and the war began. Then on Monday, we had a party at school. The kids (and I) wore traditional Mexican outfits. It was a lot of fun. Monday night the staff had an Independence Day party. We watched on TV as 80 million Mexicans gathered in Mexico CIty and the president did a ceremonial waving of the flag. It reminded me a lot of our New Years- like watching the ball drop in Times Square. They had musical guests and fireworks. It was interesting. On Tuesday we were off of school and I just took the day off. I stayed home and got some things done. Wednesday I had a little adventure. Well, remember the daycare I told you about. The one at my friend's church, which is in the middle of a field, with no road going to it? Well, on Wed. night, a few of us were going to help with the children's church. Well, it rained right before we went and it flooded streets, fields, etc. But, we went anyways. We got off the bus to walk to the church and ahead of us was a big muddy, wet field. Off we went, trekking through what seemed like a swamp. I'd look down to see grasshoppers on my pantlegs. The dirt path leading to the church was all mud and boy were we a mess when we got there- but it was fun! Well, I'll end by telling you about today. Today was the school picnic. It was so much fun! (Mom- I made vegetable pizza and everyone liked it. Aren't you proud!) My whole class was there. It was a perfect day for a picnic! We went to a private park. We played volleyball and I learned an outdoor version of tennis/racquetball. The kids played in the pool and caught lizards. One boy got the lizard to bite his ear and he walked around with a lizard hanging from his ear. Interesting. I looked for a lizard, but didn't find one. One of my goals before I leave Mexico is to catch a lizard! They are so cool! Well, anyways, I've got lots of school work to do after my day of fun! Have a great week everyone! You are in my thoughts and prayers!

Wow! What a day I've had! There are many cultural things I'm going to share today. The first is about trip to the fair in Cholula, an Indian town right outside Puebla. The town had a fair going on for Mexican Independence Day which is this Tuesday. (Yes, we get Tuesday off school. Woo-hoo!!) Anyways, we went to Cholula. The first thing we did was visit a pyramid there. The pyramid doesn't look like a pyramid, because it is covered with grass. On top of the pyramid is a catholic church. The pyramid is one of the larger ones in Mexico. It's 54 meters tall. We started off by taking a tour underneath the pyramid. It's pretty cool to be walking under a pyramid. (I have actually been through it before because we did it in 1996 when I came, but this time was more educational.) I learned that there were not tunnels in the pyramid when the Indians built it. The pyramid was made from 90% clay and 10% limestone, which covered the top layer of the pyramid. This pyramid had three layers. The archaeologists dug the passageways. The pyramid had been there for nearly 2000 years and wasn't discovered until the early 1900's! The passageways are very narrow and not very tall. There are parts of the tunnel where you can see difference layers of the pyramid. The tour guide explained that one group of people would build a pyramid, then later another group build a pyramid on top and then again a third time, which is how the pyramid got so big. During our tour, we were able to see where the original steps of the first pyramid were. It's pretty neat. And to think that it was made of almost all clay! Well, outside the pyramid we saw the place where the Indians used to have human sacrifices. There are even human remains still there. It's sad because a lot of people around this area still believe in the mythical legends of the Indians. Then we climbed up the pyramid, to the church on the top. From there you can see many mountain ranges, including at least one of the 4 volcanoes around us! Also, you can see Puebla, which seems to go on and on and on! It was a fun trip. The fair at Cholula was also neat because it's like a big market. I bought a traditional Mexican shirt for our Independence day parties at school and church. We also saw some Mexican dancers with brightly colored dresses. It was a good cultural experience! We had a good time! Well, I'm going to finish today by telling you about my first real culture shock here. On Thursday after school I went with my friend Janelle to her church's daycare. Her church is in a very poor area just outside Puebla. There were dirt roads, one room houses with no electricity. There was trash all over the ground. There were wild dogs running around all over. It's just so extreme compared to what I've seen in the city. It's very eye-opening to realize the things I complain about, like running out of water for a half hour. When we finally got to the church, the children there were praying for other children who didn't have food. To see the place that some people call home really makes you think twice about what material things you can live without! So, it was very uncomfortable walking past a house that barely had 4 walls and a roof knowing how much I have. Maybe that can challenge you too. Have a great week. Next time I write, I'll let you know all about 16 de Septiembre (Independence Day)

Hello everyone! Thanks for visiting me again! I enjoy hearing from you as well. Hmm... where should I begin today? Well, on Friday, we invited the landlady and her son over for dinner. The dinner is supposed to be at 6:30 and everything is ready. I cooked lemon-pepper chicken and rice. (I think I may actually have some hidden cooking potential. Thanks to my mother!!) So, it turned out really well. Anyways, I saw the lady and her son leave about 5:30 and so at 6:30 they hadn't returned yet. Well, about 6:45 we (Me, Erin, Judy and Janelle- all teachers who live in that building) hear her come back- with several other people. So, we were all a little nervous- because as it turns out, it is common for Mexicans to invite other people with them to an invitation. Fortunately at about a few minutes after 7, the lady came down and her relatives went home. So, we enjoyed a nice meal and were entertained by our guest. She speaks good English and she LOVES to chat!! So, the evening went well. We hope to invite them over again. Pray for God to open up doors in that situation. So, that was Friday. Saturday was a paint day at the school. Several teachers and students got together to paint a few rooms in the school. It went well and afterwards for lunch (at 3:30) we got pizza from Domino's. It was good! Oh yeah, I can't remember if I told you about the pop here. Well, I have enjoyed a new kind of pop. It's Manzana lift, or Manzanita Sol, In english- Apple pop. Yes, I know it sounds strange to have apple pop, but it's good. They should get it in the US! Sunday, I went to the Hudson's house after church for an EBM luncheon. There are 2 families and me from EBM, we all go to the same church, so we had lunch together afterwards. It was a very relaxing time. You teachers will appreciate this next event, my VERY FIRST OPEN HOUSE!!! Only, it's not what we think of as Open House. This Open HOuse is for the parents to come and get information. Students are not invited. So, I actually didn't find out until Saturday that I was going to have to talk in front of my parents for Open HOuse. So, I was a litttle nervous. I've never known an Open House without children involved, so it was different. However, it went very well. I was so nervous standing in front of all those parents. I was worried that they'd ask some hard question I didn't have an answer to. But, they didn't. The community here is so strong and the parents so helpful and encouraging. They are so grateful to even have teachers here so that they can focus on their church planting ministries and not have to be a full-time schoolteacher as well. So, I feel so blessed to be in PCS and feel the committment that the parents, teachers and students have to the Lord! It's wonderful. Well, that's all for today. Take some time to look up 1 Corinthians 15:58, as it has encouraged and challenged me this week! Keep strong in the Lord!
Angelina

Hello everyone! I can't believe it's almost been a week so I late updated this blog. I guess it's been busy. Well, I've had a great week. Last Friday the teachers had a get together at a couple's home. We played games. It's interesting because I have brothers in my class whose father is the music teacher, so they were there also. I remember was I was younger, it was hard to imagine that my teachers had fun on the weekend. So, my students got to hear my first name and watch me play Guesstures with everyone else. We really enjoyed it. Something I've had to do here in Mexico is cook for myself a lot. My housemate and I usually take turns cooking dinner. ( If you know me well you'd probably feel sorry for her when it's my turn to cook.) But, things have gone well. I actually enjoy it. Mom, you would be proud! I'm also learning new things from her. My roommate and I have gone on two walks now around our neighborhood. We don't take a map- we just start going. She's glad I'm with her because I'm pretty good at finding our way home. See, we don't go to a place and take the same way home- that's no fun, so we just wing it and hope we end up on one of the 3 streets we know here in Puebla. SO far, it's worked! About our walks- well, the changes within homes can be so drastic. I've walked past homes that have no glass on the windows and seem to be without electricity. The streets are usually paved and lined with palm trees, which is really cool. However, on our walks we have come across dirt roads in the city limits. It's very interesting. We enjoy walking around. Some time we are going to take the Ruta and go up town. The Ruta is a bus. One thing that was a little frustrating this week is that we ran out of water this week in the apartment. Here in Mexico the plumbing is different and for some reason you have to turn on a pump to take water to the roof and if you don't then you have no water for about a 1/2 hour. This is about the 4th time that we've run out since we got here. It really isn't too bad, unless you are in the shower, which I was and nothing would come out. But, that's about the most inconvienced I'm been and that's not bad at all! Something interesting happened today in class. I pulled down the world map, and it rolled back up and the whole thing fell down. Thankfully no one was hurt! (ANd I thought that only happened on TV!) Well, finally, I'll just say that God has been so good to me. I am so in awe of how he brought me here. Six months ago I was at college wondering what I was going to do, trying to get a job in Indiana and the next thing I know. My encouragement and challenge to you is that there is no better place to be than in the middle of God's will for you, walking with him, side by side! God is an awesome God!!