Old Friends and New

I had just left the house and was walking to the daycare with five of the other volunteers when all of a sudden I heard a little voice shout out "¡ABRIL!" I looked to the left and there was a small girl, wearing a uniform beneath a checkered apron, as all kindergarteners do. Her hair was in pigtails and I couldn't for the life of me figure out how in the world she knew my name.
 
Then I saw her mom and it all clicked for me. "No sé si te acuerdas de.." ("I'm not sure if you remember..") she started to say to me as I broke out into a grin. "¡Martita!" I exclaimed, "¡Ya eres muy grande!" ("You're so big!") Marta was in Male’s class when I was interning back in the day. Her mom would tell me that when they were on the bus to go home together, she’d see me walking in the street and tried to yell out to get my attention. In this picture taken in 2010 she is the furthest to the right.
 
It was so nice to see a familiar face and to be greeted after all this time; it just warmed my heart. "¡Adios!" she cried as she ran off with her mother and younger sibling following behind.
 
With small interactions like that I begin to feel that even though I have been away for three years, not everything has changed. Last Sunday I went visited the Vega family’s (Evangelina, Alberto and Laura) church which is called “Amistad Cristiana.” It’s an evangelical protestant church, and was packed out with at least 300 people. After church they invited me to their home in Manlanquín and while Laura (~14 years old) and I talked about our favorite books and movies and how we get annoyed by the frivolity of youth group meetings, Evangelina made salad and enchiladas verdes. As we ate we talked about the culture of Catholicism in San Miguel de Allende, the adoration of saints, and the reason Evangelina and Alberto chose to change churches.  

Andreas, Melanie, Sheila, me, Rina and Zelina at La Posadita restaurant.

On the work front, it’s been a pleasure spending time with and getting to know the volunteers. Some I really get along well with, and it’s sad to say goodbye. But I appreciate whatever time I have with them. It is energizing being around such big-hearted people.

Sometimes I get worried about my job because I’m afraid that we won’t be able to raise enough money through volunteers and donors to remain operationally viable. We rely completely on both to stay afloat. I just need to trust.

Happy Friday, Everyone!

Back

Whew! First week of work and life is very, very good. So far it's been enjoyable and pretty effortless. As Volunteer Coordinator, I get to interact with lots of different kinds of people: the volunteers (duh), the teachers, the children--it's definitely not boring. It's a challenge to have to switch gears between English and Spanish constantly, but thankfully the staff are really forgiving when I stutter out simple phrases that may not even be grammatically correct.

 

On Monday, Vero (one of the mom's-turned-teachers) was so kind as to invite me to her house, which is actually quite close to the daycare, and we chatted about the past few years while her children Marta, Juan Pablo and Richie watched "Bob Esponja" (SpongeBob Squarepants). Marta and Pablo come to the daycare after school (around 1:30pm) and hang out. Richie is still very young and is in Maestra Diana's class.

 

It's so different being a part of the staff at the daycare versus being a volunteer. We had a staff meeting on Monday and most of it was talking shop about very detailed issues (such as installing curtains on all of the doors and feedback on the cooking). I've met all of the other teachers before except for one, and they've all been welcoming as I figure out my job. It was good to catch up with them and ask about their kids, who are now much bigger than when I saw them three years ago!

 

I've also been able to reconnect with families at the church that I knew back in the day. The Vega family has invited me over to their house tomorrow afternoon. If you recall, Laura is the young girl (she's probably, like 16 now!) I went to see Despicable Me with at the mall three years ago. I bought her a sticker book of minions as omiyage; I hope she likes it.

 

Living in the Volunteer House has been very good! We only have six in the house right now, with two leaving in the next few days and another four arriving next week. There is a sense of camaraderie among us. Many of the short-term (one-week) volunteers want to jump right in and explore the city every single night, while the more long-term volunteers come home and lie in their beds in silence, building up stamina for the weeks ahead. One thing is for sure: at the Volunteer House, there's always someone to do something with!

 

Me, Sheila, Melanie and Laura

It's kind of a miracle but I haven't had stomach spasms yet! Maybe the bacteria from three years ago is still alive? Anyway, it's definitely a relief.

Was washing my clothes by hand yesterday in the sink and got a bit nostalgic just by the smell of the detergent, and the act of squeezing shirts dry to hang them. It just feels good to be back!

Settling In!

I was planning on waiting until I'd completed a full week of work before blogging, but the past few days have been super full, and I want to tell you about them!

As many of you know, I arrived here in Mexico on Thursday, August 22. Everything went well: both flights were on time, all baggage arrived safe and sound, and the people I sat next to on the plane were polite and considerate. It was surreal to be picked up by Donna and Miguel. As we chatted in the car, I noted how the area in only three years has developed quite a bit. My Spanish was a bit rusty, but thankfully Miguel was understanding. As Volunteer Coordinator, I am now certificada as part of the Casa de los Angeles family. Awesome!!

Friday was spent doing errands and Donna did a "brain dump" with me to explain how everything works. I already have a list of things that I want to attack starting tomorrow. The neurotic organizer within me is jumping for joy. I hope to build upon the tracking systems for volunteers, because it is very dynamic with the frequent comings and goings.

On Friday I was struck with how special this job is. Donna took me and all the other nine volunteers out to dinner, and it was fascinating to note how kind of random and unique our group was. I mean, just imagine with me: you've got me, Donna, a Japanese woman who lives in Australia, a couple from Ireland, two college students from the West Coast, an older adult female who grew up in West Seattle (surprisingly enough), a Swedish woman that's married to a Mexican man, and a young man from Denmark. In what other context would such a diverse group gather?

After dinner we stayed up chatting together, comparing our differing cultural values, senses of humor, pop culture, and legal and educational systems. It was absolutely fascinating. Did you know that in Denmark the primary targets of racism are Iranians? And in Ireland to get into a specific university concentration, admission is based solely on a point system on five different standardized subject tests based on the student's choosing?

It's been a relief to have such good volunteers as I am trying to get a hang of things. The unique thing about receiving volunteers is that since they are paying out of pocket to be here, the people that are attracted to this kind of thing are already pretty aware at least on some level...and value helping others. Volunteers are self-selecting to participate, so I'm seeing that most of them are very motivated to be of service.

Today I went to church! The location has changed and would you believe it, it's only a seven minute walk away. No more having to climb flights and flights of stairs just to reach the hotel! This new location is in a basement, for which reason Cristina calls it the "catacombs," but I think it's pretty cool. What struck me is that I was only one of two Americans present, and that there are lots of new families and young people. Apart from the Martinez family (the pastor's family), the other people I met while I was here in 2010 have moved on to other churches. As always, the church is a place of great welcoming and it was inspiring to see all the chairs filled; the place was so full that the young men had to sit on the floor while Tomas preached.

It was great to catch up with Tomas, Cristina, David and Rebeca. I didn't know this, but Cristina is leading a homeschool group for a group of young people, on top of organizing several different church gatherings. Mondays: Youth. Wednesdays: Adult Bible study. Thursdays: Prayer. This Saturday: Women. It's remarkable that the family can manage to do so much! I visited their home after church with the youth from the school and a couple of their old friends from Queretaro. It was a special time of sharing, and again I was struck at how special it was to have a cultural exchange with them as I explained my own heritage and family history. The couple from Queretaro told me that they really respect Japanese culture because there's so much emphasis on honor, discipline and hard work. That was interesting to me!

I'm looking forward to my first "official" day at the daycare tomorrow. I dropped by on Friday briefly and was able to say hello to Ana (the cook) and Vero (who was a mom at the daycare in 2010 but has since been hired on as a teacher).

Sorry no pictures yet. Hopefully soon! Thanks for following me in my adventures.

To my friends and family: I miss you, and thank you for keeping in touch with me. Drop me an email whenever!