Church

Though it's a Catholic church and the walls are painted bubble gum pink, Trevor and I went to fellowship with locals. The benches are more uncomfortable than Bidwell Pres' if you can imagine, and the distractions are unbelievable. Even if you take away the fact that the speaker is preaching in Spanish, you are sure to be distracted by children lying face down on the cold cement floor under the chairs, the small cloth flags of other countries hung crookedly above the "interesting" mural painted on the wall (of rolling hills and a stream) and to top it off, the woman sitting next to me is breast feeding. At one point I felt something on my leg and thought I was being bitten by a mosquito (a common occurance) and when I moved my leg to get it off, I looked down to find a chihuahua licking my leg. WHAT?! Dogs in church?! So I listened as intently as possible and yet again was welcomed like one of their own, greeting tons of people I was meeting for the first time as if they were family. The preacher even introduced and welcomed us to the congregation at the beginning of church. I won't deny it though, the pink walls and the elderly woman dosing off were my favorite parts!

La Quincinera

On Saturday I went to my first quincinera. I guess it's a Mexican thing to call the 15th birthday that, but it's how I know it. It was to celebrate Wendy's birthday and "coming of age" as they do at 15 in Latin America. Wendy is one of my closest tica friends since she used to work at the grocery store where the office is. She is such a sweetheart. So we went and hung out in this very tico like outdoor party where they fed us they typical rice, beans, chicken, and soda. There were mashed potatoes too, not sure where that came from. Anyhow, friends and family congregated and it was a really nice time. The coolest part of the party was wen they assembled the THREE-TIER cake with topper and everything. It got a little warm and Trevor and I began to make bets on when it would tumble, I was ready to leap out of my seat and catch it at any moment. It looked more like the leaning tower of Pisa than a wedding cake, and much less a birthday cake. The whole time was wonderful, and it was great to be welcomed as one of their own, rather than an outsider. I met tons of people who I now see daily and consider part of the extended family who lives in Sierpe. Next time you can come along, I promise they'll be plenty of cake!

Snake in the Park

The other day we were walking through the center plaza/park when all of the sudden we noticed a vibrant green tree snake with prey in it's mouth. At first we thought this four foot snake was lunching on a toad and went to get the "animal guy" in town, Jungle Jay. When he arrived to take a look he noticed it was a tree frog, and one worth saving. So he managed to knock it's lunch from it's tight clenched jaw, which made the snake really mad. The snake proceeded to cock it's head, reaching about a foot in the air, and hiss at all of us. Now it was REALLY mad. Another girl and I jumped on a park bench just in time as it slithered, head still high in the air, right under and between us while I stood on the bench asking, "Ellos pueden saltar?" meaning, "Can they jump?" Haha. I was serious! How scary, but how exciting!!! Three year old Ximena got a chance to see some up close action and wasn't afraid at all. The tree frog was saved and the snake is still hiding in the bush we walk by several times a day. Just another exciting part of an average day in Sierpe.

I'm Finally Here

The day has come. And after two flights and a day in the car, I have arrived in my new home, Sierpe. Today is my first day of work with Grupo Amigos de Sierpe and I couldn't be happier. The weather is beautiful, the community is amazingly welcoming and friendly, and I already feel right at home here. Thanks everyone, for a wonderful graduation send off. Check back often for updates and pictures as I continue to get settled in to my new life!