Arriving "home" at PDX!
Hanging out in Seattle!
Enjoying a Mariner's game!
We are looking forward to the next several weeks, visiting more friends and family, and getting to do (and eat!) some of our favorite things in Oregon!
Tuesday, August 11, 2015
We're HERE!
It's been good to be back in the US for the past two weeks! We spent the first several days in Georgia, and will be in Oregon until the end of September!
Tuesday, July 28, 2015
Milpa Alta
We got be be tourists this week in Mexico City... a place that doesn't at ALL look like Mexico City - Milpa Alta. This is a part of the city that has a very small-town feel to it, in fact, it's a lot of farm land. Nopal cactuses and chiles are grown in Milpa Alta. It's also well-known for it's mole (MO-lay) sauce, which is one of my personal favorites!
Here we are looking out over part of Milpa Alta
And these were probably the best mole enchiladas I've ever eaten - black, green, and red moles!
Then we were randomly in a mall by JP's dad's house one afternoon and Kikin Fonseca - who used to play soccer for the Mexican National Team - was there... So of course we had to get a picture! hehe!
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
Living Life Together
A big part of discipling others is learning about God's Word together. Our Thursday night studies on the Life of Christ is exactly for that. We enjoy going through Christ's life chronologically, and seeing how His teachings apply to our lives.
Another part of discipling is just living life together. This means walking together through the good and the bad, the fun times and the sad times. Thankfully, we've had the opportunity to share a lot of fun times with our discipleship group! Going out for tacos, to the movies, to play "futbolito" (fooseball), to hang out in the homes of the other group members, etc.
Another part of discipling is just living life together. This means walking together through the good and the bad, the fun times and the sad times. Thankfully, we've had the opportunity to share a lot of fun times with our discipleship group! Going out for tacos, to the movies, to play "futbolito" (fooseball), to hang out in the homes of the other group members, etc.
Some of us drinking hot drinks on a cold afternoon
Having an improptu fooseball tournament after watching Avengers!
We are thankful to be able to have these good time with this group of people that God has allowed to become great friends!
Monday, June 1, 2015
Championships
The first half of the final game (it's a 2-game final) was held on a Thursday night at the same time as our discipleship group, so we used the night as a time to just hang out and watch the game!
The Gallos lost that first game 0-5, yikes! We won the second game 3-0, but it wasn't enough, the Santos Laguna team was champion. But it was fun to see the local team in the finals, and to get a chance to scream at the TV for 2 hours with friends!
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
El Animooooo de Queretarooooo!
Animo (AH-nee-mo). It's a hard word to describe in English. "Encouragement" is a close approximation of what "Animo" means.
There is a man in Queretaro named Pedro who goes all around town throughout the day screaming at the top of his lungs "ANIMOOOO" He's some crazy guy (although people who don't know him think he is), he just decided many years ago that there was enough sadness in the world so he would encourage others. People who don't know "El Animo" as Pedro is usually called, may get scared by hearing him scream ANIMO almost in their ear while walking down the street. He also has a habit of not letting people continue on their way until they have scream ANIMO in unison with him! He's a funny guy!
Not everyone thinks El Animo is funny, he's been arrested on several occasions for driving down the street with flags hanging out of his car that "obstruct the view of other drivers," (the current governor of Queretaro paid his bail for that one), and for yelling Animo at President Fox several years ago. The president's body guards don't take kindly to some random guy screaming at the president. haha!
El Animo was JP's neighbor for a few years before we got married. So we know him fairly well. One night, JP had parked a borrowed car in front of his house and someone came and pounded on his door saying the car was on fire. JP stepped outside, and saw that it was actually the Animo's car that was on fire, but that was parked right next to the car that JP had borrowed from a friend. Photographers from the newspaper soon showed up and took pictures of the Animo standing in front of his fully engulfed car smiling and holding up peace signs (his typical picture pose). Someone who didn't like his cheerful attitude came in the night and set his car (that was painted bright yellow with the word "ANIMO" painted all over it) on fire.
Anyone who's lived in Queretaro for a couple of years or more has certainly had a run-in with the Animo. He's like Queretaro's answer to Portland's Uni-Piper. Lisandro, a friend from Costa Rica met him a couple years ago when the Animo picked him up and yelled animo at him when he wasn't expecting it. (I couldn't find that picture!) And my parents met him a few months ago, he didn't try to pick my dad up though, haha! He's quite a character!
There is a man in Queretaro named Pedro who goes all around town throughout the day screaming at the top of his lungs "ANIMOOOO" He's some crazy guy (although people who don't know him think he is), he just decided many years ago that there was enough sadness in the world so he would encourage others. People who don't know "El Animo" as Pedro is usually called, may get scared by hearing him scream ANIMO almost in their ear while walking down the street. He also has a habit of not letting people continue on their way until they have scream ANIMO in unison with him! He's a funny guy!
Not everyone thinks El Animo is funny, he's been arrested on several occasions for driving down the street with flags hanging out of his car that "obstruct the view of other drivers," (the current governor of Queretaro paid his bail for that one), and for yelling Animo at President Fox several years ago. The president's body guards don't take kindly to some random guy screaming at the president. haha!
El Animo was JP's neighbor for a few years before we got married. So we know him fairly well. One night, JP had parked a borrowed car in front of his house and someone came and pounded on his door saying the car was on fire. JP stepped outside, and saw that it was actually the Animo's car that was on fire, but that was parked right next to the car that JP had borrowed from a friend. Photographers from the newspaper soon showed up and took pictures of the Animo standing in front of his fully engulfed car smiling and holding up peace signs (his typical picture pose). Someone who didn't like his cheerful attitude came in the night and set his car (that was painted bright yellow with the word "ANIMO" painted all over it) on fire.
Anyone who's lived in Queretaro for a couple of years or more has certainly had a run-in with the Animo. He's like Queretaro's answer to Portland's Uni-Piper. Lisandro, a friend from Costa Rica met him a couple years ago when the Animo picked him up and yelled animo at him when he wasn't expecting it. (I couldn't find that picture!) And my parents met him a few months ago, he didn't try to pick my dad up though, haha! He's quite a character!
Pedro the Animo is standing on top of his truck behind a cardboard cut-out of his preferred candidate for governor. Me, Marcia, JP, Luis, and Cynthia are in the truck bed
Friday, May 15, 2015
Elections
It's that time again, election time. It comes once every three years - every six for president, senators, local and federal representatives, and mayor, and every six years (three years difference of the other elections) for governors, mayor, and reps (mayors and representatives serve 3-year terms, everyone else serves 6-year terms). This year is the governor elections.
There are two main candidates (there are NINE political parties here!) for governor, and they both have their fans/campaigners out in full force in the stop lights doing songs and dances in front of the drivers. I'm not even kidding.
Above you can see the people dressed in red are supporting one candidate, and people in blue another. The good thing is, all the posters, signs, people in the streets have strict dates that they are allowed to be in campaign. Campaign time last for three months every three years, June 1 every poster, sign, bumper sticker, etc. must be taken down. Voting happens on the first Sunday in June.
We have had the opportunity to meet and be in contact with former government officials and current candidates from four different political parties. It's interesting the way the Lord has put these people in our lives. The two former officials are from two of the main parties, and they are still heavily involved with those parties. We pray that the Lord continues to allow us to share with them. They (and the current candidates) have the opportunity to have some influence on our city and state. It's common to hear Christians basically give up on anything political - our whole government system is so far in the toilet it's hard to want anything to do with any candidates or anything. But PEOPLE are not un-redeemable.
There are two main candidates (there are NINE political parties here!) for governor, and they both have their fans/campaigners out in full force in the stop lights doing songs and dances in front of the drivers. I'm not even kidding.
We have had the opportunity to meet and be in contact with former government officials and current candidates from four different political parties. It's interesting the way the Lord has put these people in our lives. The two former officials are from two of the main parties, and they are still heavily involved with those parties. We pray that the Lord continues to allow us to share with them. They (and the current candidates) have the opportunity to have some influence on our city and state. It's common to hear Christians basically give up on anything political - our whole government system is so far in the toilet it's hard to want anything to do with any candidates or anything. But PEOPLE are not un-redeemable.
Monday, March 9, 2015
Blessings from Costa Rica
In 2009, a few people from International Teams Costa Rica came to Queretaro and did a short training on the Life of Christ discipleship (which is where we are pulling our chronological study of the Life of Christ from for our discipleship group). Among those who came were Luis and Marcia. They are near our age, and we became friends with them. Ever since Luis and Marcia were in Queretaro the first time, they have had a burden to come back long-term/permanently to disciple men and women here. As I know we've mentioned many times, there are very few people in Queretaro who have a relationship with Christ.
The beginning of 2014, Luis and Marcia began meeting with JP and I going over the Life of Christ study and discipling us. Well, the end of February 2015, God allowed them and their daughter Valentina to move to Queretaro! They are working with another I.T. team in the coffee ministry, and we are so happy that they are here! They will be a blessing to the coffee team, and we are excited to be able to meet with them face to face too!
Over the past year, JP and I have showed MANY pictures of our FAVORITE taco place to Luis, Marcia, and Valentina... This past Sunday, we got to go there with them. They said the pictures we showed don't even do the food justice, it's WAY better than they could've imagined! haha!
They also accompanied us to celebrate Judith's (JP's mom) 75th birthday. Judith has been praying for this family for the past 5 years that the Lord would allow them to come back to QRO!
Monday, March 2, 2015
When My Parents Came!
A few pictures from when Rick and Barb were here in Queretaro with us in February!
Judith (JP's mom), Barb, Rick, Me, and JP at Bernal!
Mom and I on the hike up the rock.
In the mouth of the Santa Brigida Mine in Pozos Guanajuato
We both turned 34 in February!
My parents and I in downtown Queretaro
As always, we had a good time with my folks, going to cool places in and around Queretaro, and eating WAY too much yummy food!
Monday, February 16, 2015
La Casilla
"La Casilla" is the polling place for elections in Mexico. The process for staffing las casillas is similar to jury selection in the US - you get chosen and you go serve. If I understand correctly, each election year they choose a letter (or a couple of letters) and people who's last name begins with that letter get hunted down and told that they're serving in la casilla. Ok, "hunted down" is an exaggeration, but that's what it feels like...
This year is election year for governors (at least in Queretaro) and federal representatives. Once every 6 years we have presidential and senate elections, and once every 6 years (three years removed from the presidential elections) we have governor elections. Every 3 years we vote for representatives and mayors. It's nice because we don't have to deal with elections ever TWO years, AND commercials, flyers, and signs for candidates can't go up until the beginning of April (elections are the first Sunday in July), so we only see all that stuff for 3 months.
Anyhow, las casillas. If you get selected, you go from 5am until whenever all the votes for your casilla are counted (voting stops at either 8 or 9pm). About this time of year, a person from the election commission will stop by your house and let you know you are selected. Every Mexican over 18 should have a voting card (which is our main form of ID) and your address in on that, so they know where to find you. The only thing is, SO many people never change their address that the election commission doesn't know where to find them. JP and I actually have our correct address on our cards, so we're a little nervous that one of us may be "it" this year. But we'll survive! haha!
This will actually be the first time in my life that I go to a polling place to vote - Oregon started using mail-in ballots about the time I turned 18! So that will be a new experience.
This year is election year for governors (at least in Queretaro) and federal representatives. Once every 6 years we have presidential and senate elections, and once every 6 years (three years removed from the presidential elections) we have governor elections. Every 3 years we vote for representatives and mayors. It's nice because we don't have to deal with elections ever TWO years, AND commercials, flyers, and signs for candidates can't go up until the beginning of April (elections are the first Sunday in July), so we only see all that stuff for 3 months.
Anyhow, las casillas. If you get selected, you go from 5am until whenever all the votes for your casilla are counted (voting stops at either 8 or 9pm). About this time of year, a person from the election commission will stop by your house and let you know you are selected. Every Mexican over 18 should have a voting card (which is our main form of ID) and your address in on that, so they know where to find you. The only thing is, SO many people never change their address that the election commission doesn't know where to find them. JP and I actually have our correct address on our cards, so we're a little nervous that one of us may be "it" this year. But we'll survive! haha!
This will actually be the first time in my life that I go to a polling place to vote - Oregon started using mail-in ballots about the time I turned 18! So that will be a new experience.
Saturday, November 15, 2014
Yo No Entender...
I've been in Mexico almost 9 years now. And I wouldn't trade the experience of living here for anything! But there are still those moments that are so unbelievable you just have to laugh.
For example, I don't particularly stand out in a crowd in Queretaro. Yeah, I'm "blonde" (read: "don't have dark brown or black hair"), and I'm a little taller than a lot of women, but haven't reached the magic 5'9" that makes you "freakishly tall." People generally know that I'm not a native-born Mexican once I start talking - my grammar isn't perfect, and people tell me I speak Spanish with a German accent (what's with that?) Anyhow, in general, people don't focus on the fact that I was not born here.
But a few times per year I'll get a totally different response from people. I may be going to a small store that I'd never been to before, or using a service that I haven't used before (new dry-cleaner, etc.) And it's like the person attending the business sees me coming, and they must think ahead of time that I am a foreigner so they won't be able to understand me. Because when I walk in and ask a question (and it always seems to happen on a "good Spanish day," when I know I spoke grammatically correct, AND without much of a foreign accent), they give me a blank stare and say in Spanish, "I'm sorry, I don't understand." I'm confused as to why they didn't understand "how much do the tomatoes cost," so I repeat myself. I know they understood this time, but they still kind of stare for a moment before responding, "Esteeee ("um" in Mexican Spanish) 12 pesos per kilo." It used to really bother me that people would like mentally freak out upon having to deal with me. But now it's just funny. I still don't understand why this happens. Especially when people from other parts of Mexico assume that I'm from maybe Northern Mexico, or somewhere that isn't where they're from. This has only happened in Queretaro. In fact, no one bats an eyelash in Mexico City when I'm asked where I'm from and say "Queretaro." They just know that I'm not from Mexico City.
It's just a funny thing that comes with the territory of living in a country that you weren't born in!
For example, I don't particularly stand out in a crowd in Queretaro. Yeah, I'm "blonde" (read: "don't have dark brown or black hair"), and I'm a little taller than a lot of women, but haven't reached the magic 5'9" that makes you "freakishly tall." People generally know that I'm not a native-born Mexican once I start talking - my grammar isn't perfect, and people tell me I speak Spanish with a German accent (what's with that?) Anyhow, in general, people don't focus on the fact that I was not born here.
But a few times per year I'll get a totally different response from people. I may be going to a small store that I'd never been to before, or using a service that I haven't used before (new dry-cleaner, etc.) And it's like the person attending the business sees me coming, and they must think ahead of time that I am a foreigner so they won't be able to understand me. Because when I walk in and ask a question (and it always seems to happen on a "good Spanish day," when I know I spoke grammatically correct, AND without much of a foreign accent), they give me a blank stare and say in Spanish, "I'm sorry, I don't understand." I'm confused as to why they didn't understand "how much do the tomatoes cost," so I repeat myself. I know they understood this time, but they still kind of stare for a moment before responding, "Esteeee ("um" in Mexican Spanish) 12 pesos per kilo." It used to really bother me that people would like mentally freak out upon having to deal with me. But now it's just funny. I still don't understand why this happens. Especially when people from other parts of Mexico assume that I'm from maybe Northern Mexico, or somewhere that isn't where they're from. This has only happened in Queretaro. In fact, no one bats an eyelash in Mexico City when I'm asked where I'm from and say "Queretaro." They just know that I'm not from Mexico City.
It's just a funny thing that comes with the territory of living in a country that you weren't born in!
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
The Market and the Pilon
The beginning of each month, I go get about 20 pounds of fruits and vegetables from the market. This lasts most of the month, with the exception of some fruits that don't last long, I need to buy those again later in the month. So I take my market bag and head off. The place I go has really low prices (a head of broccoli for 20 cents US, 2 pounds of tomatoes for 50 cents, etc). The thing that some people don't like about this particular place is that the guys who work there choose your produce for you. You ask for a half pound of jalapeños, but they get to put them in the bag for you. But I have rarely been disappointed - it's rare that I get any produce that I wouldn't have chosen myself, and you can see the produce displayed so if you see that tomatoes are squishy, maybe you shouldn't buy them that day.
I tried taking a couple pictures of the produce place without being noticed, because people just don't take pictures of the produce place, that's weird! haha!
Here are the market bags for sale, as well as bananas, tomatillos, oranges, mushrooms, cilantro...
And this one really didn't turn out well, but there are boxes of carrots, onions, broccolis, zucchinis, and cactus leaves.
This stuff comes straight off the farm, so it lasts for a couple weeks in the fridge since it didn't spend 2 weeks in a truck or grocery store!
Then there's the "pilon!" (pee-LONE) They don't give a pilon at this particular market, but the lady who owns the little store on my street gives me the pilon frequently. A pilon is: when you buy 10 eggs and she gives you an 11th for free; you ask for 1 pound of sugar and you get 1.1 pounds; buy quite a few things in the store and the owner asks you if you want the half head of lettuce that someone bought the other half of. It's like your freebie for being a good customer. I even got a free churro once because I was there when the churro delivery guy (yes, that's a thing here!) came while I was talking with the store owner.
JP and I really miss the punch card system in cafes, restaurants, and stores in the USA. But we have pilones here, so even though it's not a formal "buy 10 get one free" card, and you never know when you're going to get it, getting a pilon is always a treat!
I tried taking a couple pictures of the produce place without being noticed, because people just don't take pictures of the produce place, that's weird! haha!
Here are the market bags for sale, as well as bananas, tomatillos, oranges, mushrooms, cilantro...
And this one really didn't turn out well, but there are boxes of carrots, onions, broccolis, zucchinis, and cactus leaves.
This stuff comes straight off the farm, so it lasts for a couple weeks in the fridge since it didn't spend 2 weeks in a truck or grocery store!
Then there's the "pilon!" (pee-LONE) They don't give a pilon at this particular market, but the lady who owns the little store on my street gives me the pilon frequently. A pilon is: when you buy 10 eggs and she gives you an 11th for free; you ask for 1 pound of sugar and you get 1.1 pounds; buy quite a few things in the store and the owner asks you if you want the half head of lettuce that someone bought the other half of. It's like your freebie for being a good customer. I even got a free churro once because I was there when the churro delivery guy (yes, that's a thing here!) came while I was talking with the store owner.
JP and I really miss the punch card system in cafes, restaurants, and stores in the USA. But we have pilones here, so even though it's not a formal "buy 10 get one free" card, and you never know when you're going to get it, getting a pilon is always a treat!
Sunday, October 12, 2014
Little Did You Know...
There are a few things that I sometimes forget to tell "first-timers" to Queretaro about. Yeah, everyone always tells the person traveling to Mexico, "Don't drink the water!!" Actually, in Queretaro, most likely nothing will happen if you drink a glass of tap water. (It's kind of like drinking river water in Oregon - you shouldn't do it, but we all know you didn't let that water boil when making your ramen noodles for dinner while camping, and seriously, who doesn't accidentally ingest like a liter of water while water skiing? Maybe that's just me...)
But there are some things that have become so normal, I just quit thinking about them!
Anyhow, after 9 years of living here, it's weird to go to Oregon and drink the (cold, non-chemical-tasting, yummiest ever) tap water. I automatically look for the trash can to put my used tp into in bathrooms, and think going to the bathroom in a mall without paying for it - and you get FREE toilet paper too! - is awesome. It' amazing to see people in wheel chairs driving and going everywhere independently in the US. And yes, unless you have an actual food allergy, I WILL roll my eyes at your list of things you "can't" eat. (The finger quotes are of utmost importance around "can't" in this situation). But I love my home, and I love going home from my home whenever we get the chance!
But there are some things that have become so normal, I just quit thinking about them!
- Don't flush toilet paper in public restrooms. There is a garbage can next to the toilet for that - public toilets get clogged up ridiculously easily. Lots of people from the States are grossed out about this one.
- "Rinsing" lettuce doesn't cut it. Lettuce, raw spinach, strawberries, grapes, and any other leafy or tiny vegetable or fruit needs to be disinfected with an iodine or bleach solution. Smooth fruits and vegetables (apples, carrots, etc) should be washed with soap. Ain't nobody wanna eat themselves some non-disinfected lettuce!
- Another bathroom one - many public restrooms don't have toilet paper (or soap, or paper towels, or toilet seats...).
- AND, you generally have to pay to use a public restroom, like between 25 and 40 cents USD. Some friends of our road-tripped down from San Diego to Queretaro several years ago, and I remember one guy said, "Dude, I've paid like 30 bucks on this trip so far just to pee!"
- About the water... You can brush your teeth, wash dishes, take a shower, etc. in our tap water. For regular drinking water there's the 5 gallon water-cooler-type jugs.
- Just go with the flow when it comes to riding in a car. We had 4 adults and 5 (not very young) kids in a Honda Civic to go to lunch the other day. If you need to use a taxi, the driver will not wait for you to install your un-expired car seat (what's with THAT? that's the craziest thing I ever heard of!) in the car. Just get in, sit down, and... yeah. heehee!
- If you are gluten-free, vegan, paleo, etc. well, have fun with that. CHEESE is the way of life in Queretaro.
- Sadly, our city is totally unequipped for people with physical disabilities. It's irritating because it's not like there's no one here in a wheel chair or with a walker. There are wheel chair/stroller ramps in some places, but half the time they are too narrow for a chair to go up/down, or they don't give enough space for the person to turn the chair at all after going up, orsomethinglikethat.
Anyhow, after 9 years of living here, it's weird to go to Oregon and drink the (cold, non-chemical-tasting, yummiest ever) tap water. I automatically look for the trash can to put my used tp into in bathrooms, and think going to the bathroom in a mall without paying for it - and you get FREE toilet paper too! - is awesome. It' amazing to see people in wheel chairs driving and going everywhere independently in the US. And yes, unless you have an actual food allergy, I WILL roll my eyes at your list of things you "can't" eat. (The finger quotes are of utmost importance around "can't" in this situation). But I love my home, and I love going home from my home whenever we get the chance!
Monday, September 22, 2014
Discipleship Time
We've been having our Thursday night discipleship group for two months now. We are studying the life of Christ with several people who are either new Christians, or are not Christians. It has been neat to be able to explain how to read the Bible, and see how each person is able to pick something that they learned to apply to their lives (we hope they actually WILL apply them to their lives!)
I don't feel like I should post pictures of the group study on a public website, but we DO (of course!) have dessert each night, and this is the kind of thing we prepare each Thursday for those who come:
Coke, Jamaica water, tea, "coffee" (Yep, being an Oregonian, Nescafe must have the finger quotes around it to be considered "coffee") and that particular week I made an apple/peach coffee cake.
Aaaand, this is what my kitchen looks like at 11pm...
I'm kind of *ridiculously* OCD when it comes to my kitchen, but I LOVE having a mess on Thursday nights, it means we had a good time together after the study!
We are studying step by step the life of Christ, and are to when Satan temps him in the desert this week. Please pray that those who come will grow in their walk with Christ, and anyone who has not accepted Christ may make the decision to do so. Thanks!
I don't feel like I should post pictures of the group study on a public website, but we DO (of course!) have dessert each night, and this is the kind of thing we prepare each Thursday for those who come:
Aaaand, this is what my kitchen looks like at 11pm...
We are studying step by step the life of Christ, and are to when Satan temps him in the desert this week. Please pray that those who come will grow in their walk with Christ, and anyone who has not accepted Christ may make the decision to do so. Thanks!
Saturday, July 26, 2014
Bringing the Dish Back Full
A few years ago, I ran across some bananas on sale for like 2 cents USD each, and bought loads of them and made a lot of banana bread with them. I gave ziploc bags of banana bread muffins to JP's mom, and to friends at church. I also gave a pyrex baking dish with banana bread in it to a neighbor. About a week later, the neighbor knocked on my door to return my dish, and it had homemade cookies in it! I told JP later, "Guess what! When Vivian returned my dish, she put all these cookies in it for us!" JP looked at me strange, and said, "Of course!" I was confused. He explained to me that if someone gives you a non-disposable dish of food, you need to return it with food in it! (Glad he told me that before anyone ever gave us a returnable dish of food!) So now, when giving baked goods to friends, I kind of hesitate to give them something in a dish that I need back - I don't want to obligate them to give me something in return! A couple months ago I gave our next-door neighbors a plate of cookies, and they returned my plate with a glass bowl of homemade caramel corn (because you can't easily put caramel corn on a plate!) So I gave their bowl back with some brownies in it. Then last week I gave them a plate with banana muffins on it, and the neighbor told me yesterday that she will give my plate back soon, that she hasn't had time to make anything yet. I felt terrible, and told her she's not obligated to put anything on my plate for us, and she was confused as to why I thought she might give my plate back empty. I hope she didn't think I don't want her baked goods, or am in a hurry to get my plate back...
If you go to dinner at someone's home, and they ask you to bring a salad, dessert, etc. (which is common, because upon being invited you should ask what you can bring!), you leave the leftovers and your dish at the host's home, unless all the food you brought was eaten, then you can take your dish home. The hostess may prepare and "itacate" (see post below), and send you with your dish immediately, or she may not return your dish for sometime.
When JP and I were in the US, it was soon our turn to bring dessert to our small group. I made a cobbler and brought a tub of ice cream. When the group was over and we were getting ready to leave, the hostess handed me the almost empty cobbler dish and the half-eaten tub of ice cream. JP and I insisted that she keep both things, while she said that she didn't want to have ice cream in the house because she'd have to give some to her boys, and may not remember to bring my dish back. Then I remembered that in the US, you take whatever is left of what you brought with you! JP felt bad that we ended up taking the food home, but we both had to tell ourselves that we did the right thing for US culture!
Living in two cultures keeps us on our toes!
If you go to dinner at someone's home, and they ask you to bring a salad, dessert, etc. (which is common, because upon being invited you should ask what you can bring!), you leave the leftovers and your dish at the host's home, unless all the food you brought was eaten, then you can take your dish home. The hostess may prepare and "itacate" (see post below), and send you with your dish immediately, or she may not return your dish for sometime.
When JP and I were in the US, it was soon our turn to bring dessert to our small group. I made a cobbler and brought a tub of ice cream. When the group was over and we were getting ready to leave, the hostess handed me the almost empty cobbler dish and the half-eaten tub of ice cream. JP and I insisted that she keep both things, while she said that she didn't want to have ice cream in the house because she'd have to give some to her boys, and may not remember to bring my dish back. Then I remembered that in the US, you take whatever is left of what you brought with you! JP felt bad that we ended up taking the food home, but we both had to tell ourselves that we did the right thing for US culture!
Living in two cultures keeps us on our toes!
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
The Itacate (ee-tah-KAH-tay)
The great thing that happens in Mexico when you go to a large meal at someone else's home. The doggie bag.
If you're invited to someone's home for a meal and there are a lot of leftovers, the hostess may prepare an ITACATE for everyone to take home with them. This generally consists of a few disposable containers full of several dishes that were served that day (and sometimes some other random thing from the hostess' fridge, or at least that's what happens to us when we go to JP's grandma's house!)
A good Mexican wife must have her stash of these in the house for preparing itacates:
Yogurt and sour cream containers, any type of disposable, yet reusable dish is great for sending guests home with salads, rice, meat dishes, desserts, or whatever was served at your home. The guest gets another meal out of it, the hostess doesn't have loads of food clogging up her fridge, and the guest doesn't need to bring the dish back! This is win-win in my book! :)
If you're invited to someone's home for a meal and there are a lot of leftovers, the hostess may prepare an ITACATE for everyone to take home with them. This generally consists of a few disposable containers full of several dishes that were served that day (and sometimes some other random thing from the hostess' fridge, or at least that's what happens to us when we go to JP's grandma's house!)
A good Mexican wife must have her stash of these in the house for preparing itacates:
Thursday, July 10, 2014
A Growing City
This is (my) translation of an article about Queretaro that came from this site
-- Explanations in italics are mine --
In light of the upcoming World Population Day on July 11, the INEGI (-- Mexican Census bureau --) revealed a few statistics about Queretaro's population.
There are around 1,974,000 people residing in Queretaro, which makes it the 22nd largest metro area in the country. In just 50 years, Queretaro has QUINTUPLED its population, going from 286,000 people in 1950 to 1.4 million in 2000. This year, it is estimated that the city will reach 1.97 million people.
On the other hand, the fertility rate has gone down, going from 3.5 in 1990 to 2.3 in 2010, and it keeps going down. It is also said that the life expectancy is the highest in the country, with the average being 78 years.
-- Explanations in italics are mine --
In light of the upcoming World Population Day on July 11, the INEGI (-- Mexican Census bureau --) revealed a few statistics about Queretaro's population.
There are around 1,974,000 people residing in Queretaro, which makes it the 22nd largest metro area in the country. In just 50 years, Queretaro has QUINTUPLED its population, going from 286,000 people in 1950 to 1.4 million in 2000. This year, it is estimated that the city will reach 1.97 million people.
On the other hand, the fertility rate has gone down, going from 3.5 in 1990 to 2.3 in 2010, and it keeps going down. It is also said that the life expectancy is the highest in the country, with the average being 78 years.
Another effect of the changing demographic is the increase in the proportion of adults (30 to 59 years old) and senior citizens (60 years and older). These two age groups now represent 53.1 percent of the population, all of whom are eligible for health and social services. It is expected that these age groups continue to be the majority through 2030.
-- In most other cities in Mexico, the younger age groups - under 30 years old - tend to be the vast majority, sometimes being as high as 75% of the population --
Finally, one other aspect that is important to mention is that the rate of marriages as gone down in our city in the last decades, going from 7.1 marriages per 1,000 people in 1993 to 4.5 marriages per 1,000 people in 2010. The divorce rate has been increasing.
Saturday, June 28, 2014
Taco Juan
**(Due to the fact that this is not our personal story, we've changed some names)**
We may have mentioned Juan before, he's the owner of our favorite taco restaurant the Rancho. He's been coming to our church since sometime before JP and I returned from the USA last year.
The other night, we went to the Rancho with some friends after JP preached at their church. In a rare moment of non-busyness in the restaurant, Juan told us his story.
Our good friends, Luis and Sandy, had been going to the Rancho for some time when they invited JP and I (who, at the time, were engaged - circa 2008). We immediately recognized the world's best taco upon eating there, and have been regular customers ever since. Luis and Sandy had shared a bit with Juan about salvation in Christ. He was interested in spirituality and was open to hearing what they had to say. JP and I also talked a little with him about Christ.
Juan has a sister who lives in Canada, and she accepted Christ. Because her town doesn't have a church service in Spanish, she looked for sermons online and found a Mexican church that offered live-streamed services every Sunday, so she began to tune in regularly. Juan went to visit his sister in Canada, and she also told him about Christ, and encouraged him to attend a Christian church.
In 2011, our church, Horizonte Queretaro, got a new pastor. He and his wife moved up from another city, and we took them to the Rancho. They were hooked, and went frequently. They, too, began sharing with Juan about salvation in Christ.
One day, Juan's sister came to Queretaro to visit. She was in the restaurant talking with him about attending the church she tuned into online, which happened to be here in Queretaro, when suddenly that pastor walked into the Rancho! It was Kike (KEE-kay), the pastor of Horizonte Queretaro, who was by that time a friend of Juan's. Juan found all this to be too much of a "coincidence," and decided to go to church. He began attending Horizonte regularly, then accepted Christ! He now uses his restaurant as a way to point others to Christ as much as possible.
We had heard bits and pieces of Juan's story, but it was amazing to hear him tell how God orchestrated everything to bring him to where he is today!
(Just a side note: since me and another girl listening that night are from the United States, Juan piped up that he had spent some time in the US too. "But it's in a place where hardly anyone from here (Queretaro) knows of - Portland Oregon." Couldn't be closer to home for JP and I. Literally!)
We may have mentioned Juan before, he's the owner of our favorite taco restaurant the Rancho. He's been coming to our church since sometime before JP and I returned from the USA last year.
The other night, we went to the Rancho with some friends after JP preached at their church. In a rare moment of non-busyness in the restaurant, Juan told us his story.
Our good friends, Luis and Sandy, had been going to the Rancho for some time when they invited JP and I (who, at the time, were engaged - circa 2008). We immediately recognized the world's best taco upon eating there, and have been regular customers ever since. Luis and Sandy had shared a bit with Juan about salvation in Christ. He was interested in spirituality and was open to hearing what they had to say. JP and I also talked a little with him about Christ.
Juan has a sister who lives in Canada, and she accepted Christ. Because her town doesn't have a church service in Spanish, she looked for sermons online and found a Mexican church that offered live-streamed services every Sunday, so she began to tune in regularly. Juan went to visit his sister in Canada, and she also told him about Christ, and encouraged him to attend a Christian church.
In 2011, our church, Horizonte Queretaro, got a new pastor. He and his wife moved up from another city, and we took them to the Rancho. They were hooked, and went frequently. They, too, began sharing with Juan about salvation in Christ.
One day, Juan's sister came to Queretaro to visit. She was in the restaurant talking with him about attending the church she tuned into online, which happened to be here in Queretaro, when suddenly that pastor walked into the Rancho! It was Kike (KEE-kay), the pastor of Horizonte Queretaro, who was by that time a friend of Juan's. Juan found all this to be too much of a "coincidence," and decided to go to church. He began attending Horizonte regularly, then accepted Christ! He now uses his restaurant as a way to point others to Christ as much as possible.
We had heard bits and pieces of Juan's story, but it was amazing to hear him tell how God orchestrated everything to bring him to where he is today!
(Just a side note: since me and another girl listening that night are from the United States, Juan piped up that he had spent some time in the US too. "But it's in a place where hardly anyone from here (Queretaro) knows of - Portland Oregon." Couldn't be closer to home for JP and I. Literally!)
JP going after the "trompo" of BBQ pork at the Rancho
My FAVORITE dish, BBQ pork and cheese taco
Thursday, June 26, 2014
Every Four Years...
Every four years, this exciting time comes around in Mexico. (No, it's not presidential elections). It's THE WORLD CUP!!
The vast majority of the world sits in front of TV screens at home, in restaurants, in parks, etc. to cheer on their country's soccer team, or their favorite team if their country didn't go. Events are rescheduled, school (and sometimes work) is skipped. (Imagine if the Super Bowl happened once a week for a month, and wasn't necessarily on Sunday evening.) Mexico is VERY enthusiastic about this event, and so are JP and I, even though we haven't been into regular season Mexican League soccer in the past few years.
Each country that goes to the World Cup is guaranteed three games. Mexico and the US have both played their three, and will each get at least one more. We're rooting for both of our countries, as well as Costa Rica (doing VERY well, and is also moving forward) and Honduras (unfortunately did not move forward).
Here's just a little of the excitement!
The vast majority of the world sits in front of TV screens at home, in restaurants, in parks, etc. to cheer on their country's soccer team, or their favorite team if their country didn't go. Events are rescheduled, school (and sometimes work) is skipped. (Imagine if the Super Bowl happened once a week for a month, and wasn't necessarily on Sunday evening.) Mexico is VERY enthusiastic about this event, and so are JP and I, even though we haven't been into regular season Mexican League soccer in the past few years.
Each country that goes to the World Cup is guaranteed three games. Mexico and the US have both played their three, and will each get at least one more. We're rooting for both of our countries, as well as Costa Rica (doing VERY well, and is also moving forward) and Honduras (unfortunately did not move forward).
Here's just a little of the excitement!
We went to a park in downtown Queretaro to watch one Mexico game.
Cheering on Honduras and USA, watching games by internet
We watched another Mexico game with friends at a cafe
Monday, May 19, 2014
Found In Translation
A new ministry was kind of dropped in our laps a couple of months ago - one that was unexpected (and I *may* of actually said "Um, yeah, that's not happening" upon being asked to do it).
At Horizonte Church, we had quite a few foreigners for some time now - three ladies from the US, two guys from Germany, an Australian guy, a Costa Rican girl, and an Argentine guy all fairly involved in church, serving and attending regularly. We all speak Spanish at least conversationally. Then all of a sudden, a few foreign families who work in a new car industry in the area began coming. Most of them do not speak much Spanish. The end of February I was asked to translate the service simultaneously for one such family. Now, you have to understand, there's simultaneous translation for a church service, then there's simultaneous translation for OUR church services - our pastor speaks incredibly fast, and uses an insane amount of slang and plays on words. So this was a huge challenge. JP started doing the translation, as my hearing isn't what it should be, and he does a great job. I'm not sure if word was spread about the translation of our 11:00 service, or what, but we now have two people from the US, two Bulgarians, and four from Africa coming on a regular basis. It's so neat to see how God brought people who don't yet speak Spanish to be able to hear His Word preached here in Queretaro. As I said before, the translating is not easy. But it's been a blessing to be a part of this!
In the picture below:
The top part, JP is translating the service.
The bottom part, Pearlie (one of the USA girls) is translating children's Sunday School.
Thursday, March 20, 2014
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