Mexican roads are weird. I knew that already but everytime I travel, something new surprises me (or scares me). At the weekend it was a dual carriageway crossroads (when do we have those in the UK?) where the crossing through the central reservation of the slightly more major road (indicated by the one with most traffic) required you to drive on the left, rather than the traditional right. Why bother to keep to the traditions if it’s going to be a pain.
Today, the surprise was road markings. The roads here rarely have markings and you can work out the number of lanes by calculating the number of cars that can fit in the allocated space and adding one. At night, the potholes and speed bumps are very difficult to see and, occasionally, it’s hard to work out where the road goes. Someone seems to have sat down and thought about this. The solution – paint the trees! So as I walked to work this morning, I noticed that all the trees and telephone poles lining the street were painted white to about shoulder height (or head height if you’re Mexican). Amusingly, there hadn’t been any attempt whatsoever to do a neat job and most of the pavement (where there it exists) was painted too. Splatter, splatter, splatter. Awesome.
Thursday, 13 March 2008
Wednesday, 12 March 2008
Newsletter 9: Mucho Worko :)
Wow - to think I've written 9 newsletters in 6 months! I can't work out if that's good or bad! Nonetheless, I hope that you have been able to get a little window into Mexican life, the ups and downs of serving in a Christian ministry and some of the amazing things God is doing amongst the Mexican poor through Armonía.
First the weather report. Skip it if you don't like it but Lynn (M) complained last time that it was missing. It's hot. Most days reach 25 degrees and it is due to get hotter over the next few weeks. Most people like this - I don't. Give me snow over sun any day. Thankfully, there's been a huge snowfall in the States which, combined with a Rossby Wave shift and polar highs has brought the temperatures down to a much more pleasant 10deg this week. Spot the geographer. Although this is too cold for the Mexicans it makes my room beautiful at night; just like 'The Fridge' in 24 Oak Tree Avenue.
The last month has been truly 'loco' as Hansell (so hot right now) would say. As I re-read my last missive, I realised that it was pretty tame compared to the last 15 days! The last two weeks I have averaged a working day of 8.30am to 11pm. Lunch falls around 4.30, which I have discovered is quite a long way away from a 6am breakfast! Don't worry though, not eating has never been much of a problem for those with Rimmer genes and I'm pretty sure that I'm not fading away. Well, not that much.
About two weeks ago, while I was busy trying to miss my thumb with a hammer in the Santa Cruz centre, Dani approached me and asked me to work in Casablanca. At that point I thought I would work tuesdays and thursdays. How wrong I was! I quickly discovered that the Nico and Lupe had painted 3 dorms in 2 weeks and that no-one had ever taught them to paint. Therefore it was surprising to all when a role-reversal occurred (normally they teach me manual labour) and they found themselves under the tutorship of the master painter-artist Rimmer (1985-) in a desperate attempt to have some walls without the post-modern 'dribble' effect and windows with enough unpainted glass to see through them. Unfortunately, various sessions on preparing, painting technique, finishing and cleaning up seemed to fall upon deaf and paint-splattered ears! The enormity of the task was realised soon after and the labour team (and skill-base) grew rapidly and I stayed there every waking hour of the day. By last weekend, we had almost 30 people working on painting, plumbing, office reorganisation, computer networking and much more, including local labour, the ladies from the Santa Cruz community center and all the guys! Great fun, if a bit chaotic.
In the middle of all this, things became more hectic when Liz returned to the States. Because of a number of factors, this triggered a period of disillusionment with the leadership and their ways of working, augmented somewhat by tiredness after probably the hardest fortnight's work I have ever done. Apart from my personal feelings, this obviously also upped my workload as I took on some of her jobs, including all her classes (I now teach 15 hours of English a week!).
And so this all continued to a climax last Thursday when the first visitors of the year arrived. And what a shock awaited them - Casablanca looked stunning. Even I was surprised when we finished (just 30 mins before their arrival!). At this point, I feel like I should explain that Casablanca (the Armonía 'hotel') is a genius idea - an income-generation project. Visitors that come and stay contribute directly into the income of the organisation, paying for salaries, student scholarships, subsidies for the lunches at the centers and many other things. Money left over is saved for the winter when guests don't come. It's well equipped to host groups of up to 35 people and even has a swimming pool. Check out the photos through my blog at www.mexicanchris.blogger.com I think you'll agree that all the work was worth it.
But I am happy to report that I am now alive and well after some good sleeps, and in generally good spirits. There is still much to do but we've slowed down to a more sustainable rate. Working so much has given me lots of time to really interact with each staff member and I feel even more like a part of the community here.
I have learnt much this month - speaking in Spanish 24/7 means I'm really getting better (although I still can't roll my Rs). God has again proved himself trustworthy in the midst of me being absolutely knackered as most of the work-related difficulties I had before Christmas have gone. As far as I am concerned, I have continued trying to work my hardest so I thank those of you who have prayed especially for this – I can only put it down to His intervention.
I have particularly enjoyed working alongside Saul over the last 2 weeks, writing correspondence and organising the group trips. He's giving me more and more responsibility – I'm now in charge of tracking when everyone' arriving and where, and making sure we don't double-book or have him and Pilar yo-yoing back and forth with Oaxaca. He's asked me to translate when he's not here – my first attempt last weekend with the visitors was OK but I had never really appreciated how difficult it is to listen in one language and speak simultaneously in another. More practise required on this front to avoid speaking a strange kind of Spanglish into visitors' ears! I've also learnt that the human body is quite resilient since I've adapted almost entirely to getting up at 5am every morning (Josías has had to return to his village so I'm running the house).
So much more to tell but I'll leave it for there now. I'm aware that this time I've talked much more about me but, to be honest, there hasn't been that much time to get to know other facets of Armonía. I'm going to Oaxaca in a week so I hope to give you an update on the amazing work going on down there. In the meantime, keep an eye on the blog for amusing stories or thoughts (www.mexicanchris.blogger.com) and/or the new-improved Armonia UK website (www.armonia-uk.org.uk) for more general information and recent newsletters.
I'm off to make some chocolate chip cookies :) With blessings,
Chris
First the weather report. Skip it if you don't like it but Lynn (M) complained last time that it was missing. It's hot. Most days reach 25 degrees and it is due to get hotter over the next few weeks. Most people like this - I don't. Give me snow over sun any day. Thankfully, there's been a huge snowfall in the States which, combined with a Rossby Wave shift and polar highs has brought the temperatures down to a much more pleasant 10deg this week. Spot the geographer. Although this is too cold for the Mexicans it makes my room beautiful at night; just like 'The Fridge' in 24 Oak Tree Avenue.
The last month has been truly 'loco' as Hansell (so hot right now) would say. As I re-read my last missive, I realised that it was pretty tame compared to the last 15 days! The last two weeks I have averaged a working day of 8.30am to 11pm. Lunch falls around 4.30, which I have discovered is quite a long way away from a 6am breakfast! Don't worry though, not eating has never been much of a problem for those with Rimmer genes and I'm pretty sure that I'm not fading away. Well, not that much.
About two weeks ago, while I was busy trying to miss my thumb with a hammer in the Santa Cruz centre, Dani approached me and asked me to work in Casablanca. At that point I thought I would work tuesdays and thursdays. How wrong I was! I quickly discovered that the Nico and Lupe had painted 3 dorms in 2 weeks and that no-one had ever taught them to paint. Therefore it was surprising to all when a role-reversal occurred (normally they teach me manual labour) and they found themselves under the tutorship of the master painter-artist Rimmer (1985-) in a desperate attempt to have some walls without the post-modern 'dribble' effect and windows with enough unpainted glass to see through them. Unfortunately, various sessions on preparing, painting technique, finishing and cleaning up seemed to fall upon deaf and paint-splattered ears! The enormity of the task was realised soon after and the labour team (and skill-base) grew rapidly and I stayed there every waking hour of the day. By last weekend, we had almost 30 people working on painting, plumbing, office reorganisation, computer networking and much more, including local labour, the ladies from the Santa Cruz community center and all the guys! Great fun, if a bit chaotic.
In the middle of all this, things became more hectic when Liz returned to the States. Because of a number of factors, this triggered a period of disillusionment with the leadership and their ways of working, augmented somewhat by tiredness after probably the hardest fortnight's work I have ever done. Apart from my personal feelings, this obviously also upped my workload as I took on some of her jobs, including all her classes (I now teach 15 hours of English a week!).
And so this all continued to a climax last Thursday when the first visitors of the year arrived. And what a shock awaited them - Casablanca looked stunning. Even I was surprised when we finished (just 30 mins before their arrival!). At this point, I feel like I should explain that Casablanca (the Armonía 'hotel') is a genius idea - an income-generation project. Visitors that come and stay contribute directly into the income of the organisation, paying for salaries, student scholarships, subsidies for the lunches at the centers and many other things. Money left over is saved for the winter when guests don't come. It's well equipped to host groups of up to 35 people and even has a swimming pool. Check out the photos through my blog at www.mexicanchris.blogger.com I think you'll agree that all the work was worth it.
But I am happy to report that I am now alive and well after some good sleeps, and in generally good spirits. There is still much to do but we've slowed down to a more sustainable rate. Working so much has given me lots of time to really interact with each staff member and I feel even more like a part of the community here.
I have learnt much this month - speaking in Spanish 24/7 means I'm really getting better (although I still can't roll my Rs). God has again proved himself trustworthy in the midst of me being absolutely knackered as most of the work-related difficulties I had before Christmas have gone. As far as I am concerned, I have continued trying to work my hardest so I thank those of you who have prayed especially for this – I can only put it down to His intervention.
I have particularly enjoyed working alongside Saul over the last 2 weeks, writing correspondence and organising the group trips. He's giving me more and more responsibility – I'm now in charge of tracking when everyone' arriving and where, and making sure we don't double-book or have him and Pilar yo-yoing back and forth with Oaxaca. He's asked me to translate when he's not here – my first attempt last weekend with the visitors was OK but I had never really appreciated how difficult it is to listen in one language and speak simultaneously in another. More practise required on this front to avoid speaking a strange kind of Spanglish into visitors' ears! I've also learnt that the human body is quite resilient since I've adapted almost entirely to getting up at 5am every morning (Josías has had to return to his village so I'm running the house).
So much more to tell but I'll leave it for there now. I'm aware that this time I've talked much more about me but, to be honest, there hasn't been that much time to get to know other facets of Armonía. I'm going to Oaxaca in a week so I hope to give you an update on the amazing work going on down there. In the meantime, keep an eye on the blog for amusing stories or thoughts (www.mexicanchris.blogger.com) and/or the new-improved Armonia UK website (www.armonia-uk.org.uk) for more general information and recent newsletters.
I'm off to make some chocolate chip cookies :) With blessings,
Chris
Saturday, 1 March 2008
Photos
Over the next few days, I'm going to try to put up some photos. I've realised that there's been a distinct lack of photographic action on my blog. Enjoy.
It finally happened...
So, the inevitable has finally occurred. It was always a possibility but I previously reckoned that it was a 'when' not an 'if'. Yep, that's right, I've been attacked by a dog.
It was a fairly amusing experience in retrospect. If you've seen the film 'Toy Story' (1) then you'll remember that there's a pretty nasty black and white dog belonging to Sid, the evil next-door neighbour who eventually gets his comuppance (I have absolutely no idea how you spell that!). Comeuppance? Com-uppance? Anyway, back to the story. So this dog obviously either takes a serious dislike or a serious like to me because it comes right for me. I say like or dislike because it was difficult to tell whether he wanted to maul or eat me. But hey, the end result's probably the same.
So I make a decision to get running. Quickly. And having once done the 100m in 11.6s I can move if I really need to. Unfortunately, that was on a track and this was on a Mexican road. Cue pothole or rock (I remain unsure what). Cue falling sensation. Cue road. The falling's not the problem; it's the landing that hurts. Understandably preoccupied that I wouldn't receive a new haircut, I decided to try the running away part again. The second time was more successful.
So the dog didn't get me (just) and I limped away chuckling to myself at how silly I must have looked (how very British!) with bruises and cuts on my hands, elbow, hip and knees. They'll mend, although my trousers are a little worse for wear. Nothing like a little excitement on the way to the community centre
It was a fairly amusing experience in retrospect. If you've seen the film 'Toy Story' (1) then you'll remember that there's a pretty nasty black and white dog belonging to Sid, the evil next-door neighbour who eventually gets his comuppance (I have absolutely no idea how you spell that!). Comeuppance? Com-uppance? Anyway, back to the story. So this dog obviously either takes a serious dislike or a serious like to me because it comes right for me. I say like or dislike because it was difficult to tell whether he wanted to maul or eat me. But hey, the end result's probably the same.
So I make a decision to get running. Quickly. And having once done the 100m in 11.6s I can move if I really need to. Unfortunately, that was on a track and this was on a Mexican road. Cue pothole or rock (I remain unsure what). Cue falling sensation. Cue road. The falling's not the problem; it's the landing that hurts. Understandably preoccupied that I wouldn't receive a new haircut, I decided to try the running away part again. The second time was more successful.
So the dog didn't get me (just) and I limped away chuckling to myself at how silly I must have looked (how very British!) with bruises and cuts on my hands, elbow, hip and knees. They'll mend, although my trousers are a little worse for wear. Nothing like a little excitement on the way to the community centre
Tuesday, 19 February 2008
Taking offence while people watch me in the street
It's not uncommon for people to shout "güero" at me in the street. It's very common for them to stop, stare and whisper, as if i had sixteen eyes and a 3 foot nose. But on Friday, I seemed to be attracting more attention than usual. Normally I don't mind but this irritated me - I was tired and took offence - and I wanted to shout at them; "seriously, just because I'm the colour of paper and not coffee doesn't mean I'm weird". Actually, I have to admit I think they were thinking I was stealing things because I was carrying a fence which I made for Alheli (and sweating profusely because it's a 2 mile walk from Santa Cruz and it was quite heavy).
See what I did there? Taking a fence while people watch me in the street. Oh I am so witty. And yes, it did take me most of my arduous journey to Alheli to think it up. Sad, I know.
See what I did there? Taking a fence while people watch me in the street. Oh I am so witty. And yes, it did take me most of my arduous journey to Alheli to think it up. Sad, I know.
Monday, 11 February 2008
Newsletter 8: Doing things the Mexican way
Dear Friends,
I have found a few moments to tell you a little of my life in Mexico over the last few weeks. There is much to tell but it seems that a good description of my time so far in 2008 would be 'doing things the Mexican way'.
The time I spent in the UK was wonderful and I was encouraged by so many of you who enquired how I was and how the work was going. Thanks :) Being mentioned by Marvin twice in one service was quite amusing. I managed to avoid going back and forth between Cambridge and Norwich too much (like November) and also slept a lot better so I didn't get ill when I returned (unlike November). Combined with a new approach to the time difference and the 6am flight, all this meant I arrived refreshed and ready to go. This was just as well because since then I have been on a gruelling timetable!
When Saul and Pilar Cruz assessed how the last few months had gone in Alheli (the Mexico City students' residence), they decided that the guys weren't working nearly hard enough, nor did they take care of their time well enough, nor did they have the right attitude to life. I'm not sure I agree with this assessment but Armonía is the Cruzes' ministry and I've volunteered to be a part of it this year. Their response to this has been very Mexican (= direct, prescribed and paternalistic); Saul has instigated a hard schedule. For example, my Fridays start at 5am and finish at 9pm. In total, I'm up at 5 three mornings a week to cook breakfast for the students and clean the residence (the other mornings start at a leisurely 6am). By 8:30 most mornings, I'm at work having already cooked twice, cleaned, done personal Bible Study and 30 minutes of 'meditation time' (prayer, thinking, reflection)!
Technically, I'm meant to spend the mornings in the office but the Cruzes have been away visiting US supporters so I (thankfully) haven't had anything there. This has been just as well because the Armonia sites are undergoing some major refurbishments and I haven't stopped since I got here at the end of January. At Alheli, we've totally redecorated one of the rooms after the ceiling fell in when a pipe burst and we're redone the 3 bathrooms a nice shade of cream called 'crepa'. Consequently, my things are distributed between 2 bedrooms and the hallway whilst we complete the job. As an aside, I don't think I've lost anything (yet) and I managed to recover my memory stick and Sigg drinkbottle. Unfortunately the penknife appears to have gone to the pile in the sky (no comments please Bignell, Pike, Widgery or Fergusson). A penknife is always useful unless…
You have a Leatherman (thanks Mayland and Co.). All is not lost because it has now come into its own during my jobs at the Santa Cruz community centre, where I'm spending about 75% of my time. At SC (Santa Cruz, not Surrey Chapel), I have turned into something of a handyman. Well, 'workman' might be a better description until I can assess just how handy my work is! Once again, things are done the Mexican way. We hand-cleaned out the dustiest carpentry in the entire world, prompting the ladies at the centre to comment that when dirty I look much more Mexican. I have plumbed in two new roof downpipes, including cutting a 1.5m long trench through concrete. In the UK we would find a machine, here you apparently just hammer away at the concrete for hours with a blunt chisel. You know when you've hammered too much because your arm goes numb and you keep hitting yourself! Muchos bruises. We have emptied and inspected two cisterns. They weren't cracked nor dry but we did have to gravity-drain them. Thankfully I didn't get a mouth of dirty water. Similarly we have an underground water storage unit that regularly overflows. We wanted to see if it was blocked and so removed over 3000L water in buckets over the course of a day. My shoulders are pretty sore as a result but it has been suggested by someone that the exercise might be good for my muscles. Chiselled abs and bulging biceps here we come…?
On top of all this, we're strictly enforcing a Spanish-only zone in Alheli which means I end most days both physically and mentally drained. With this and the daily house bible study, I am really picking up my Spanish and being able to engage spiritually with both the guys I live with and the ladies at the centre. I really like being more able to help them with their Christian questions, which is an answer to prayer from the holidays.
So, all in all there's lots going on – I still have to build some fences, mend some tables, cut and install 4 windows, lay grass, repaint the entire centre and more. But don't worry, I'll be learning how to do things the Mexican way whilst serving the community here. :) I have to be honest that it's been hard adjusting to the new routine and remaining personable. I have found that some days I really lose my energy and go a bit sullen, or I just lose the plot with my Spanish. I think added into the difficulty is that I was at home a lot longer than I had intended and started to settle into life back in the UK (a man's way of saying I miss home). But hopefully with time I will be able to do the jobs assigned to me with joy and infectious enthusiasm.
I'll be putting things up on the blog from time to time but the new schedule has meant that not much amusing has happened beyond me hitting myself with hammers or getting covered in muddy gunk cleaning out the cistern. And I haven't had much time for reflectioning either. I apologise to those of you who clearly don't have much better to do in your evenings than read my blog ;)
God bless and take care,
Chris
I have found a few moments to tell you a little of my life in Mexico over the last few weeks. There is much to tell but it seems that a good description of my time so far in 2008 would be 'doing things the Mexican way'.
The time I spent in the UK was wonderful and I was encouraged by so many of you who enquired how I was and how the work was going. Thanks :) Being mentioned by Marvin twice in one service was quite amusing. I managed to avoid going back and forth between Cambridge and Norwich too much (like November) and also slept a lot better so I didn't get ill when I returned (unlike November). Combined with a new approach to the time difference and the 6am flight, all this meant I arrived refreshed and ready to go. This was just as well because since then I have been on a gruelling timetable!
When Saul and Pilar Cruz assessed how the last few months had gone in Alheli (the Mexico City students' residence), they decided that the guys weren't working nearly hard enough, nor did they take care of their time well enough, nor did they have the right attitude to life. I'm not sure I agree with this assessment but Armonía is the Cruzes' ministry and I've volunteered to be a part of it this year. Their response to this has been very Mexican (= direct, prescribed and paternalistic); Saul has instigated a hard schedule. For example, my Fridays start at 5am and finish at 9pm. In total, I'm up at 5 three mornings a week to cook breakfast for the students and clean the residence (the other mornings start at a leisurely 6am). By 8:30 most mornings, I'm at work having already cooked twice, cleaned, done personal Bible Study and 30 minutes of 'meditation time' (prayer, thinking, reflection)!
Technically, I'm meant to spend the mornings in the office but the Cruzes have been away visiting US supporters so I (thankfully) haven't had anything there. This has been just as well because the Armonia sites are undergoing some major refurbishments and I haven't stopped since I got here at the end of January. At Alheli, we've totally redecorated one of the rooms after the ceiling fell in when a pipe burst and we're redone the 3 bathrooms a nice shade of cream called 'crepa'. Consequently, my things are distributed between 2 bedrooms and the hallway whilst we complete the job. As an aside, I don't think I've lost anything (yet) and I managed to recover my memory stick and Sigg drinkbottle. Unfortunately the penknife appears to have gone to the pile in the sky (no comments please Bignell, Pike, Widgery or Fergusson). A penknife is always useful unless…
You have a Leatherman (thanks Mayland and Co.). All is not lost because it has now come into its own during my jobs at the Santa Cruz community centre, where I'm spending about 75% of my time. At SC (Santa Cruz, not Surrey Chapel), I have turned into something of a handyman. Well, 'workman' might be a better description until I can assess just how handy my work is! Once again, things are done the Mexican way. We hand-cleaned out the dustiest carpentry in the entire world, prompting the ladies at the centre to comment that when dirty I look much more Mexican. I have plumbed in two new roof downpipes, including cutting a 1.5m long trench through concrete. In the UK we would find a machine, here you apparently just hammer away at the concrete for hours with a blunt chisel. You know when you've hammered too much because your arm goes numb and you keep hitting yourself! Muchos bruises. We have emptied and inspected two cisterns. They weren't cracked nor dry but we did have to gravity-drain them. Thankfully I didn't get a mouth of dirty water. Similarly we have an underground water storage unit that regularly overflows. We wanted to see if it was blocked and so removed over 3000L water in buckets over the course of a day. My shoulders are pretty sore as a result but it has been suggested by someone that the exercise might be good for my muscles. Chiselled abs and bulging biceps here we come…?
On top of all this, we're strictly enforcing a Spanish-only zone in Alheli which means I end most days both physically and mentally drained. With this and the daily house bible study, I am really picking up my Spanish and being able to engage spiritually with both the guys I live with and the ladies at the centre. I really like being more able to help them with their Christian questions, which is an answer to prayer from the holidays.
So, all in all there's lots going on – I still have to build some fences, mend some tables, cut and install 4 windows, lay grass, repaint the entire centre and more. But don't worry, I'll be learning how to do things the Mexican way whilst serving the community here. :) I have to be honest that it's been hard adjusting to the new routine and remaining personable. I have found that some days I really lose my energy and go a bit sullen, or I just lose the plot with my Spanish. I think added into the difficulty is that I was at home a lot longer than I had intended and started to settle into life back in the UK (a man's way of saying I miss home). But hopefully with time I will be able to do the jobs assigned to me with joy and infectious enthusiasm.
I'll be putting things up on the blog from time to time but the new schedule has meant that not much amusing has happened beyond me hitting myself with hammers or getting covered in muddy gunk cleaning out the cistern. And I haven't had much time for reflectioning either. I apologise to those of you who clearly don't have much better to do in your evenings than read my blog ;)
God bless and take care,
Chris
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