Brownies

Living in another country is very exciting, but it can also be tiring at times because there are so many things that are new and different. Yesterday, I got to do something that was almost exactly like something I do at home in the U.S.--I made brownies. You can even buy Betty Crocker brownie mix here! Since the package has directions in English, they put a sticker on top of it with directions in Spanish for the people here. I also had to follow the "high altitude" directions because we live a couple thousand feet above sea level on a plateau in central Mexico. (My wonderful 4th grade Alabama History students should remember what a plateau is!) Other than that, everything was almost exactly the same. Most importantly, the brownies tasted just as delicious as they do at home! While I enjoy learning lots of new things and experiencing a new culture, it was nice to just enjoy the comfort of something familiar yesterday.

Location, Location

You might be wondering where exactly I live here in Mexico... Well, I live in the city of Fresnillo which would be like Birmingham or Tallahassee, but not as big or luxurious. Mexico is divided into states just like the USA. The state that I live in is called Zacatecas, so that would be similar to the states of Alabama or Florida. The license plates here say Zacatecas, just like license plates in the USA have the different states on them. You can have a U.S. registered vehicle here though, too, so it's fun to see different U.S. plates here occasionally. :) Our ministry vans were bought and registered in Illinois so of course, they have Illinois plates instead of Zacatecas plates.

I live in "el centro" of Fresnillo, or the downtown area. There is a big plaza near our house with trees and benches. People like to go there to hang out, and there are also a lot of stores nearby the plaza.

A street corner and the plaza near our house, at dusk

Felicia, Karen, and I enjoying some time at the plaza...

Kindergarten Graduation

Today, I went to a kindergarten graduation here. Here, kindergarten is a separate school and you go there for two years. After that, you go to the primaria which is like an elementary school in the United States. Briana is the daughter of one of our local staff/team members, and she graduated today from kindergarten. Each child also has a special friend or family member be their "madrina" or "padrino" for the graduation. The madrina is kind of like a godmother and walks across the stage with the child during the graduation. My friend Karen was excited and honored to be Briana's madrina.

Before the graduation begins...

Briana and her madrina, Karen

Walking across the stage and shaking hands!

Hola from Mexico!

After a lot of travel, I made it safely to Fresnillo, Mexico!  I arrived in McAllen, Texas, on Thursday evening where some of my new teammates met me and the other girl who was moving down.  On Friday, we drove from Texas to Fresnillo which took about 12 hours (including stopping for meals and short breaks).  Some of the cities we passed were Monterey and Saltillo.  I have only been here a few days, but I have already experienced a lot.  Everyone is so welcoming and friendly, and I'm certainly practicing my Spanish lots.  I'll try to post some pictures soon and share more details with you all...