Candelaria, danzón, iglesia y lluvia

Wow, it's hard to believe the week is almost over!  It's been gloomy, cloudy, rainy, and cold here in Xalapa, so I haven't taken many pictures this week.  I want to take a moment, though, to tell you about the beginning of my week (which was much more exciting than the rest!).  Fair warning: this is a longer post than usual!

On Saturday, I began seriously scouting out churches for Sunday.  Since I'm lazy at heart and it was dreary outside, this meant that I used Google quite a bit, and calculated how far I would need to walk using Google Maps.  I found a Presbyterian church, called El Divino Salvador.  Though I couldn't find a service time online, I assumed that - like most churches around here - the service would be at ten-thirty (note to future self: don't make assumptions!).

Sunday morning came, and I comfortably got ready to leave around 9:45.  The walk was further than I thought, but by five after ten I had found the church.  I walked in... and realized that the service had already started!  I slipped into a back row in time to take communion and sing a final hymn.  Disappointed, I perused the bulletin as I walked out of the service.  A kind older lady approached me and introduced herself.  After I told her I was a student here, she smiled and took me to meet Mimi, a girl about my age.  Mimi and I started a conversation, and she invited me to come with her to Sunday School, which would start in a few minutes.  I happily agreed, and she introduced me to several other young people before we made our way to the classroom.  In the class, we are going through a Josh McDowell book, Answers to Tough Questions (though of course, in Spanish).  On Sunday, they were examining the idea of extraterrestrial life.  I enjoyed the lesson, and I really appreciated how much focus was placed on Scripture.  At the end of the session, we filled out a sheet with some questions, and received a list of verses to work on memorizing this week.  Most people pick one and try to memorize it, but it's not a requirement.

Now that Sunday School was over, I thought about going to the second service, which would start in ten minutes.  Before I entered the sanctuary, though, Mimi introduced me to Lindita, an Albanian woman who is also in Mexico studying Spanish.  I enjoyed talking with her, and she introduced me to her fiancé, who is from Xalapa.  We all began talking, and they invited me to join them for lunch.  Reminded of GPC college lunch, I readily agreed, and met Lindita's soon-to-be-in-laws.  During the car ride, I learned more about their family, and enjoyed the curious mix of languages: Spanish, Italian, English, and Albanian.  Lunch was really fun!  I hope we continue to stay in touch -- I think we will.

On Monday, I didn't have classes as we were "celebrating" Constitution Day here (5 February, so actually today).  I planned to spend the day at home, since it was still pretty gloomy out.  But at breakfast Guille (my host mom) invited me to join her in attending a party celebrating the Virgin Guadalupe in a nearby pueblo.  Intrigued, I agreed, though I had absolutely no idea what I was in for!  Around 12:30, we met up with some of our neighbors and drove to the pueblo, about twenty minutes from town.  In El Chico (the village), we encountered a TON of traffic.  In the middle of the town, surrounding the church, was a fair, complete with booths selling sweets and touristy gifts and those dinky rides for kids.  We hopped out of the car and walked through a small convenience store, climbing stairs to a fun house built onto the mountainside.  In the house, I was introduced to twenty some-odd people, all family to my neighbor!  They had us sit at the kitchen table and served us chicken with mole, rice, and tamales.  I enjoyed trying it all, though the mole wasn't my favorite.

As the afternoon wore on, the constant stream of people in and out of the kitchen did not!  I met at least fifty people, and I honestly don't remember any of their names.  Around five, the dancing started, and one of the girls - about my age - pulled me with her to see the dance (okay, she didn't really have to pull me!).  A live band was playing beautiful music, and through the fence (we didn't want to pay to enter) I could see about thirty couples dancing.  The dance is something of a mix of salsa, tango, cha-cha-cha, and traditional dances from the area.  I loved watching, and enjoying trying to figure out the steps myself!  Sorry the picture isn't great -- we were behind them, and I'm not very tall :P  By seven, we started to leave (which means we got into the car at eight).  I was absolutely exhausted from a long day of meeting people, speaking Spanish, learning local customs, and eating a mountain of food; but it was the happy exhaustion of a day well-spent.

The rest of my week was pretty dull: classes in the morning, reading and working inside during the dreary afternoons.  Two of Guille's nephews came to visit for a few days, which was cool.  Since they were here, we ate even more food than usual -- and that is definitely not a complaint!  I need to learn how to make most of these dishes at home, because they are absolutely magnificent.  But more on that later!  For now, I'm off to read for class.  If you have any questions, ask away!  I enjoy hearing from ya'll :)