The Mexico Chronicles

I feel as though, in order to tell you about the week, this entry is going to come in 2 parts. The part you will read, and the part to look at (yay for photos!)

To tell you everything won't work. To tell you what we did will seem cliche. Something about describing these sorts of trips always seems the same. We worked, we prayed, we played. Our lives were flipped upside down, and no one wanted to go home. It's always the same old story. I don't know if it differed a lot for us. We built stairs, painted a house. We slept in host homes, and we were more blessed by the kindness of the people we worked for and with, then perhaps they could be blessed by us.

I feel like God taught us all about ourselves. The week was filled with interesting surprises. My favourite was devotions. We read through Proverbs, the chapter according to the day. It was interesting to see how those chapters touched on everything we were seeing and dealing with throughout the whole week. Proverbs 13-23 (because that's the week we were gone) talked about greed, fools, wisdom, families, social injustice, drinking, being kind to the poor- everything! I feel humbled by everything.

What defined the week for me was the beauty of Cancun. While most people only know about the hotel zone, and that is all they see when they travel there, we spent the week in the city, with the people. It's an entirely different world. Knowing that most of us North Americans and Europeans are completely ignorant to the real Cancun. We would travel from our host home to the church every morning and walk down the slums of the city and see a bush, full of the most vibrant of flowers. Constant reminders that everything we saw was God's creations. Everyone we talked to belonged to Him.

I feel like people go on these trips with the self-righteous mind frame. We are helping those who are less fortunate so that we can be right with God. But then again, what sort of mind fram should you go in with? Honestly, it isn't your mind that needs changing. It's your heart. I went into this trip with an open heart. I wanted God to break me, and humble me and teach me. That's what He did.

I feel like I learned to be more soft-spoken. Or to just not speak at all. Watching things, listening to conversations, seeing God's creation, those are the experiences you learn from. Or at least, I learned from.

That being said, here are some photos of what we did, what we experienced and the beauty of the Caribbean.

Como Estas?

For the translation, my title says 'How're you?" And I ask that honestly.

I feel that for me, the next few blog entries are going to be a culmination of the past 14 days. 14 days, so much lfe, and no blog. I can't wait to tell you all of what I've experienced the last 2 weeks. I don't have the time to sit down and complile all my thoughts yet. First I have one more class, a book to return, Communal, studying, unpacking and tomorrow a midterm to take care of. After that, I will be able to sit down and think about all that I have learned, and hopefully share as much as I can with you.

Until then, eagerly await the 'Chronicles of Cancun'. And a few Odes to lovely people we met.

Tell me all how you are doing. If I learned anything, it is that relationships and friendships are much more important than time.

Como Estas?

Adios Amigos!

Forgive my spanish. I just wanted to say goodbye. I will be gone for the next 14 days. (14 days! What a ridiculously long time to not be able to blog!) I feel like I would love to take you all with me, and post photos daily. But unfortunately, there is no internet access where I am.

On an entirely different note, some humour from the past few days. Yesterday I was hanging around the school after a midterm. One of my friends, Jay, came around and we were talking about how we were tired and that we wanted naps. My last name is Knapper (K is silent) so he found it very amusing that I wanted to take a nap. Asked me if I took a lot of naps. Gee, because I've NEVER heard that line before.

Relief is in sight. Midterms for me have come to an end (thank Goodness!) So tonight I am focusing on getting my laundry done so that I can pack for Mexico!

See you all in 2 weeks! May God Bless you!

Me vs. Monday

Monday and I are in a constant battle. Sometimes he wins, sometimes I do.
These last two weeks, I have been losing quite miserably. Last week, I had a fever, this week, Monday is thrusting me into a week of Midterms and gross school things. I feel like sleep will not be a part of my life again for a long time.

It's an epic war. I remember one week when Monday came around and I refused to let him wear me down! You see, this semester, he is my ugliest day. In all honesty, I quite prefer Thursdays to all other days of my week. Thursday is nice. Thursday leaves me hours for sleep. Mondays, not so much. Monday makes me get up early, and then forces me to go to lots of class, and have little or no time to do homework, because as soon as I get a chance to sit down and think about something (like I am now,) I have to go back to the school again. Monday's don't end.

Is it wrong that I'm becoming stereotypically grudged against Monday? I can't imagine how he feels, knowing the majority of the western world hates him. The bearer of bad news, the beginning of a work week. It's not his fault he's such a dreary day...or is it?

Either way, Monday is doing a great job of introducing me to the exhaustion I am going to suffer for the next few days. I have midterms tomorrow and Wednesday, as well as loads of studying, catching up from last week's flu fiasco and Fiddler on the Roof production. I have to finish filling out my RA application form for next year. I have laundry which I have been planning to accomplish for 3 days now-that needs to be finished for Wednesday evening, and then I need to pack my life up into a suitcase and truck my butt down to Detroit airport.

Thursday I leave for Mexico with a team of students from this school. We are going down on a mission trip to (don't judge me) Cancun. It's going to be a really great experience- we're living with host families, and working and learning about the culture. I'm really excited. But I have so much to think about and do before Thursday, that this trip is shoved in the back of my brain. I just pray I get through midterms. I pray God will give me the energy to keep studying, and the brain power to actually absorb everything.

And now, I have about an hour before class. I feel a nap coming on. Monday wins out again. Oh well, there's always next week.

Fiddler on the Roof

I apologize for having not posted in a few days. This weekend, running all the way until today was so busy! On top of that, I caught the flu (unusual for me). So my week has consisted entirely of Kleenex, and coughing, and growing Fiddler on the Roof music out of my ears.

The flu was really the most entertaining part of the last few days. On top of being swamped with upcoming midterms, an essay and the looming reality that I leave for Mexico in a WEEK, I really couldn't afford to be sick. But, of course, life has a strange way of laying everything down at you all at once. So, on top of being crazy busy, I still get that flu. I take lots of Advil, I sleep tons.

Fiddler on the Roof is going well. Opening night is officially tomorrow, however, we have already played 2 full shows; the Matenee today, and the 'preview' last night.

I have also been to a total of 2 classes so far this week. Monday I was just really sick, and so managed to scrounge myself together for Religion, but that was it. Yesterday, I suffered through History 105. Which was okay, but I'm pretty sure the Prof could tell I was not feeling up to par. (Vreugdenhil is crazy like that!)

Anyways, that has been my life. I pray that your's, dear reader, does not involve the flu!