lifewithomg

Hola, mi amigos y familia.

It’s officially been two weeks since I arrived in the beautiful fishing village of Cacalote. Since the moment I arrived, I’ve learned something new every day. The first few days were spent sleeping, cleaning, and meeting my housemates. My host family has been very kind and I’m excited to get to know them more once I learn a bit more Spanish. Here’s a few highlights of my new life in Oaxaca, Mexico.

Country Shock

The number one question I get asked is if the culture shock has affected my time here. The answer is no, but the country shock has. We are certainly not in Kansas anymore, Toto. Y’all, it’s hot. No, it’s not 95 degrees like it is in the Midwest, but with no air conditioning and humidity at it’s finest, it might as well be. The only thing that disagrees with this extreme change in weather is my skin. It’s breaking out more than ever and I haven’t quite figured out a solution. I think the mosquitoes here believe we’re the best of friends because I can’t get them to leave me alone. I’m not lying when I say I have five new bug bites every day. Thankfully, I think I’ve finally found a repellant that works, but only time will tell. The best (and worst) part is that we’re in the rainy season until October, so there are times when it’s cooler outside, but in the two weeks I’ve been here, it’s rare. Most nights I just sleep in front of my fan because my room feels like a sauna. I would open my windows, but one opens up to the shared kitchen and the other has no air flow. I tried it one night and woke up to the rooster singing an awful song at 4:45am. I consider myself a morning person, but if I wake up one more morning to that awful siren, I will march down there and cook that sucker for Almuerzo. Ants are everywhere. WiFi is the best way to contact someone, but it’s not strong. My new favorite thing to say is, “Can you hear me now?” Although my phone carrier offers free coverage in this country, there are no cell towers in the village. The best service is on the base or in Puerto Escondido 40 minutes away. I think it’s an unspoken rule that no one goes outside between 2-5pm because of the heat, I’ve found that the best way to stay cool is to head to the beach.

Roca Blanca Mission Base

When I first heard about Roca Blanca, my friend told me stories at her kitchen table from when she went 10 years ago. I did as much research as I could, but nothing could’ve prepared me for the beauty that the base provides. Almost all the employees that work on the base live in the village. There’s an orphanage, multigrade school, bible school, music school, Spanish language school, trade school, two dormitories, a chapel, cafeteria, cafe, and a medical clinic for the locals and the surrounding area. One of my favorite facts is that the clinic will provide medical/dental care to anyone who needs it, they just ask that you pay 50 pesos. (That’s around $2.50 in American dollars.) It doesn’t matter what medical service they provide, it will still be 50 pesos. Almost every morning, you can hear loud worship music coming from the chapel and it legit sounds like a concert. The schools are almost out for summer break, but I love listening to the music students practicing in between classes, the little kiddos playing outside, and the happy balance of exotic birds chirping and the thunderous waves crashing against the shore. I still can’t tell the different between the waves and actual thunder though.

Honey

I quickly realized that walking over a mile every day in this smothering heat just to get to and from class was not doable. I asked the language school director for assistance and he took me to a nearby town where I met Honey. This bike is nicer than the one I have at home! Although it wasn’t really in the budget, it was still cheaper than renting one for six months. A few have cars, some have motor bikes or ATVs, a lot have bicycles and everyone walks. I’ve had so many compliments and personally, I’m in love. The Lord really blessed me with a beautiful bike and it makes me feel a little bit more like myself. The downside is I carry her up a flight of stairs every day so the rain doesn’t mess her up, but está bien (it’s fine).

Iglesia

I’m SO glad I immersed myself in our Spanish campus at church for a couple months prior to moving here. I understand some words, but when I say some, I really mean like three. The one Christian church in town is Pentecostal and it feels familiar. Some of the song choices are straight out of the early 2000s (like Open The Eyes of My Heart), but I enjoy going to the services. In a couple weeks I’ll start volunteering in the children’s ministry and eventually I’ll try out a few in the surrounding cities but for now, I’ll be listening to Steven Curtis Chapman en Español.

Comida

Amigos

Making friends has been difficult. I’m giving myself grace because I was just getting settled last week and I finally have a routine down this week, but man, it’s been a mild struggle. I’m getting to know more about my fellow classmates and enjoy getting to know them, but immersing myself within the community has been challenging for me personally. At the moment, I think the mosquitoes know more about me than the locals, but that will change soon. Practicing the language is a must and I’m determined to make three new friends a week. As for my classmates and other Americans, I’ve befriended most of my classmates and a few clinic interns that are around my age. I’ve met people from all around the states as well as South Africa and Canada. There are a lot of families present during this session and one was kind enough to “adopt” me to theirs, so I’ve enjoyed getting to know some more extended family from North Carolina! Growing up my mother has always said the world was small and my home city was even smaller, but I never would’ve guessed that here in Southern Mexico I would meet a woman who is around my age with a similar backstory, mutual friends, and lived down the street from where I worked in KC. We’ve had some great conversations and I’m excited to get to know her in the months to come.

“Prática prática prática…”

I hear this every day in class. All of the knowledge I had prior to attending this school was just matched after I took my first exam on Wednesday. Studying was mild because I already knew most of my vocabulary words, I just needed to study grammar. With homework every night, pop quizzes every other day, memory verses to remember in Spanish, and having an exam almost every two weeks, finding a healthy balance is another challenge I have yet to tackle. The exams and the final are the only things that are scored, so understanding what I’m learning is crucial. I’m happy to report that I received two A’s and one B for my verbs, grammar, and vocab exam! I am fairly confident ordering my food on my own, and I’m starting to have conversations in the local corner stores I frequent. I love my teachers and you can tell that they are experienced and genuinely care. Two of my four teachers don’t even speak English, so it’s fun to practice chatting with them solely in Spanish. Each student is required to lead a morning devo solely in Spanish and I made sure to sign up first in my class so I could get it out of the way and not compare my progress to others. I wasn’t nervous because a friend of mine had me do something similar at church and I am fairly confident in my pronunciation, however, my hands were still shaking as I taught the class about las ovejas y las cabras (sheep and goats). I’m so glad I did it now, but I still lead at least two more times before this semester ends. It still sort of blows my mind that some of the students who have been there longer actually know what I’m talking about. That’ll be me in a few months!

Prayer Requests

A few days ago there were several people who weren’t feeling good. Because it was so random, they think it was just a stomach bug. There was one individual in the Spanish school that tested positive for COVID last week and has since recovered, necessary precautions were taken and they believe the individual got it from the airport. Currently, I’m not feeling 100% but I think most of our bodies are still adjusting to this new way of living, so prayers for our health on the base and in the town would be much appreciated!

Every day I’m reminded of the Lord’s protection over me and mine. I feel like I’ve been here over a month, and it’s barely been 14 days. Life keeps going and doesn’t stop. I longed to be with my family as we dealt with a tragic loss last week, but continue to be at peace knowing that the community I left in Kansas wasn’t just mine. It’s ours. I’ve always known I’ve had a great support system -that was evident when I announced I was moving here- but this definition of friendship with you is raw and authentic and beautiful. This love knows no bounds; it has no limits. It’s nothing short of being the hands and feet of Jesus and for that, my dear friends, I thank you. One of my fears I didn’t want to admit was that I would be forgotten but if I’ve learned anything in these two weeks, it’s that no matter where I am or what I’m doing, there’s always going to be my community cheering me on and standing with me.