Changes...

Well, a lot has changed in my life since I posted my last blog…

I moved.

About two weeks ago Lizy (the director at Buena Tierra) sat me down and basically said she’d been thinking and thought it was a good idea if I would move out of Doña Juana’s, and that she had an idea of where I could move to…I was quite surprised by this idea, and spent a lot a lot a lot of time thinking about it, creating pros/cons lists, and trying to decide what was for the best. Here’s a small glimpse into the pros/reasons and cons of moving:

MAIN REASONS TO MOVE:

1. the construction in La Via is awful, and only going to get worse (for example, the front wall of Doña Juana’s house is totally going to be ripped off, no water or electricity for who knows how long, etc. etc.)
   
2. I did not feel like I was really part of the family at Doña Juana’s…to me it seemed like the only thing they did was give me food and a bed to sleep on, and I was really hoping for a family to be part of.
3. Doña Juana’s was really packed with people often sleeping on the floor and Doña Juana didn’t even sleep in a bedroom, etc. etc.
4. At Doña Juana’s nobody ever left the house or did anything besides watch TV, and I was feeling rather lonely and cooped up there.
5. There were lots of other little reasons that encouraged my decision like lack of fruits/vegetables, not appreciating a few family members, hoping Doña Juana’s kids would finally help her out financially, the current state of the bathroom there, and just plain being excited about the family I was going to move in with.

MAIN REASONS THAT MADE ME QUESTION MOVING:

1. Doña Juana has been very dependent financially on the money MCC/SALTers have provided her over the past 8 years
2. I felt very settled, my room was all awesome, I was comfortable with routine, and basically was not looking forward to moving into my fourth new living situation in less than 2 months
3. I just felt terrible. What would I say to the family? They would feel so unloved and like they didn’t something terribly wrong.
4. where I would move would be quite a jump in terms of SES and I wasn’t sure that’s what I was looking for this year
   

In the end, Lizy, Marion (MCC Country Rep) and I decided that I should move.

Physically moving itself was quite the spectacle…With all the construction there is just this TINY little pathway to get through, and cars can’t pass, so I had to move everything by hand through this tiny passageway…Now you all know I don’t pack light, but on top of that, I also moved out my bed and big old dresser because they belonged to Lizy and she wanted to give them to a family in La Via. So myself, along with the help of several others in La Via, helped move all the furniture to its new home and all my stuff to my new home. It was quite interesting…

Saying goodbye to Doña Juana and the family was actually a lot harder that I thought it would be. At first she seemed to take it well and understood that due to the construction and such it just made sense, but later I found out that she really didn’t get it and thought I was mad at them or something. I think I cleared things up with them. Although I definitely didn’t appreciate some of the family members there were also a few that I am really going to miss. Hopefully I can be conscious enough to visit them on a regular basis.

ON TO MY NEW LIFE:

I now live about 3 blocks from the school, but in a privada, not in La Via (although its still super super close). I live with Itzi, the English teacher from the school. She is 30, and has a husband and 2 kids (a 1 ½ year old daughter, and a 6 month old son). Also living at the house is the husband’s mother who helps take care of the kids. They are all totally great. Basically, I feel totally relieved, and I think finally excited and happy to be here in Mexico for an entire year. So as not to write a novel, here I list why:

1. my family leaves to do stuff (I will get to know the city better)
2. great neighbors
3. they eat totally healthy (like I actually eat fruits and vegetables and drink milk)
4. they want to teach me how to cook
5. the husband travels a bunch and wants to take me to other pueblos to visit
6. they’re talking about how I’ll experience their kids baptism, a quinceanera, a wedding, etc. (very cultural events)
7. they are super excited for me to learn about life here
8. I feel welcome
9. I feel physical comfortable
10. I do not feel nearly as lonely as I did before
11. luxuries (hot water, double bed, internet, HUGE tv in my room…that part is really annoying)
    

I’ll be honest - i'm feeling a bit guilty about the fact that i'm now in a middle-class house...i am struggling to realize that this year will not be as much about learning about living in poverty as I had expected/hoped it to be… i'm still going to be working in the via so it's not like i'm totally leaving behind that world, because I don’t want to just forget about that part of life either. Hopefully this way I’ll be able to learn about both worlds that I am in contact with now. It’s been interesting going through this change though because I feel like I’ve actually been experiencing culture shock the past week (which was not really expected in this form/time period).

Anyways, I’ll be done rambling. It’s been quite the change for me, but I still feel like all in all it is for the best for everyone involved, and I am at peace with it. I have been super busy this past week so am still living out of my suitcase and in no way have this room set up like it will be…therefore I have no photos to share, I apologize. They will come soon I promise! Until then, take care, and keep the emails coming!