On public transportation in Mexico

Because this blog is titled "Life With Emily", I periodically would like to give you a glimpse into every day life here in Mexico. Today as I was on my way home, I thought that this is something that is pertinent yet sometimes hilarious in sharing. Put on your seatbelts folks, it will be a bumpy ride. 

A couple of weeks ago I was on my way to campus. Gabo and I were on a bus and the driver was talking to his friend behind him. The driver was doing his regular breaking quickly then accelerating then slamming on the brakes sending everyone flying. Then all of the sudden, he just gets up in the middle of the bus in motion and his friend jumps up and takes over. I have seen some crazy things here in Mexico friends but a driver abandoning ship was a new one. I am 98.5% sure he was higher than a kite. 

Often on buses and metros the people constantly switch seats to find a better one. It's like musical chairs without the music starting or stopping. 

Upon arriving in Mexico again 6 weeks ago, the Hubs and I went to visit his family and afterwards we jumped in a cab to come home. My husband being the observant one (ha ha...in this moment he was) realized that our taxi driver was out of sorts and sketchy and was communicating with another car. This happens often in Mexico where the taxis work with another car to assault the passengers. Gabo realized that we were being followed by this other car and we were heading into a very bad neighborhood and he says, "drop us off here". I still had no clue what was going on. We paid got out and I was sure my husband was crazy. He begins telling me about a red car following us and he didn't feel right about it and up pulls the red car realizing that the gig was up and we knew what he was up to. We ran across the street into a supermarket to wait for awhile before hopping into another taxi.

Sometimes the metros and metrobuses are so full that we are packed in there like sardines. It's very uncomfortable and yet now I am accustomed to it. I was on the MetroBus today and I was in the "ladies only" section and I looked around and it was loaded with dudes. Can they not read? I jumped off and tattled on them to a police officer and ran away before they knew who did it. :) 

Last story, I promise. :) Yesterday I get on a bus to come home. I had 40 minutes to spare before my discipleship appt was going to show up at my house. The trip normally takes 20 min. It was about 2 (lunch time) so traffic was slow but we were moving...until it stopped for 20 minutes. You see friends, there was a stoplight out and the streets looked like a parking lot. Some people were trying to go vertical and some horizontal and no one was going anywhere. At that moment, an old man sitting next to me started to give me an orientation to the city. (He clearly thought that this was my first bus ride) The intersection literally looked like a knot. It was very impressive. We slowly made our way through the mess and I arrived at my house at exactly the same moment my girl came. I also gave directions to a bunch of students on that bus on how to get somewhere. I am one impressive foreigner!

That's all for today friends. I hope you enjoyed your glimpse into transportation in Mexico.

For the love of Bi-Cultural Marriages

Although marriages to another ethnicity are becoming quite the popular thing nowadays, in some circumstances it's not easy peasy. Being always honest and frank, I would love to share with you a little about the ins and outs of this whole sha-bang and the things you may not know.

Since coming to Mexico in 2007, there is always a requirement to have a visa in this country. Crusade helped me stay legal before. I had to get a birth certificate apostilled. (Can't explain it fully but it's like a super notary) Then arriving in Mexico, I had that paperwork translated with my immigration lawyer and then we proceeded with the documentation. The cost is huge...mostly because I use a lawyer so I don't mess up. It costs about $500 a year. When we got married, we had to translate my birth certificate again...appartantly the office needed an "approved translator" for that one. We had to do a bunch more paperwork, pay about $300 and we were set. My visa had to be switched over so that I would be a dependent on Gabo. We had to prove his income (almost impossible with him being a freelance musician), submit his birth certificate, official ID card, etc and pay $600.

This does not include the massive process of getting Gabo his resident visa in the states.

The bottom line is this. We love each other...a lot. Marriage has it's ups and downs. Bi-cultural marriage throws a whole different learning curve in the mix. Adding a little bit of stress as you wait for immigration offices to decide if you are legal plus thousands of dollars.

Our hope and prayer is that we both can naturalize in the opposite country in the next 2 years. Meaning both taking civics tests, Gabo mastering English and finding witnesses of Gabo's life here to prove he is a Mexican. We don't know what the Lord has for us. We always want to be above reproach in our paperwork and the way we handle these things.

We also are constantly confronted with immigration related topics in the US. Neither one of us are experts in that...we live in Mexico. We look for ways to constantly honor God with our responses and encourage others to do the same. We are learning a lot.

Hope you can learn something from us as well. Let me know if you have any questions.

Valentines Day Event

Often, I find myself not sharing all the cool things that happen in ministry in my prayer letter because I run out of room. One of the things that lately I have been trying is hosting women's events. I want to help give the girls an opportunity to invite their friends that may not believe in Jesus yet or friends that are just not connected to the body of Christ.

So we did an event on Love. One of my friends, Mariana, took the pics. They turned out great. I wanted to share them with you. 

The most important part...the desserts!

The spread of appetizers.

The little fondue pot.

Some of the girls.

I like these activities because it feels like girls are coming and bringing their friends. 

I think one of the hardest things in ministry is evaluating if what I am doing is successful. The most important thing is lives changed. And slowly God is doing that. I want to provide a place for that to happen. 

That is what I hope.

One month in Mexico

We arrived back in Mexico on January 13, 2012. It's been a crazy ride since. One of them being that our brand new Lenovo had some problems...namely the mother board crashed. Now, I think I will be accepting that I am one of those people that will have perpetual computer problems. My friend Ada always has a problem with her cell phone and Angie with Visa paperwork. This is my cross to bear.

Regardless, there are numerous hard things going on in my life. Pray for my heart and that I will stick myself close to Jesus.

More to come shortly.

Emily

Famous People and their Addictions

Etta James died this past week. Her song "At Last" was what I danced with my husband at our US reception. Here's a picture. 

What you can't see in this picture is that I am translating the words to him into Spanish. :) It's our little game we play. The perks of being married to a Mexican Musician.

Anyways, I began to do a little research on Etta's life. I found out that she was a long time drug user. I cannot say that I am surprised by that. You and I both know that people in the spotlight take their stint the Betty Ford.

I am perplexed by it. Again, I considered it when Gabo and I were watching the movie "Walk the Line"--the story of Johnny Cash.

I guess my question is--what is the draw to a substance?  They have it all. Money, fame, fans, anything they have ever wanted and more. But they are still so empty that they need to fill the empty moments or reach new highs with drugs.

I am relatively normal. I pay my bills. I work hard for the money. I do my dishes. I have wonderful friends. And normal people in my life have been haunted by addictions.

Whether you are Johnny Cash or John Smith, we all have a giant hole in our heart that can only be filled with Jesus Christ. Nothing else can really do the trick. Although it saddens me, it makes sense that after all that they have, they would turn to drugs, alcohol, extra-marital affairs, etc to look for the empty feeling to disappear.

I remember a couple of years together talking to a fellow staff friend about experiencing Jesus daily. We related our daily walk with the Lord as a drug that we needed. When we didn't have our moment to surrender everything to Him, we were left feeling a little off. I am sure what it feels like after years of abusing drugs. The day you decide to "take a break", things get a little cock-eyed...partly because you are not used to life with IT. That is what I want. I don't want to live life with Him. Life is better with him.

Try Jesus. Get hooked on Him. He will wreck your life.

2011 Wrap-Up

Coming back to Mexico has been an adjustment but I am thankful for many things. I love my apartment. I love that God has provided for every one of our needs. I am so excited that my husband has work. I am excited for 2012 but I want to recap some of my highlights of 2011.

I got to lead my first summer project in Mexico. We loved the students and our time together and we learned a lot. 

By nature, I like to lead projects, conferences, people. Planning a project in Mexico is a different story. It was hard motivating students to raise their support and book bus tickets. I relied on volunteers in the city to help plan our service activities and some people just didn't dropped the ball. Staff had to drop out at the last minute too. But I am so grateful for this opportunity. I made some great memories and some good friends.


My sweet older brother Eric got hitched in San Francisco.

This was actually only the second time that Gabo and Eric saw each other. We had a great time with my family and celebrating our new addition, Cindy. It was cold and rainy. Gabo and I were surprised how much the metros cost in San Francisco. We were really excited to return to Mexico and the metro here.

Some of my favorite white girls married some pretty sweet Mexican men. 
--Angie married Pepe on June 11, 2011. I was one of her bridesmaids. As you can see from the picture, I got burned severely by the sun. NOT a highlight of the year but all in all it was a good time.

--Then Caitlin married Victor on November 12, 2011 in Xalapa. Caitlin and I were roommates my first year in Mexico and we became friends with Victor then. Years later they married!

Caitlin and I at her Civil Wedding. I was one of their witnesses.

I turned 30! I love my birthday every year. This year was special as well. Gabo always does a great job making me feel loved. We celebrated with a party with my friends on Friday, November 4 then had lunch with some "special friends" on Saturday my actual birthday and did nothing at night. :) 

I look forward to what God has in store for me, for my marriage, for our life and ministry.

BREAK in the States

Gabo and I have had the privilege of being in the Northern Indiana for the last month.  We have had some good times here relaxing, visiting friends and ministry partners and visiting the local stores and restaurants. It's been really fun for family time and for our marriage too. 

We had a blast celebrating Gabo's 36th Birthday with my family...

We have loved hanging out with the nieces and nephews...

 Going to basketball games and other fun activities....

And we had a great Christmas with my brother and sister-in-law coming in from San Francisco. We made some great memories. 

We are still here for a couple more days but are looking forward to our return to Mexico. We miss that place. 

What advice would you give?

On Tuesday nights I have the girls over that have graduated from college but are just starting off in the "real world". It has turned into one of my favorite parts of the week. I always have something prepared but it seems like a topic always comes up that is more pressing than what I have planned. 

We talk about budgets, honoring our parents, following our calling, taking a job that isn't our dream job, etc.

Last night, some girls came with a urgent question. They wanted to talk about what to do when they see fraud at their jobs. Let me lay out these cases for you and I honestly want your feedback. Your biblical based feedback. 

Case #1: Susie is essentially a warehouse manager. This is the first time in 30 years that there has been someone in her position--weighing materials that are coming in and documenting orders. So you can imagine the "white lies" told by the outside vendors as they bring in their materials. They have been accustomed to telling how much instead of weighing. Well Susie has realized that they exaggerate the material to receive a higher cut and she is sending trucks away.The owner is a supposed christian and some of the vendors are her own family members. There is a very good chance that the owner knows of the white lies and doesn't have a backbone to change it. What should Susie do?


Case #2: Martha is a graphic designer at a small race car company. She is in charge of making posters and logos for the races. She has been working there for 2 years. Martha's boss came to her awhile back with a receipt from car company and asked her to lower the numbers in Photoshop to keep the company in a lower tax bracket. Martha said no. So after awhile the boss asked another person in the office to do it and they are completing it for the company. However, Martha knows its happening and even though she isn't doing it directly, she is in charge of organizing the fraudulent receipts. What should Martha do? 


Together last night, we checked out:
1 Kings 3:16 --King Solomon and the two women with one baby
Acts-- Ananias and Saphira
2 Kings 5-- Namaan, Elias and Gheizi


I await your comments. Thanks for helping me do my job.

Update...what? what?

So let's have a quick multiple choice question...

Why hasn't Emily posted a blog in the last month?

1. She doesn't like you. So she didn't tell you what is going on.
2. There is nothing cool to tell you.
3. Pinky the computer's hard drive crashed for the 3rd time in 3 years...leaving Emily without a computer.
4. All of the above. 

And the answer is.... number 3! 

My friend Gaby came over and restored Pinky again. Who knows how long it will last until she goes again so I am taking advantage of it now. So without further ado, here is what you have missed in my life. 

we had a October girl's time at the house. It was a massive success...think we'll do one in November too!

We had our fall retreat in the state of Queretaro. We had a great time with students and other staff.

We worked at the Christian Expo in October and showed  the movie "Magdalena". Our students in Mexico City loved participating!

I turned 30! And celebrated with a surprise party, chinese food buffet and seeing Footloose with my husband. It was a great time!

My husband Gabriel got his resident visa for the United States. This means that we can live and work in the US without hassle! He had his tourist visa for 10 years before that but we are both working for something more permanent in the other country. 

So that is what you missed...in a nutshell. October was extremely busy and it is looking the same with November as well.

Celebrating Independence Day

Mexico does it well when it comes to celebrating their Independence. Most of the time, it's my favorite time of the year.

This year we celebrated the Sunday before with Gabo's family and then on Thursday the 15th with our friends. I think we are going to need to do something completely different next year cause me hosting their Independence day is a lot of pressure.

Anyways, here are some pics first with the family. 

I made a cake to show my love. It was a double win because they love my cakes and I was showing my Mexican Pride. :)

My man with  my cake.

Con Ximena...look likes she wants to dig in!

Some of Gabo's siblings and their families. 

And then the celebration with our friends. We invited everyone who didn't have plans.

Gabo with Violet

Sweet Lily playing "Pin the Tail on the Donkey" which ended up to be a very controversial game.

There is a small problem at our house...there is no very good phone signal so the phones have to be lined up by the window. Pretty crazy. Reminds me of when I visit my mom's house.

We fell into bed about 3:30am. It was an exhausting night. Next year I might go to a hotel. :)

Presenting the new apartment!

Moving out of our old apartment was bittersweet. We loved where we lived. We had some great parties, meetings, and conversations there. I fell in love with Gabo in that apartment and learned so much more about the Mexican culture and about Jesus and my relationship with him. I lived there 3 years. 2 with Angie and 1 with Gabo.

This is what our living room looked like the Sunday before we left. We had way more stuff than we thought! 

The process to leave with the owner and his beloved secretary (hint: sarcasm) was a little bit unnerving. But overall, the process was pretty seemless giving that we live in one of the largest cities in the world.

Here are some pics of the new apartment.

The cute little dining room.

The cross collection right above the new and improved buffet.

The Kitchen...the plus this time is that it's open and I am not cooking in a closet!

The office. This is still a work in progress.

The living room and the front door.

While Telmex was changing our internet over...

I spent some time unpacking and getting settled into our new apartment. We love it by the way. Telmex, our local internet/phone company took their sweet time coming over to do a job that literally took 5 minutes. I am officially done complaining about that. 

Let me share with you all the story of the mueble (piece of furniture in Spanish). This is a buffet that some STINTers found in the trash of their apt 3 years ago.

This was after Gabo used his brute force to pull out the vertical pieces in the middle that made up a wine rack. We aren't big wine-o's here so we preferred simple shelves in the middle. I got my instructions from www.younghouselove.com and a friendly paint salesman at the local Soriana store.

So first I sanded it.

Then I did a spray on primer. 

And that is when Angie and I started to get a little light headed in the house. We opened some windows and turned on the fan. 

Then later that night, I started the lovely task of painting the beast in all it's nooks and crannies with black oil paint mixed with a little bit of paint thinner. 

Just so you know, that paint was a pain to get off my skin but well worth it in the long run. 

So here it looks all finished. 

We love it. Although we have no idea who the original owners were, we are glad that it ended up in our house!

God's Blessings on Labor Day

Yesterday my sister pushed this little nugget out. Well actually Lucy Marie weighs 9 pounds so she is not a little nugget but yesterday was her day. Just like all the grandchildren multiplying in our family, Lucy is special too. 

On December 25, 2010, my sister calls me on skype and she says that they have a secret to tell us. They just found out they were pregnant! Gabo and I were ecstatic to be the firsts to know. Amy was thrilled. A couple of weeks later, Amy calls and tells me that she tripped and bounced down the stairs and there was some bleeding and she was going to go to the dr. This was before other family members knew. They found out that there was a placental hemorrhage next to where our little Lucy was growing. The OB-GYN tells her to take it easy and to come back in a few weeks. Which is impossible by the way with an 18 month old in the house. These type of hemorrhages can be dangerous leading to bedrest, miscarriage or premie babies. So we prayed a lot here in Mexico.

On February 14, Amy sends me a text message after leaving her ultrasound. The hemorrhage is gone. It's a miracle...not just shrunk but disappeared. We celebrated God's mercy on Amy's womb. 

So yesterday Lucy arrived all 9 pounds of her. I was in Mexico moving apartments without internet. 

Here is how they got our couch in our new apartment. Quite the fiasco...(more pictures to come of the new place)

And yesterday, my best friend Suzanne moved too...from Dallas, Texas to Ioannina, Greece.What a great day!

I thank God for many things today...

- Suzanne and Jerry and their heart to serve Jesus and tell college students about His love in Greece

- My sister Amy and my brother-in-law Ryan and my lil' man Rylan--they are a great family to welcome someone new into. Lucy has a great place to come home to even though Rylan thinks she lives at the hospital

- Our new apartment! It's close to a fun market and a park and 3 blocks from my girl Angie
- My mom-Cath's birthday is today!

Quick Trip to South Bend

Yes, I was in the states for a very short week. I am sorry that I didn't tell you guys. I needed some time to hang out and rest up from the crazy year.

I really only came for one reason...

This one in the orange lunging across the table. My sister (to the left) is about 4 million months pregnant but she decided to teach summer school so I hung out with my lil' man for a couple of days.

Rylan has quite the vocabulary these days. Let me share some of my favorite lines with you.

Me opening the car door to get the nino out. 
Rylan: (hands flung out wide) "TA DA" like he just finished a magic trip

Pulling out of the mall parking lot, Rylan was mad we were leaving. 
Me: do you want french fries?
Rylan: No
Me: do you want to go get mama?
Rylan: No
Me: do you want to go back to the mall?
Rylan: No
Me: Well what do you want?
Rylan: I want jetskies and sailboats.
Me: You want to go to the lake and see jetskies and sailboats?
Rylan: OK! (asking a clarifying question automatically means that I am asking him to go)


I also had a great time seeing family. Although I didn't take many pictures, it was a really good and relaxing time. I had fun shopping in the states, eating Bruno's Pizza, going to Hacienda and laughing a lot.

However, I severely missed this face.

It's amazing what 8 days in the gringo land can do to my heart. Love my home in Mexico but love the roots in USA.

Hope to see you all the next time around! We are praying to be there at Christmas!