July 17, 2005 – The road/Mexico
-I’ve been on the road pretty much since yesterday. After crossing the border everything seemed to go downhill, in quality, in niceness, and in morale. When we stopped to have our vans searched we also got our visas. The small hall where we waited to receive our visas was probably over 100 degrees. Once we were on our way to Monclova I rarely saw a house I would want to live in and many were pieced together with scrap. The homes we passed reminded me of the “huts” I build out of old horse stables when I was 10 or 11. One thing that I do like is that the buildings and “homes” are colorful. Many of the homes have different color material and many structures also have murals painted on the sides of them. I love the art here. Everything here feels and looks gritty and dirty. I like the feeling thought, simply because it is different and because it seems more original. As we drove along the highway, I was surprised at how many building went unfinished, I saw old, beautiful buildings that never were finished, and it seems like such a waste. I’ve only been in Mexico for a few hours but I’m already feeling grateful. One thing I can’t get over is HOW THESE PEOPLE LIVE. The Mexican people here seem to live such simple lives, maybe because they have so little. I wish I knew Spanish! It’s weird, I feel shyer around people of my own nationality and faith. I wish I could talk to the locals here and the poor simply to here their untold story but also for knowledge and experience. There culture is starting to grow on me and for the most part the people are very friendly. I’m sure the Hispanic peoples of Mexico think of us (Americans) are stuck up rich, if only I could talk to them.
We have just arrived in Monclova and are staying at the Fiesta Inn Hotel; it’s probably the nicest on e in town. Tomorrow we start working on the Church and I’m looking forward to it. I wish we could have started today, simply because I didn’t come down here to sit around. However, it is nice to rest a little. I’m rooming with 4 other guys who are all younger than me. Gabe, Joel, and Tanner are there names. They all seem cool but are a little shy of me, maybe because I’m older and a little bigger than they are. I’m looking forward to seeing children, I’ve seen very few so far and I look forward to interacting with some. I also wish I had brought stuff to give to them, candy, toys, whatever. I like the people who have come on the mission trip; they all seem really great. However, I’m not as “hardcore in the religion we share. I BELIEVE IN SPIRITUALALITY but belonging to a certain religion has always seemed to create problems with other religions and within that certain religion as well. I have to get some sleep; I’m up at 6:00am tomorrow. (10:10pm)
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