Amatlan

Amatlan is where we did our residential homestay. We were divided into pairs with someone who more or less spoke Spanish with someone who didn't speak anything at all. It was fun throughout the trip to tease my travelling companions about selling them as slaves while we were there, since none of them really spoke any Spanish. Anyway, we got taken for a walk up the mountain and these are some of the pictures:


Pretty good picture, if I do say so myself.


The house where we stayed the night.


My host family


This is not a flower- it is fungus, and it is deadly if you eat it.

Xochicalco

A look at Xochicalco from the vistor's center.


Xochicalco is an archeological site that was so fun to see. Except for the rain. And the rain. Did I mention it was raining?


A Rainy O-H-I-O!


Me in front of the temple- not sure what it was actually called, but there were serpents and jaguars.


A closer look at the carved stone of the temple


An even closer look.




A view from the top of the temple at Xochicalco. Very pretty.

Cuernavaca

A view of upper Cuernavaca from the bridge.

This is Cuernavaca, where we stayed for the rest of the time (minus a night spent in a rural home stay).



This is a picture that one of the people I was traveling with drew of me at a Canadian Pizza restaurant.


The human kiln aka "indigenous sweat lodge". This was a fun experience. You go into the kiln and you sit while they make it very hot and steamy. Then they do this ceremony where they pray to the different gods, leprachauns (who knew they had those in Mexico?) and then they beat you with a bouquet of herbs. Interesting experience that you only need once.


Drinks and dinner at el Salto (a waterfall and restaurant).


We got soaked in the downpour from Hurricane Alex.

Mexico City

Mexico was an awesome experience! We were able to see so many different sights as well as learn a lot about the different "welfare" programs that Mexico has to offer. There are too many experiences to share in one post, so I thought that I would just show a few pictures for now and maybe talk about some of the experiences later. We stayed in Mexico City for three days. Here, we toured historic downtown, where the cathedral, Presidential Palace, etc. were. It was beautiful, but there was a lot of people. They had set up a huge bigscreen tv in the center so that everyone could gather and watch the world cup, so it got a little crazy on Sunday, when Mexico played Argentina (and lost). It was fun to see the big city.


The Mexican flag that is hanging over the Zocalo (the main square) in Mexico City.


The whole group in a Sanborn's Restaurant (in an old mansion in Mexico City)


Me and the Aztec Calender (the real thing) in the Anthropology Museum.


O-H-I-O in front of the fountain (God of Rain) in the Museum of Anthropology


Me in the Presidential Palace in Mexico City


Me and the Mexico City Temple


Mexico City Temple at Sunrise (or a little after)


Diego Rivera Murals in the Presidential Palace


Peace Lily in the Garden at Frida Kahlo's house

Amateur Night

I have been trying my hand at photography for the last few nights. I have no classes or anything right now, so I have a spare moment or two. Here are a few of my favorites. Let me know what you think.

This was a night that it stormed pretty hard. It was a very pretty sunset.

A lily in the backyard.

Another lily from my backyard

Not my best photo ever, but by far, the best grades I have ever gotten in one quarter before! YEA!!!!!! (In case you couldn't tell, there are all A's there, minue one A- and an S, but the class was graded as Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (if it had been a graded class, I am sure that it would have been another A)).

Fun!

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to go to Cleveland with my roommate and some friends. It is a two hour drive from my house. My roommate got $13 tickets to the Indians/Reds game from her work. They were pretty good seats, just down the first base line. It was a fun game to be at, even though I am not much of a baseball fan. It was nice after all the stress of the last couple of weeks to be able to sit and relax and not worry about stress. The weather was PERFECT! It wasn't too hot or too cold. I wasn't able to eat too much baseball food, but I did get Cracker Jacks! After the game, they had a fireworks show, which was awesome. I was sitting there and was able to feel that the Lord cares for me, which was needed after the last week.


A picture of the Stadium


My roommate and Me


The view from my seat! Great seats for $13!


Isn't Cleveland gorgeous?

Will it ever stop?

When it rains, it pours. I am currently in a torrential downpour. I started to have chest pain and trouble breathing, particularly when I am stressed, last Monday, and it has continued until today. I went to the doctor on Wednesday, and though I am not having a heart attack, I may have gallstones and need to have my gallbladder removed. Then, Thursday, my car died in the middle of an intersection. I had it towed and was told that the repairs for it are going to cost between $1000 and $1500. Since I needed a car, I rented one, with Kia's discount. On my way to church Sunday, I hit a pot-hole and bent the rim of the tire and the tire went flat on the rental. Add another $200 in repairs. Today, the mechanic called and said that he got the gas tank, etc. fixed but the engine light went on during the test drive and they did a diagnostic test and the oxygen sensor in the car went bad. Another $200-$500 in repairs. What else can go wrong? I don't know if I even want to ask that.

It may be that most of the problems with my car are covered under warranty (let's hope) though the mechanic said that the original malfunction was my fault and may not be covered under warranty. However, I have done some research online and found that this is a common problem with Kia's and have some literature to show Kia when I pick up my car (who knows when that will be?) It has been a rough week. If you could keep me in your prayers, it would be appreciated.

Happy Mother's Day, Part II

Since I was using my laptop at school to do my last post, and that was the only picture available of my mother, I decided to add a post with a couple (perhaps more flattering pictures). I love you mom!


This one is of my graduation.


I know this is a funny picture, but I do appreciate all my mom does for me. I think it is a sweet picture of her and my dad working together to get the dishes done.


This is probably my favorite picture of the bunch- I love her smile here. I love you Mom!

Happy Mother's Day

Thank you Mom, for everything you do. I am so grateful for all you have taught me, especially since I have moved away and am not close to where you are. I call you all the time because I miss having you close to me to consult about everything. I was reading through some of the emails that you sent my while I was on my mission. I was so appreciative of your support and love and I was grateful for the letters that you sent me. Thanks for not letting me get a tattoo, for keeping me on the straight and narrow, and for always loving me, regardless of the mistakes that I have made and the trials that I give you. I am, after all, the opposition in all things. I love you!

Dog Training

I spent the weekend working. I went to dog training with my family. I got permission to take pictures to show my family the boys that I work with along with the dog that will be taking care of them as well. It was a fun experience. The dog is a 15 month-old german shepherd who is going to get bigger. Her name is Didyme (Didy for short). She comes from the "twilight Litter." All of the dogs in her litter are named after Twilight Characters. Anyway, here are the pictures:

This is my 10-year old kid.

This is his 8 year-old brother.