Home Sweet Home

I made it to Mexico the morning of January 5th and, after a 2 hour bus ride to Puebla, arrived at my host family’s home. My roommate, Erika, met me there at the same time and we met our family together. We put our suitcases in our room and then went to the table to share our first meal with the family. Margarita, our host mother, made us scrambled egg and tomato sandwiches on freshly baked rolls and we sat down together with her daughter Lupita and her son-in-law Jesus. We talked about the mountains and volcanoes surrounding the city, my roommates stressful travel adventure to get here, and lots more, all in Spanish!
After breakfast, Erika and I unpacked our bags and “moved in” to our new home, then took a much needed siesta. Around 5pm, we walked through the neighborhood to our housing coordinator’s home and took care of the financial part of the trip. When we got home, Margarita made us a small dinner (rice with eggs and green beans), and we had some really interesting conversations. When we sat down, Erika asked if the family typically says a prayer before meals. Margarita said no but that she would say one if we wanted. She then prayed over our food, thanking Him for our food and praying for all people to have food too. As dinner continued, we talked about everything from family and her home to politics and religion. When we brought up Trump to her, she immediately responded with empathy, saying that we should pray for him because he must be suffering. She spoke with such kindness and compassion in spite of the fact that his beliefs do not match her own. I think that we can all learn a lot from Margarita.
Later that night, Erika and I met up with some classmates at a nearby bar and drank to our new adventure.
All in all, today has been exciting, overwhelming, and exhausting, but I’ve learned that I am far braver than I ever knew and I am so so so thankful to be a part of this incredible experience.

That’s day one. Stay tuned for more.Read more