Historic Dwelling

All I know about the H-R House is that it was built in 1743, to be the home of General H, the last governor of this town to be appointed by the British crown.
The current owner of the house also told me this weird story about the house being under attack at some point, and the General shooting back and (arguably?) inadvertently killing a boy --a mistake for which he had to flee the US... I think it's a bit creepy.

But moving on...

Many thanks to my amazing friend Ceme.... aaaaand...

Fotillos!!


My room...







The restroom is too small, too white and too bright to take decent pics of, but here it is anyways :P






My favorite room in the house...


The main entry:


The office:



The crazy stairs in the house!


The breakfast table in the kitchen (and Dunster the pug):


The kitchen (sorry about the blurriness :P)




:) !

I moved!!

¡Ya terminé! Por fin... ¡Gracias a Dios!
I will post pics of the place later.
I got to the house safe and sound. Didn't kill anyone either :) Took the car back to the rental place in one piece. Zero Killed. Very proud of myself.
I am so sore though! And so ready to be done with papers...
Going home in two weeks!! WUJU!!

Thanksgiving was great :)!!

Many tenkius to the boy's parents, his sister (and husband), and the cool uncle for sharing their holiday with moi. It was good seeing you guys again... and it was a fun turkey lunch, and an exciting game... good times :)

**

Una corta oración de agradecimiento...

I am grateful to you, truly grateful and aware of how much you have blessed me. You've blessed me, most importantly, by blessing my family and the people I love. This year has been one of both terrible and wonderful news. But you have been the powerful hand behind our blessings and my source of strength when all seemed to go wrong. Gracias, Señor. You've also blessed me with the wisdom I found in my parents' advice and the peace of mind that Q's tempered reason and loving support always produce in me. Gracias por sus vidas.

I am grateful that my friend Janie is well, and I am grateful to have been able to be with her for just a bit. I am grateful that though it has been a tough transition for her, she is a strong woman, determined to be happy. She IS happy, and she deserves to be. I thank you for her strength y por las promesas que tienes para ella.

I am grateful that Fer is doing much, much better. And I am grateful that he will be graduating this may, conmigo este año! Gracias Señor.

I thank you Lord for my new roommie.

Te doy gracias por este año, por todo lo que pasó y lo que no dejaste pasar. Por todas tus bendiciones, Señor, te agradezco. En el nombre de Jesús, Amén.

Many great news :)

Abi's first basketball game was this Wednesday!! She did very well, according to what I hear. She worked hard and was focused and was in the bench for like 3 seconds of the game. I'm so proud of her!! Misael is too, even if he won't admit to it... hehehe...

I also got to see the new place where I'll be living next semester. I'm actually moving in soon, since I need to leave this room by December 1st. It's exciting stuff!! The place is beautiful and comfortable, the company is absolutely wonderful, and there is a church accessible through the back door of the house :) The place is also very close to the ocean! I bet that will be fun next semester when it starts getting warmer again :))

Also this week I talked to the lady in charge of Field Ed at HDS about Susana Wesley School. I might have just found a way to network for the Anapra Mission!! I'm very happy at the possibilities this one little meeting might open for us. Wuju for connections... :)!!

The semester is almost over. I can't believe I'm already starting to think about my final papers!!! Im going home sooon!!! wuuujuuuu!!! and of course there's also thanksgiving coming up. wonderful times ahead of us all :))

My siblings were followed around by CNN reporters today (do I have the channel right?). My friend Ceme and her sister went down to Juarez to do a report on Mexican kids going to high school in the States. Pobrecitos... lol... my siblings love having the cameras all over them ;)

What else? ooOOH... given my Spanish, English, and public-speaking skills but also -mostly- given my lack of folklorico dancing skills (Im a beginner), I will be MC at the event on Saturday! It will be a show given by both the Mariachi Veritas and the Ballet Folklorico Aztlan (my dance team). Wuju!! It was nice being invited to do it... I'm very excited. I like the mic. Jaja.. Hice verso sin esfuerzo.

The security guard at HDS IS Italian. I knew it!! hehehe... Nice, big, elderly man. He says hi to me now :P I feel special. He even stopped the other day to ask me if I was a vegan and to talk to me briefly about how vegetables, which used to be the food of the poor (who could not afford meat) is now so popular it's become expensive --the food of the rich! So now he finds it hard to eat veggies... *SMILE* ... what can I say? it was great.

Other than that, I haven't been sleeping or eating well, but that will change next week. Let me just get done with all of this insanity, and I will be back to normal. In my defense, sleeping and eating well IS normal. de veras.

Night at the Museum... LoL...

So it was a crazy night tonight. My friends Ceme, Ma. Cristina, and I snuck in to the Peabody Museum. LoL. I’m not sure if it was completely necessary… we had tickets. Sort of. Miraculously, Prof. Carrasco behaved like a Latino and was nice enough to get us 3 tickets. Maybe because we had just been at the meeting on the Latino Studies chair. But I digress… Carrasco’s strangeness was not the issue tonight. The thing was that we had 3 tickets…. and well, the problem with that was that… huh… it was 5 of us. The solution? All three of us crazy girls decided we should sneak in to give two of them our tickets. The event was a fancy (much, much fancier than the working-class Dia de los Muertos original celebration in Mexico) version of a traditional Catholic holiday…. Lol… But it was SOMETHING Mexican! I wanted IN! Knowing that an event was being held about Mexican culture exclusively for/by/with rich white people gave me a pang in the stomach. I gotta repeat this. I wanted in. Heck, we ALL wanted in! What’s this weird appropriation of our culture, and what’s this disrespect of not INVITING us? I’m not saying give us an important place in it… not saying give us a chance to be the rightful spokesmen of traditions in Mexico… I’m saying freaking LET US IN! SO yes.. LoL. We wanted in. And well, we got in. We snuck in through a side-door…. LoL… Although not until we had tried a couple other ideas: I could get in as a part of the Ballet Folklorico, which I technically am a part of, even though I wasn’t going to be dancing tonight. But my group WAS performing… lol… OOOooOOor Ma. Christina could try to go in saying she needed to reach her office in the Museum, which she does have, even though she didn’t exactly want to go in to *work.* But neither one of our oh-so-well-thought-out ideas worked... as was expected… so we walked around the perimeter of the building (lalalaaa) until someone came out a side door and left it open. We ran to it before it closed… and we got in!! LOL… we were SO excited! We felt we were reviving the monumental feat of illegal immigrants going into the States… we felt we had forcefully broken through the class barrier... we thought we had gotten back at the darn policemen (yes, policemen, not security guards) that almost pushed Cemelli down the stairs last year because she didn’t “look” like a student and should therefore not go in the building “until she proved she was a student.” !!! Grrrr…. !!!!!!! *Instert a crazy girl with her fist shaking all up in air trying to get her anger out* The marks on the floor are still there. Luckly she was okay. But oh… the VICTORY!!! LoL… We thought right!! Yes… I know… I am all too easily pleased… hehe… but what can I say? It felt good. Even though it was silly… and maybe a just bit dangerous… Dad… not really. dont worry. and I know… lol… but they didn’t push us out though… because they didn’t see us sneaky Mexicans coming! Muajajajjajaja!!! The anarchist in me is ALIVE!!

*GasP* So last year there was a protest against the Mexican government for doing nothing about the rapes in Juarez during the event. This year, they tried avoiding such unsightly protests by giving out tickets. A couple of my friends tried getting tickets for the event. It’s supposed to be open to students, you know. They are supposed to give students some preference…. But nope… Nada. Not even though they requested the tickets in advance. Maybe they thought they were protesters. LoL…. sigh… I didn’t even try. LoL. Last year I didn’t go and this year, if it wasn’t because we got tickets from Carrasco, I have to admit that I would have never even tried to get in in the first place. Would have gone elsewhere. But it was magical. Lol. Seriously. The *expo* was awful, and the music was barely alright, but when people saw us dancing (yup. that's what some music is for) they were so happy to join us... and we had SUCH a great time! Very few times do I get to dance with my friends here in Boston. And it was amazing. We were being silly… enjoying the moment’s sweet victory… and we were dancing, singing… jumping around …teaching others how to salsa… it was GREAT. The white people easily relaxed to the music and were having fun. We gave the event some much needed life. I think they realized they were finally being a part of the culture they were celebrating (I dont think the awful "Mexican" fake chocolate was doing it.) And knowing I have my ticket to remember the night makes me feel our small victory rushing through the veins all over again.

Some things one just HAS to do... and some things one can only do with one's gente.

We have a blog together!

Y un email tambien... pero bueno... that's another story :)! jiji...

Here is the blog... todo sobre la boda... para ke lo checken, okas? Quijote put it up and we both "designed" it together, and we'll be updating it for fun. hehe..

Nos Vamos a Casar!


And don't forget to vote! La encuesta es: Shall We Elope? (Nos escapamos juntos?)

False models of dichotomous identity

Met up with Cemelli de Aztlán today. She introduced me to the man who owns the house. Nice guy.

She and I went to lunch afterwards. Had one of those remarkable, stirring conversations that leave you… well, I’ll get my thoughts on that organized later on. But what started as a conversation about the politics of relationships ended up as a theological- political- cultural- sociological verbal examination of the Juarez girls controversy. Did it originate in the culture? Does the culture justify, maintain and prolong the problem? Or do the rapes have their origins, as the FBI/ Mexican police explain(s), in the initial crime of American citizens and their impunity?

I am more concerned with the prolongation and justification of the crimes than I am with their origin. Quite admittedly, I am starting my research on this issue with the (arguable) insider’s perspective that culture does contribute to the problem and that something should be done about it.

To give an example of culture’s role in prolonging a problem, I am concerned that we need to use the politics of storytelling as a false bridge between identities and actions: we, as a society (Mexican and American!), have continuously felt the need to tell ourselves that the girls raped in Cd. Juarez were “decent” hard-working, maquiladora employees –morally righteous women, good mothers and daughters-- and not licentious party-girls who were “looking for it” or quite simply “had it coming.” [As a footnote, only 128 of the girls are thought or have been proven to be maquiladora workers. But that is not what worries me.] What concerns me is that in order to defend the cause of raped and murdered girls, we incongruously necessitate a redemptive myth! The effect of this situation is more than just a high level of cultural absurdity. It endangers the few, already inefficient actions taken to solve the crime problem.

Redemptive myths such as these, as dangerous as they might be, are mechanisms of healing. Prof. Jackson, I’m sure, would agree. But I believe they are an obvious reaction to a basic problem: the false models of dichotomous identity we have built. The academic world has already reacted to these dichotomies by theorizing alternate models of identity: intersubjectivity, transnationality, diasporic and borderland identities, etc., but how can the academia help translate these theories into action? The act of storytelling, as I’ve already argued, is flawed in that it derives from the very problem and can prolong it. This specific redemptive myth, for example, comes hand in hand with another (also erroneously dichotomous) myth of justification: if the woman is a “whore,” the rapist is justified. Because the woman is a “saint” according to this myth, then the rapist is far from justified. But what of the many victims in Juarez that do not in reality have this socio-political and moral identity?

To expand on the notion of false models of dichotomous identity:

I’ve been struggling intellectually with the black and white mentality of our society for some time now. More specifically, with the mentality that classifies identity within the scheme of dichotomies. The basic idea is that we’ve constructed models of identity that have only one alternate other –an often absolute converse option. I’m talking about bipolar, dichotomous modes of identity. False structural models that dictate that a woman is either a whore or a saint; a person is either one nationality or the other; a citizen belongs to one culture or the other –and these cultures are surely absolute opposites, etc.

The result, I argued, is a mentality that promotes a socio-political problematic that can only be solved if we somehow build bridges of identity. Bridges that might have been built through the already growing academia of trans-identity. How, then, can we build on it towards action? Did the original moral dichotomy arise from the religious notions of good and evil? What can we do to correct our dichotomies without compromising our religious beliefs? And most importantly, what can the academy do that will directly, positively affect the situation of the women of Cd. Juarez?

taking ... it... s..l...o...w

I don't know where my head is lately.
Forgot my phone at one of my jobs. Left a document by the copy machine at the library. Almost sent a letter with no stamp on it... missed a bus on the way to church...

I really needed a slow day.

And I got a weekend.

Happy Columbus Day to me. I thought I wasn't going to get it, since my professors and PA's all seemed pretty adamant about not getting behind, so I told myself I didn’t need it. But when my two Monday classes re-scheduled, I was ecstatic. I got the weekend. I got the weekend! And I had all of my reading for next week done by Thursday.

So, I've taken it slow. And it's made for an amazing, long weekend. I've done laundry, cleaned and organized my closets, given that kitchen some much needed care… The fridge needed to be cleaned, and so did the stove and both the small and the big oven. That oven doesn't get cleaned unless I do it…

But I like cleaning though. I like doing it because it's so completely inconsequential and fruitless. Well, not completely. There’s always the rewarding cleanliness. But it holds no relevant truth, no important tie to my relationships, no theological argument, no historical accuracy or lack thereof... It’s just cleaning. And I can do it with a spotless mind, uncontaminated by the reality of the world. The things I can’t change have suddenly been reduced to 3 year old oven stains or an ugly uncooperative wood floor. The shortcomings of people, including my own, go only as far as the kitchen windows will allow me to see.

I realized how contagious the environment’s effect is on me. I’ve heard it so much, that we are a product of our society. But I’d never realized how thoroughly and habitually I respond to the world that surrounds me. How a document becomes important only because of school and despite it being just a paper to me. How missing a class becomes a reason for sleeplessness. How my walking becomes three times as fast only so the fat guy behind me won’t pass me. I’m surely as busy as he is!

I protest. If I will respond to this environment, then I will do so at my own will –according to my standards. At the very least, according to my own environment. And where I come from, being permanently busy does not make you an important person. Stress is a sign of hardship. One doesn’t submit to stress unless no other choice is available. And I happen to have an alternative. I can be my industrious self AND be engaged with my life. With my friends. With my family. With God.

So I will take it slow. I'll enjoy. And I will not need the last traces of Columbus’ unrequested and unannounced visit to finally take a deep breath.

I will enjoy school. I will enjoy the blessing that cleaning my landlord’s kitchen is :)!

So.. by now everybody knows...

...But in case you don't, the tentative date is March 15th, 2009. Yup, 2009. Still (sorta.. not really) looking for a place, so it's (definitely) not official yet. But hopefully we can stick to it... So yeah! Save the date! Or the weekend... hehe... and send us your addresses! We're getting married :-D !!!

Twice in a Row!!

I missed the second class meeting of Religion in Multicultural America last Wednesday.

The reason? I initially did not get in the class. The professor emailed me at 12 at night the day before class to say I'd gotten in after all, and by then I had a job waiting for me that conflicted with it. She understood, though, of course. Late notice.

But I missed class again today.
The reason? I wrote the darn wrong meeting time on my agenda and thought the class met from 3 to 5pm. The class meets only once a week -I was right about that. But it meets from 1-3pm.

The irony? While "waiting" for class, I read a psychology paper on the "Flexibility of Memory," by van der Kolk.

Well, if I didn't have an "intrusive past" before, then I do now. And I am furious about it.

Cual es la fraternidad Hispana ideal?

I dont know.
I will have to think about it :P
post to come.....

We are engaged :) !!

Q and I met a little bit over two years ago on the front steps of Perkins Chapel. He quickly became my friend and partner in crime. We were once seen walking through the Burger King drive through at 2am… and we shared our first dinner date with Ruben... hehe… and Q won the cook-off. With… his… spaghetti… and we had a crazy first (double) date… and he kissed me in front of the Lee Center..

…sooo… on with the story… Fast fwd two AMAZING, WONDERFUL years…

I was not supposed to see Q till Thanksgiving this school year. Or well, actually… hehe… let me tell you… I was supposed to surprise him next week. But with the help of his wonderful sister, he beat me to it. Poor Bugsy… what that girl’s had to do…
But Q sent flowers this whole week. Flowers and flowers… colorful and gleaming tropical flowers… “happy” daisies… white roses… pink roses… more white roses (they’re my favorite)… it was wonderful. In my roommate’s words, I am “one lucky girl.” Well, he said the big surprise was coming on Friday, and so he called Friday night to ask if my gift had arrived already.
“Nope. Don’t think so sweetie”
“Well, why don’t you go downstairs and check? Maybe it’s there already.”
“Ok” [as in well, Im sure its not here, but alrights, if you want me to…]

And there he was. I was not even outside yet and I could see him standing in front of my apartment, dressed in black slacks and a clean white shirt. I was speechless. Breathless. So happy I felt I’d faint and had to lean my head on the wall and wait for the emotion to subside ---and then I ran to him and hugged him and went crazy again.
I swear… seeing him… would have been enough craziness for one night…
But when I finally calmed down a little bit, he casually said he’d gotten my Quinceañera ring cleaned. I was glad to hear that –I’ve worn the ring for quite a few years no and my finger feels strange without it. But I was shocked when I opened my ring’s box to find another –very beautiful- ring in its place.

Q went down on one knee.

I had been completely oblivious of… everything… until this point. And I started jumping, screaming, sobbing... And he asked. And (after what he says was an amazingly long time) I finally calmed down enough to say yes a few thousand times. He asked me in Spanish afterwards :)

So that’s how it happened… we will live happily ever after :)

Note:
The ring was a bit too big. Q took it with him to get it resized. I shall meet them both again on Thursday… LoL… since I’d already bought the tickets :P

Look how amazing my boyfriend is!

These past few days have been so hard ... and yet I am so unbelievably happy tonight. I am so in love! And he happens to love me back... He makes me happy.

I am back in Boston....
...............................................can I just go back home now?

So.... I think Boston freedom cannot be missed enough to be liked when actually gotten. Nothing to do here but mind my own business, no space and stuff in here but my own, and now I want to clean after my siblings. Sigh....

Buuut.... Im here. And Im cleaning after myself :P Lots to unpack, clean and organize.... lots of errands to run before Im ready for the semester.... for my last year in school!!! now THAT is exciting. And beautiful flowers waiting in your room to greet you are always a very nice surprise...

well.. back to work.. gotta do some laundry and finish unpacking....

...

I am so sick! Just a couple days before I leave to Boston… and I cannot sleep! But I’ve gone to the doctor, and I’m drugged up...... SoooOOo…. I’ve been reading other posts… Old posts. Posts from when I first met Quijote and then started dating him. It’s been fun. I'm feeling romantic tonight. Should I write a disclaimer? Hm.... Nah.
It was a good time, college. Maybe that’s because my blogs sound a lot like movies, where characters don’t really need sleep or toilets and seem to just have a social life. LoL. Completely unrealistic…. Yep: Beautifully, absently, yet idealizing(uh, ly?) unrealistic. And I probably still sound a lot like I did back then, but wow… it’s easier to recognize it from a distance. In a way, I like it. I liked that touch of fresh and open idealism and optimism Quijote had back then. I fell in love with that. It was shameless and brave.
It’s strange how relationships change as we change, and how they change us. On my end, at least, that has been the case. What started out as something crazy but uplifting, something magical and exciting, has evolved into something surprisingly solid and …well, old even... I feel like we’re an old couple sometimes, when I do or say something subconsciously and realize it’s come from an amazingly deep knowledge of how he thinks or functions. Or when we’re on IM and I realize that he knows that he should put something into words, even though I already know it or understand it, just because I appreciate him saying it or because I react to it in a specific way. I read in one of my posts that I was worried about not knowing if he’d really wanted to go to a certain restaurant… hehe… cute.
I suppose that after all, we did change a bit. Q is not shamelessly brave anymore. He’s still, of course, Quijote, idealistic and willing to battle to death ---but much more cautious about the causes. He is adaptably, intelligently, competently brave. And though I’d like to think I’m a bit lighter at heart, I’ve become aware that maybe I feel that way only when I don’t really care. All lightness of heart can disappear in a moment’s realization…. to be replaced by either insight or apprehension. Things become heavy and complicated. And I don’t like it. Looking back, I -at the moment- prefer my past careless self. My young, naïve(er) self who appreciated new friends much easier and kept her old buddies close to heart. I like her because she enjoyed life better. And she believed in all the values of Quijotesque belief. But she also lived in that same idyllic, unrealistic world. She didn’t have to worry about the things I have to worry about now. Perhaps I am, like Q, better prepared and more adaptable for the future as I am now…. who knows. Life maintains its liquid motion… continuous and changing, splashy and surprising. It’s a little bit rocky out there sometimes, but it doesn’t matter. Maybe there’s nothing wrong with a little black magic. Self-invented magic. Re-invented magic. Plain, and even overly visited magic worlds are always still magnetic forces in our memories… they just never rust.

big and ugly

Affiliate organizations, general boards, national associations and such…
UGH! I’ve been reading.. or.. well, semi-memorizing the United Methodist Church website for clues of what is out there that I would like to be a part of. I don’t understand why, if I absolutely crave planning and organization, can the mere mention of vaguely political labels and structures give me such an ugly feeling of nausea. Maybe it’s the memory of my heart broken parents leaving the politics of Methodism behind… sort of behind. Or that ugly stomach discomfort I used to get during conferences when we were all waiting to see if it’d be time to pack and say goodbye to everyone again. Maybe I just quite honestly don’t like that tricky, deceptive side that politics will always have –I don’t know if I’m sharp enough to keep up without some disregard of my own personal values. That last sentence alone sounds ugly enough.
Whatever it is, how does one get rid of it? This… thing… that is … so ugly sometimes but also very often necessary, and so useful, and SO beneficial? How can I be a part of that “Church and Society” tab without going crazy (--er)? Will I make a difference in the kind of small organization I prefer? Maybe it is a big fat lie that revolutionary changes can only be made through the masses. Wesley might have disagreed with me, though! Maybe my “preferences” will only get me stuck in an unproductive, mediocre hole of contentment. Or maybe I am altogether too problematical. Maybe I am missing the beauty of the simple life. Of making a true and lasting difference, one life at a time.
Why do I feel like I have to do everything? Sometimes it is so overwhelming that I feel I have done nothing in comparison to that gigantic original goal… If I didn’t think like this, though, what would keep me on check? What is it that drives great leaders, if it isn’t the fear that things could remain the same? If a great leader needs a great label, though, and colossal structures, and ridiculous amounts of attention… then maybe I can remain an ordinary person doing… um.. random acts of crazy greatness.

fotillos!!

todos en la playa!

chicos guapos ;)


Abi, Ryan y yo :)


what were we doing that whole time? :P


Abi's XV


Abi y Misael



Dana all dressed up :)

Miscellaneous

Anybody amazed that I can spell *miscellaneous* but not *project*? That was a Spanglish slip :P (proyecto is the word in Spanish :P)

Anyway... here goes my little point-by-point rambling of the day... uh.. definitely not in order of importance :P

* My dad is super sweet. He and mom came back home ridiculously late after a school meeting, and mom wanted a coffee. when they realized we’re out of milk, my sleepy and waaay overworked father ran out the door --and came back with a smile. He had gone to the superstore (the little neighborhood store was closed by then) just to get milk, just so mom could have her coffee. THAT, my friends, is love.

* HELP!! Donate to the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, and even the Mexican Army relief campaign. Hurricane Dean has left a lot of Latin American people homeless… lets do all we can. A tiny bit goes a long way :)

* Calderon is giving his first Reporte de Gobierno on Sept 1. They are about as long as American “State of the Nation” speeches… but if you speak/understand Spanish and can deal with a little Mexican politics, well, this should be an interesting speech to listen to :P

* I have a feeling that my insomnia is back. sigh.

* Dana is well again :)! She leaves the hospital tomorrow. Gracias al Sen~or!

* My parents are moving to Anapra! It’s official. They have started the construction of the house. Living so far away from the mission has not been the best idea for them, and they want a 1store house for when they get old.. so, that’s that. They are moving. Crazy people. I get the sneaky suspicion that deep down inside they just miss moving places –That’s all it is :P They’d just gotten too used to the itinerancy.. :P

* And just for kickers, sad songs remind Q of me :P ... hehe... I love you sweetieeee :*

I am so tired...

Dana is sick... doing much, much better, but still a little sick. We've been taking care of Davidito...
I am sure I seriously considered not having kids a few times this week. pesistent periods of "temporary insanity" do that to a girl. that, and realizing you're way too skinny to be a comfy head rest for either your nephew or your niece. sigh...
I finished my first book! It's an ESL textbook for thecute little 1st graders of Anapra... with songs and worksheets and powerpoint presentations, and video-clips ---all approved by a couple 1st grade teachers... I'm very proud of it :D It's not going to get published, of course. But ---even better--- it is going to be used and tested... It's like a little Ed. proyect! very proud of it. I'm moving on to intermediate and advanced level books :) Hopefully I'll be done before I return to school.... three more weeeks..... sigh..... It's not going to happen....
we got some pics from Quijote's parents! I will take a bit to write back by mail, since we're freaking out about the baby, but I did want to say THANK YOU. very sweet of you :)
Other than that... well... I am PREACHING at church!!! NEXT WEEK!! no idea what Im going to talk about. any suggestions? I'm just so excited ... and nervous.... it has been YEARS since I last preached.... we'll have to see how that goes... Misael's first warning was~ "Dont go all crazy with your weird theolgy and stuff ok? you're going to put them to sleep!"
LoL!
I AM so much more of a teacher than I am a preacher. but deep inside, I know preaching and teaching should ideally accomplish the same goals: to inspire and train the believer... and even the non-believer.
we'll see how it goes :)

Novecientos Once

Hoy encontre mi journal -el ke escribi para la clase de Galceran, hace 6 an~os. My entry for Sept 11 was there. Es extran~o, como vemos diferente el mundo cuando tenemos 15 an~os. Mis pensamientos no se escaparon hacia la filosofia hasta dos entries despues. Hasta entonces -al menos una semana despues- comence a filosofar sobre el poder de Dios y el poder humano, sobre la justicia divina y la incapacidad humana de controlar los eventos de nuestra vida personal y colectiva -de crear justicia en el mundo. "There seems to be no true reason for which things happen... If God does not want to force us to submit, and we are not willing to give him control of our lives, then the world is not under God's rule, but under ours. AND IF WE CANT UNDERSTAND OURSELVES, HOW CAN WE BEGIN TO UNDERSTAND -LET ALONE PLAN- THE EVENTS HAPPENING IN THE WORLD???"
Very deep thinking. LoL. I know. Cut me some slack, tenia quince an~os. Habia olvidado ese sentimiento --that feeling of loss and spiritual alarm that one can only feel in the face of imminent war. el sentimiento ke solo viene cuando piensas ke el mundo va a estallar, sin razon alguna, y todo lo ke conoces, como lo conoces, parece desaparecer mientras escuchas al principal dismissing class, sin que nadie pueda hacer nada. En donde queda el poderio humano? The enlightened man? the scientific mind? the self-righteous, humanitarian, morally and politically correct civilization we've built?
No existe. Nor does God's willingness to enforce justice seem very .... palpable ... when you believe that if you dont get through the border soon, you might end up on the wrong side of this century's Berlin wall.
But He did give us a second chance --and maybe I was right on something back then, because... well, is that fair? Do we deserve it? Did we not so unashamedly pave the way to WW III?? Have we done anything to fix our mistakes? Are we trying harder to help our neighbor, or did we open our eyes to a reality of a sick world just so we could feel disgusted at it? I just ... moved on. To the next page. To my little world, full of boys and shoes and gossip. And then the wave of emotions caught on to me a few days later. And then a few years after that. And what have I learned? just one thing: not to trust my weak and selfish spirit. y a prestar un poco mas de atencion a las necesidades de los demas. trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean in your own understanding.... it's so difficult to do when you're an arrogant, stubborn brat like me.

Summer Update

Summer this year has been absolutely amazing. I feel so happy and grateful! The first month of my vacation was spent writing papers for school, but after that was over with, I was finally free. I was here for Mother’s Day, my mom’s birthday, father’s day, and a couple missionary groups. Raoul and JJ got married in June (I know the whole Quijote clan now!) and Quijote arrived to Juarez a couple weeks after. Dana was finally born the first week July...on the same day as Bug’s birthday :)! Quijote and I helped with Anapra enrollment and with the graduation ceremony. We went to my cousin Sami’s graduation... we took so many pics! including one of the few "couple" pics we took this summer. Aren't we cute? Q and I had a great time introducing his family to my entire (and I really mean ENTIRE) family. I hope Quijote’s parents had as much fun as we did >:)
Q and I also went out on vacation with my parents and my two kid siblings… and he almost freaking gave me a full system failure, with his suicidal motorcycle (or what are they called, again?) driving… [I still haven’t forgiven you.] But we did have a wonderful, romantic dinner the night before leaving Puerto Peñasco, which made me feel much better :)

We also celebrated my birthday! rather, my no-cumplean~os :D! :P...

We visited the INBA museum, we ate sushi, then went to a coffee shop for frapuccinos and crepes, and finally tried to see the jirafa at the park, but it was closed by then. I also got to open my present! Q gave me an absolutely gorgeous necklace. It has a history too! It was made by an artist that specializes in ~2000 year old Roman glass found in Jerusalem’s archeological sites, isn’t that amazing? mwajaja.. my entire family had to hear that little sentence a few times… I just had to show it off :D!

Q left on the 31^st. It was still a little painful. Despite the prolonged visit… It still caught me off guard. Neither of us had time to think about it much, though. He had school and work waiting for him and I had a Quinceañera to tend to.

Abi’s XV was on the 4^th of August. It was amazing. The service felt intimate and family oriented, and the dinner / pool party afterwards was just as rewarding. I say rewarding because Abi and I worked oooh so very hard, and it was worth it. The country club we had it in has a beautiful garden/ tree area, and we had a white canopy put up on the far end of it. We had rose candles, lilac and silver center pieces, and contrasting paper ornaments that hung like fun chandeliers over the tables. It all looked so fun and beautiful! We had a DJ and LOTS of food, peach and milk cake, a nice refreshing pool, beach volleyball… and go karts! We had such a blast! Abi wore two very beautiful classic dresses, but no gown, since the reception was at a country club, and she had a lilac orchid bouquet to go with them. We went for a “simple contemporary” style. I will save you the details and simply say that she looked absolutely amazing :)! She is such a beautiful, beautiful girl! I've still got to download the party pictures, but I have a great pic of her we took at the studio:

She is a bit crazy too. The night before her XV, she had a sleep over party for what we (lol) called her “VIP friends.” I did not go to sleep till 5am. Three others went to sleep a little later, and Abi and her two best friends did not go to sleep till 7am. We had lasagna, fruit mousse, grapes and cherries with cheese, Doritos with salsa, chocolates, and popcorn. We made Abi a XV gown… with toilet paper! We ate a lot, played Marco Polo in the dark, played with the Wii, told horror stories by a candle light, and watched a movie. We talked about boys, of course, and had a blast telling silly stories about Abi. I think she had a great time :)!

The week after that (a couple days ago) my Dad and I had our birthday … we went out to eat and then Misael took me and Abi to the movies. Abi got us some treats –the traditional Misiones crepes and frapuccinos :). And then we came home and slept…. It was great!

So there it is… my summer so far. One month to go. I’ll leave for Boston on September the 8^th. Will be writing ESL textbooks for next year’s Anapra students this month. Should be fun…

Cute Boy in J Town... and no signs of the bird

Baby's trip from Paris is taking longer than expected.. sigh... still waitin...

But the boy is in town... I am one happy girl :D!! So far we've been to the movies, we've eaten true Mexican ice cream, and we've gone out to eat a couple times. Other from that, he's living the true Briones Cruz family experience :P We've been waking up late, eating a lot, and hanging out. And my little sister Abi has started a Spanish Slang, Phrases and New Words notebook for Q... hehe..
My aunt Mary and my cousin Sami came over the other night after we had finished moving around some furniture. Dad bought a sofa that doesn't fit!! God only knows what we will dooo... maybe Mom will listen to me and we can finally get a plasma tv! :) !
aaand... for now... I think I will take a short nap. nothing else to do with this sun at this time of the day!

¡Ya viene la cigüeña!

Sarai is inEl Paso! She went in for a checkup and they told her to stay with them! Because she had not planned on staying in El Paso, my Mom, Misael, and I crossed the border at 12.30am to deliver her luggage :P! Quite a crazy night. LoL... But we are SO EXCITED!! We think the baby will be born in the next couple days! So everything else has come to a halt --life can wait a couple days :P lol.. We've been making plans and we will be cleanning and disinfecting the house for the baby....
So that's the news... please pray for Sarai, her family, and her little girl! the cuttie is on her way!!

Congratulations..

To the new R/JJ family :) ! Here's to many, many years of happiness!

Davidito's Presentation

Mom's Award

Mom got an award from the SEP (Secretaria de Educacion Publica) for 10 years of excellency as an educator. Bravo for MOM!!

Baby Shower :) !

Here are some pics of Sarai's baby shower :) ! It was at El Descanso restaurant --which by the way was not my first choice, but the food was great and we had a great time :)