Our dual lives

It's interesting that we and Tom L. and the little L. girls are perhaps the only Americans in La Cruz. We've heard of a guy named Chris who runs an RV park in Celestino Gasca, 10 miles south of us, but we've yet to meet him. Just this past week or so Tom also heard there is another gringo couple/family in La Cruz, haven't seen them yet either, but we'll hunt them down eventually. This is a truly Mexican community and unlike Mazatlan that has a real split personality in English and Spanish, La Cruz pretty much does not.

However, the pizza guy sometimes refers to me as Americana Cristina. He knows our pizza order by heart because we are different and the order itself is different from most of their orders: Mediano con cebolla, tomate, champinones, jamon, salami, pepperoni! (Medium with onion, tomato, mushroom, ham, salami and pepperoni). He even knows not to pack the two containers of different salsas in the box because we don't use either one!

We watch American football on Sundays, with the commentary in English. They come complete with American commercials, which we don't get with any other broadcasts except once in a while on Speed Channel or Fox News. Just interesting to watch and hear, oddly, the commercials seem foreign to us. Anyone who even know a little bit of English will greet us in English when they see us and it's surprising how many people do know a tiny bit of English at least. They've either worked in the states briefly, or have family in the states or took English in school. We are the perfect place to practice what they've learned!

The Chinese restaurant just recently updated their dining room, new tables and chairs throughout, and a new menu with slightly increased pricing. But the big news on the menu is it's printed in both English and Spanish! The only dual language menu in town that I'm aware of. Their staff speaks Spanish almost exclusively though, so as we commented to them in Spanish about the new English side of the menu it caused some confused looks, so that may be an issue as they use it! But they are gearing up for the tourist season and the upcoming fishing at El Salto I'd guess.

We worship in Spanish, using Spanish language Bibles and hymnals. 95% of our communication outside of our house is in Spanish, with neighbors, friends and merchants. We use a mixture of English and Spanish at home. We listen to Christian music and oldies in English using CDs and the music channels on our satellite! But we also listen to some music in Spanish as well, sometimes by choice, sometimes via the neighbors!!

Lidia's birthday was this week and they hosted a small party including us and many of their neighbors, some of whom we knew, so we didn't. Normally, when I meet someone new I have a hard time understanding them at first, not sure why, just do. But I found that I understood the new couple much more easily than the neighbors we've met and talked with on several occasions. But the party itself was much like any other birthday party you'd have anywhere. And even though she is a native Mexicana, and they are all Mexicano, they sang happy birthday to her in English!

In those group situations I find myself getting worn out trying to stay in the conversation, hearing it, translating it, asking questions if I don't get it all, then translating the answers and just trying to participate! After a couple of hours I need a nap! A new language in a relatively old brain is not an easy thing. But I'm thankful that it is coming along.

Our main meal (mid-day comida) is mostly Mexican cuisine. We might have what you would think of as an American meal maybe once a week, often less than that. However, we've discovered there is Mexican cuisine, and then there is Mexican cuisine!! We had comida at my friend Maria's house yesterday because they slaughtered their pig and wanted us to join in the feasting. She fixed this beautiful plate of starters, different bite-sized chunks of smoked meats surrounded by tomato slices and sprinkled with lime juice and a sweet-hot salsa. As I was inquiring about what all was on the plate I learned it was intestines, kidney, liver and ears of the pig. Okay then!

In three years on the rez I managed to avoid meals like this, but there was no avoiding it now! We have a good and growing relationship with this woman and her family and I wasn't about to blow it over food. So I plunged in, remembering the missionary prayer: Where you lead me I will follow, What you feed me I will swallow. Ralph actually likes liver, and he ate intestines on the rez so it wasn't as great a leap for him. It was for me. Surprisingly, amazingly it was VERY good. Ate quite a bit before the main course of carne asada tacos with salsa cruda and cucumbers! Came home stuffed!! She's making tamales today and we have been commanded to return for some of those...she would not take no for an answer, so later today we'll be having tamales with her and her family.

Life here can be much like home sometimes, too. As we were visiting yesterday Maria was talking about her newest grandson who is due in mid-December. It dawned on her that I hadn't yet seen the ultrasound picture of the new little one, so into the house we went to view his first portrait. I thought about how many of those ultrasound photos I've viewed over the years with family and friends!

We capped off last night with a visit to the plaza with the Tom and Lidia and the girls, we sat and visited, listened to music, (a mixture of Mexican and American) had a treat in the form of ice cream or agua fresca and just watched the world go by. Not unlike going to Percival Landing at home. Strolling along, listening to street musicians, having an ice cream cone.

Bottom line is there are so many differences in our lives, but lots of familiar, similar things too. We are thankful for all we are learning about others and ourselves. Some days it's a steeper learning curve than others, but we are learning!

We do have some prayer issues that we'd like to share. Our water in all of La Cruz has been off pretty much of the last two weeks, since Hurricane Lane whipped through here. We had water Wednesday night from about 9 pm to 4 am then didn't have it again until this morning at 1:30 am. Believe it or not, we got up at 1:30 am and flushed, did dishes, had showers, Ralph shaved and we filled up our 55 gallon reserve barrel for flushing. We have learned not to trust that it will be on "later" because it's usually not! Sounds crazy, but we were thankful we'd done that when the water went off again at 8:15 this morning. We don't know when it will be back to normal, or if it ever will. Apparently there is a lot of damage to an already old and under maintained system. Seems it will be a while. Please pray for a resolution to the problems and water restoration for the whole city.

The man we'd been talking with about the new rental house came by Friday evening and we made a deal for the house. He has hired two people to clean and he'll be painting and getting the missing jealousy windows replaced early this week. He wants us to come by on Wednesday and see the progress. Our experience is nothing happens that quickly around here, so we'll be pleasantly surprised if it is ready to move into by then. Our rent is paid here through the 25th, so we can take our time moving. But keep our new landlord and his workers in prayer as they prepare the house for us.

Three months after our paperwork was submitted and two months since they were promised and we still don't have our visas. Please pray they will be issued before we need to leave for the states on vacation in late November. Otherwise it will be pretty much of a hassle to leave and come back.

Thanks so much for your prayers and support...you are always tremendous blessings to us.