Spring Break in Tijuana!
Well, I just got back from Tijuana a couple days ago, and I figure the best way to let everyone know about my trip is to go ahead and post excerpts from my journal while I was there. So the following are selected parts of the journal I kept during the trip so that you can get an idea of what my week in Mexico was like.
Day 1: Friday, March 14
We're on the plane headed to San Diego! We just had a two hour layover in Atlanta and now we're about to embark on this 4 and a half hour flight across the country. I'm finally getting a little nervous when I think about the fact that we'll be in Mexico later today and I have no idea what to expect! I'm just praying for an open mind and an open heart during this trip, so that I can let go of whatever is on my mind and live in the moment while I'm here, because it'll be over before we know it. The phrase that keeps coming back into my mind is "The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others." If I can keep this mind frame during the rest of the trip, I know I won't leave with any regrets.
Day 2: Saturday, March 15, Morning
It's our first full day here! Yesterday was one of the longest days of my life. We traveled all day long, and when we got here we were four hours behind in time, so we ended up going to be so early, yet it felt so late for us. When we arrived, we found out we weren't going to have beds to sleep in, just a tile floor. That was an interesting surprise. But it's been great so far. The people at the orphanage seem so nice. Both the staff members and the teens that live here are very grateful for us coming to help. There are also three other groups here volunteering. One group is from Liberty University (a school in Virginia), and the other two groups are from two different churches, one in Sidney, OH and one in Tennessee. It's kind of crazy at meal times, but it's fun having so many other people (both Mexican and American) to meet. The plan for the day is to travel to the other orphanage about 40 minutes from here in Rosarito, where the younger children stay. We're not sure what exactly we'll be doing there, but we think we will at least be doing some painting.
Day 2: Evening
We ended up painting the living room of the girls' dorm today. Rosarito is a beautiful place. The orphanage is located up in the mountains right on the ocean, and it was pretty sunny today, so it was a great view. After lunch, our driver, Jesse took us down to the tourist part of this area called "Puerto Nuevo" where we were able to go shopping at some of the little shops around. It was right on the ocean, too, so it was a gorgeous place to sight see. I took some great pictures. The younger children at the orphanage are adorable. We played games with them while we were taking breaks from painting, and I love how open they are to us right away. Once again, we were so tired when we got back to the orphanage so we're going to bed early again tonight because we're still not used to the time change. Oh yeah, and my Spanish has really started to come back to me, so it's fun to be able to communicate so well with the people who live here!
Day 3: Sunday, March 16, Evening
Today was considered our "fun day" because there wasn't any work today since it was Sunday, a day of rest. So, we started off the day by going to the store down the street to buy some things we needed. I bought cough drops (because I've developed this horrible cough for some reason), and a pool raft for three dollars to serve as an "air mattress" instead of sleeping straight on the floor. Then we stopped at this coffee shop where me and a few others tried some of their drinks. It was the cutest little place; it's called "D'Valore," and is basically like a Mexican version of Starbuck's. I loved it. Then we went to Mass at the Catholic Church down the street. It's Palm Sunday, so that was exciting to be able to celebrate such a big feast in another country. After lunch, we headed down to the beach right on the border of Mexico and California. It was really weird because they just had tall metal bars sticking in the sand in the beach to separate the two countries. It was so weird to look between the bars and see the United States. And although it was a little chilly all day, the Pacific Ocean was beautiful. After the beach, we headed the tourist part of Tijuana, called "Avenida Constiucion" where there are a ton of restaurants and shops to choose from. We did some shopping and saw the Cathedral downtown, and then headed back to the main orphanage in Tijuana to hang out and play with the kids there. It was definitely a fun day to get to know much more about the culture. And even though it's only Day 3, I'm starting to get sick of the beans and rice at EVERY meal. I love the food, don't get me wrong, I just need a little more variety!
Day 4: Monday, March 17, St. Patrick's Day!
Today was another day spent at the Rosarito orphanage. It was fun to go and see the kids again. This time we painted the bedrooms in the girls' dorm. After we were done with the entire dorm, the place looked so much better. We stayed until dinner again today, and then afterwards, we headed back to Tijuana with our driver, Jenna, who is also one of the staff members here. She took us through the Red Light District of Tijuana, which is basically the most dangerous part, where all the prostitution and drug deals occur. Although it was a quick drive through and we didn't get out of the car or anything (that would be too dangerous), I was able to get a good sense of the "bad" parts of the city, and it was really eye-opening to see how evident the prostitution was. After driving through the Red Light District, Jenna took us to the mall to get churros, a popular Mexican dessert. Unfortunately, they had just stopped making churros when we got there, but we got ice cream instead (the second best thing), so it was just as good. By the time we got back to the orphanage, it was pretty late but we played with the kids a little bit more and then went to bed. At least we're finally adjusting to the time change!
Day 5: Tuesday, March 18
Today we spent the first half of the day at Rosarito again. This time we painted the cafeteria and the staff house. We only stayed until right after lunch and then went back to Tijuana for the rest of the afternoon/evening so we could spend more time with the teens and with our group. We had some group reflection time between the 12 of us which was nice because we were able to all share our different thoughts and feelings we've had the past 4 and a half days. I really love our group and I think we get along really well. It's also funny to see how close we've gotten in just the past five days. We have been having groups meetings since January but it wasn't until we all got to Mexico that we started to really come together and feel connected. I cannot believe this trip is more than halfway over, it's gone SO fast! I feel like it was just yesterday we had gotten here and were settling in. But already this place feels like home and I'm falling in love with the people and the culture of Mexcio more and more each day...I know that I'm not going to want to leave!
Day 6: Wednesday, March 19
It's Mark's 23rd birthday! We bought him a cake with Spiderman on it so we could sing to him after dinner tonight. When we brought the cake out he seemed pretty surprised. Then, to add to the excitement, Antonio and Ashley (a staff member here), bought a Pinata for him! Boy, how the kids LOVED breaking that open and getting the candy from it. In addition to all the birthday excitement, it has by far been my favorite day in Tijuana. Today we visited the "Dump." Basically, it's a big mountain where a lot of trash has been dumped (sort of like a landfill), and people live and build their houses here. Beforehand, we went to the market to buy beans and rice and packaged up small bags to give to each person there. As we pulled up in the van, people came out of their houses to humbly and gracefully accept the gifts from us. It was a wonderful experience because I was able to see the beauty in all of the people who lived here. As we handed out the food and the toys to the children who lived there, they were so appreciative and happy that we were here. They weren't ashamed of where they lived, but instead they were grateful to be alive. They were living in a landfill with houses made out of trash, and yet were some of the nicest people I've ever met. I know for a fact that if I could possess the kind of humility and gratefulness they had, I would be a much happier person. It was such a humbling experience to see them here in their environments. After that, we met with an order of religious sisters called the Servants of the Eleventh Hour. They are in Tijuana near the La Mesa prison and Mother Antonia is the woman who started the order more than thirty years ago. She has been living in the prison in her own cell among the rest of the men for 31 years to this day. There is a book written about her called "The Prison Angel" which has sold thousands of copies in the U.S. To make a long story short, she is an American-born woman who was once married with seven children. She got divorced after her children grew up, and wanted to devote her life to service more than just as being part of the laity, but as a consecrated religious sister. At the time, divorced women were not allowed to enter religious orders, so she founded her own, the Servants of the Eleventh Hour in Tijuana, where she has since received blessings both from the Pope and the Church. We were lucky enough to get to sit down and talk with her today for over an hour. She is 81 years old, but acts much younger, because she has such a joyful personality and a free spirit that just wants to love others. She lives at the prison so that she can minister to them and show them that, although she condemns the crimes, she still loves the sinners. She says that they just need to be loved and that's what she's there for. Everything she said was just so wise, we all sat there in awe listening to her wise words.
Day 7: Thursday, March 20
I woke up today and couldn't believe it's already our last day. None of us are ready to leave, especially because we feel like we are finally getting really close to a lot of the people here. We have already planned on ways of coming back someday hopefully to visit. We finished up all the painting at Rosarito and said bye to the children there. Then we went out for one last meal together as a group to this wonderful little restaurant in the city. It was a lot of fun, but now I must go back and enjoy my last couple hours here tonight before we head to bed because we have to wake up at 6am tomorrow!
Day 8: Friday, March 21, on the plane from San Diego to Atlanta
Wow, what an amazing trip. Before coming here I was excited, but I was so unsure of what to expect. So much, in fact, that this trip easily exceeded by expectations since I had none before coming! Like I said before, Wednesday was definitely my favorite day in Tijuana, and I keep falling in love with Mexico more each day, but I'm so grateful for everything we were able to experience. I'm excited to head back to the States and back to UD, but I'm just itching for the opportunity to go on another breakout trip as soon as possible!
Mar 23, 2008 2:54 PM
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