Oh, Mexico

(Truck load o' pigs...love it!)

I think most of you know but I generally love Mexico. I love living here, being a part of this culture, learning the language, & living a life of ministry. But there are days...days where loving Mexico just isn't that easy. It's cultural differences & some days it's just hard to deal with. It gives a little insight into the "melting pot" of Los Angeles, where I come from, & just how many thousands of people feel that way everyday in my own home.

One of these moments was on our way back down to Guadalajara after our trip to Texas in August. Vacation was over & I was really ready to get back home. And one thing I realized on that trip was that "home" for me is Guadalajara. Our car was P-A-C-K-E-D beyond belief, including Norman (please read the previous post), our luggage carrier on top. Now, we already stand out in Mexico. First of all we have the ONLY Saturn in this entire country (okay, maybe not but it's rare that you'll see another one), we're as white as they come, & we have California license plates. Yep, we stand out.

Well, our trip back down to Guadalajara proved that! We were staying the night in Monterrey, Mexico, about 12 hours northeast of Guadalajara. It had already been a LONG driving day & we were looking forward to getting to our hotel. We crossed into the city, when all of a sudden those common red & blue lights were flashing behind us. What had we done? Absolutely nothing. I'll just leave it at that.

What happened next was an hour long dispute (in the rain) between me and the common policeman, all in Spanish, about how we had done nothing wrong & were not going to pay the $150.00 ticket for doing nothing. The best part of the conversation was when Matt said, "Are you just giving us a ticket because we have CA license plates?" Basically, we stood out even more with our luggage carrier & we got pulled over for it. But the policeman didn't know that we knew what we were doing & that we live here...and that I can be a fiery little white woman (I know, surprised, right?) We walked away without getting a ticket, praise the Lord!

The best part though was when we got pulled over AGAIN the very next morning on our way out of Monterrey. It was far less dramatic & only lasted about 3 minutes. All of this to say, if you're going to drive in Mexico, avoid standing out as much as possible.

This experience brought some unexpected culture shock but also made me homesick for the Guadalajara I love. And here we are now...back in the swing of things, busy with ministry, & enjoying life. And yep, I still love Mexico (though I could do without Monterrey)...