Stories

As I was riding in the "camion" this morning on my way to language school, I debated over which hilarious Guadalajara story I should write about in here. When it comes down to it though, I want to remember all of them. So....here they are.

Story Numero 1

Last week, Katie traveled with me to Guadalajara for just a short while. My favorite part about our time together was talking to locals, especially taxi cab drivers. They are incredibly encouraging when it comes to my Español. By the time you are done talking to them, they have probably told you how great your Spanish is at least four or five different times. I never fail to leave a taxi without a huge smile across my face. On this particular drive, Katie and I started talking to this driver who was incredibly friendly. In the middle of telling the guy where we were from, the driver interupts us by asking,

" ¿Les gusta cervezas chicas?"

Katie and I laughed at the stereotypical mexican question and told him sometimes. Continuing to press into the topic, he asked,

" ¿Cuantos cervezas han tomando en este viaje?" ( How many beers have you drank on this trip)

None, we replied.

I am pretty sure our response caught him off guard. Because in that moment, the driver pulled out a cold brewsky from the front seatof the car and told us that we should start right now.

"¡Tomelo!", he said.

Take it, I thought? Katie and I started laughing at the guy's crazy request...is this normal?

I simply replied, " Senor, muy amable, pero no gracias"

Let's pray that guy threw out that beer, instead of drinking it with his clients. Eeeek.

Story Numero 2

Last night, my host mom, Margarita told me that we were going to a small get together at her brother's house for her niece's birthday. It was way past 8 and I was only wearing a pair of workout pants I have been using as pajamas. I told her I wanted to change before hand but she insisted that what I was wearing would be just fine for this event.

I quickly found out that the word small doesn't exist when it comes to Mexican families. When we arrived, definitely still in my pajama pants, there were at least 40 people getting ready to sit down for dinner. Cousins, wives, husbands, brothers, sisters, grandparents...you name it....they were there. I'm not sure if you can picture the hilarity of this situation....a six foot tall gringa walking into a house (with her PJs on) filled with a GIGANTIC Mexican family. The majority of the family were wearing nice dress pants, high heels, blouses, and dresses. I tried as hard as I could to " blend" in but I am pretty sure they won't forget me anytime soon.

Story Numero 3

My host dad is an 87 year old Mexican with a hearing problem. He´s very nice but as I found out last night, he lacks patience...especially while driving. On our way to and from the fiesta, this man argued with Margarita ( my host mom) about how terrible driving was in Guadalajara. The thing is, this poor man doesn't realize was just how much he is contribuitng to this problem himself. Driving in and out of lanes of traffic, I can't even count the number of times we were honked at. At one point, I was knocked across the backseat of the car when he made a sudden stop at a red light he clearly didn't see. He kept telling me that the car needed some mechanical help but in all reality, this poor man needs to hand over his driver's licence.

Story Numero 4

Out of all the things I love about Mexicans...the one thing that stands out the most to me is the value they place on family. It is by far the most valuable thing to them. They live together, eat together, travel together, and go to church together. They don't let their jobs, busyness, computers, or parts of life get in the way with family time. The couple I am staying with right now has been married for 56 years....did you hear that...56 years! The sense of commitment Mexicans have to one another is honorable. With the divorce rate skyrocketing well over 60 percent in the US, where have Americans gone wrong? Divorce is so uncommon in Mexico that I haven't met a couple who is divorced yet.

My time in Guadalajara has been short, but I have to tell you how much I have enjoyed the simplicity of life here. I wake up, Margarita has breakfast prepared for the whole family, I go to school, learn a little spanish, head back on the camion to their house, have lunch with the whole family, read, rest, chat, eat dinner, and go to bed. It's simple. They value spending time with one another. If I take anything away with me during my time in Mexico, it's this. Rest is importnat, family is important.

Life here is beautiful.