"how to live, not how to cry..."

Tortillas
For all you people out there interested in making tortillas...Don't use a wooden rolling pin. Thin PVC pipe is the way to go. I was helping make tortillas a few weeks ago (using the wooden rolling pin) and mine weren't turning out. I tried the PVC pipe the other lady was using, and WHAM they were beautiful.

I've found that when I mix my thinking in Spanish/English I don't remember the details of what someone said to me. I remember the general idea, but not the quote, which isn't good when you're trying to remember EXACTLY what the person said.

A couple weeks ago it RAINED!!! Only for like 5 minutes, but I stood outside the whole time. I love the way rain smells. and how it was sunshiny while it rained.

She NEEDS help to travel
Well, I'm back "home" for a while. My trip was good. They dropped me off at the airport WITH their son, which was fabulous, b/c he helped me with my suitcases, and was patient while I redistributed stuff to be under the weight limits (I know, I should have done that BEFORE I got to the airport) and then he escorted me to the security line before joining his parents for the car ride back to Mexico. But the funny thing is after two flights and arriving at my destination, the same guys that were in line behind me at San Diego, got to observe my parents holding all my carry on luggage for me while I grabbed my bags off the belt. Maybe they thought I was a special needs passenger or something? hm. :)

Newspapers and Radiation Therapy
We had a great conversation in the car on the way to Cali. David, the helpful one, noticed that his dad hasn't grown back the hair where he got radiation treatment (for cancer). His suggestion, he's 17 and very opinionated, is that girls should go to the doctors and get radiation on their legs so they don't have to shave anymore!!!!! The other thing he shared with me is that girls MY AGE, don't read the newspaper. And that it's weird that I like to read the news. and that YOUNG women shouldn't waste their time reading the news. I couldn't redeem myself. Every woman that I saw with a newspaper that morning had gray hair. He cracks me up. Lydia, age 8, entertained me too, by asking tough questions, and seeing if I could answer them. All those years on the quiz team and watching Jeopardy really paid off!! haha.

Culturally CLUELESS
On the plane ride I met a Persian lady who spoke Farsi who had immigrated to the states. I learned how ignorant culturally I was in just a few sentences. Apparently, not ALL the middle eastern countries have the same culture.
Me- "So have you enjoyed the fact that so many books are being published about the middle east, Kite Runner, Third Cup of Tea, Thousand Splendid Suns? Have you read them and enjoyed the memories?"
Her-"Well, I read them, to learn about their culture."
Me-"You mean, their culture isn't your culture."
Her-"No, no, we're very different. Iran has a better economy than..."
Me- "oh, so you guys are like the United Arab Emirates?"
Her- "No, I'm not an Arab, Iranians are Persians."


Upon arriving at home, I noticed a sweet pair of pants in my closet, that were not mine, and couldn't have been my sister's. Apparently my brother had bought them for a costume (pink and brown plaid, straight wide leg cut) and I wore them the first two days I was back. Thank you for the pants Matt!

Cockroaches or Spiders? hm
My dad insisted that I open my suitcases outside after what had happened with the stow away cockroach when I came home from Costa Rica. But I assured him that we don't have cockroaches where I live. I wonder if I should have taken his advice. I've noticed a lot more spiders than usual in our house, and one thing we DO have in Mexico are spiders ;)

I had a rough week right before I came home. 4 of our kids decided to "run away" (as best you can in 80 degree weather, without bringing water bottles, or extra food, or extra clothes) 3 of them are still with us. They had meetings and one of the girls (the instigator) chose to go back and live with her family. I almost feel like we've missed the chance to redeem her little soul. But I'm sure whatever good we did will impact her someday. But in the couple days before I left, our house was so much more peaceful. Another thing that happened was a water pipe above my room decided to break, leaving me to wet vac at least 10 gallons of water out of my carpet. Somehow all the water in Mexico found ME while I was playing soccer with long legged adolescents (the girls wouldn't play, so we got some guys to play with us. tall guys. young tall guys. BAD IDEA.)

Patient Pomegranate
The pomegranates here are 3 times the size of the pomegranates in our store. They are also 7 times the price. gah! Last week, I decided to take some pomegranate seeds with Payal and I on our little road trip to the Bachelorette party, and I forgot to close the bag. We sat them between us to share. She turned at a corner and there was a sliding/dumping sound. I said, "what was that?" and she said "my phone probably" but it was the pomegranate seeds ALL OVER THE FLOOR of her car. We cleaned that out, but the next day, she found 3 more. She'll probably keep finding them until she gets a new car.

The first week I was home I....

...went on a motorcycle ride with my father. and I had this little epiphany moment about all the things that make my home, my home...I live in the land where there is too much water (unlike Mexico) where we have gates on the roads for when the rivers flood, where John Deer tractors are everywhere, it rains, there are multiple roads to get to one destination, the roads are CURVEY...(I should have written the rest down. I don't remember them)

...sat outside in the hot sun and crunched rotten walnuts under my feet until they were black.

...read both Sex God by Bell and Grace (Eventually) by Lamottt (LIBRARY!!!)

...studied Spanish Medical terminology

...got a TB test (I'm clean), and a BCI check (what? no arrest record? crazy!!)

...played my Mom and Dad in scrabble. I think Mom won. She doesn't like the acceptable 2 letter list. She thinks it's cheating.

...watched my Dad cut a pineapple THEN RINSE THE INSIDE part off with water. But cleanliness is very important to him.

...helped with Doan and Kyle's wedding. part of the benefit was being at Doans house early friday morning and eating her mom's cooking for breakfast. I liked putting linens on tables and things, but I really like the way her mom interacts with you. She hits you! tells you what to do! and then she thanks you for it! hugs you! and feeds you! Their wedding was BEAUTIFUL. I should have gone to the Vietnamese ceremony earlier in the morning, I don't know why I didn't go. We had a TEN COURSE meal at the reception after the American style ceremony. Sea Bass, Lobster, Beef, it went on and on! We also had this milky fruit drink with bits of gelatin dropped in it, cut like jagged french fries. There was a fruit plate with fruit I had never seen before, like Longan Berries and maybe Persimmon? But it was good and we ate it! When was the last time you sat and ate dinner for 4.5 hours? yeah. that's what I thought. Maybe it was good we didn't dance a lot afterwards.

...ate sushi twice (soon to be three times!!)

...watched a Wilco, Billy Bragg special about Woody Gutherie with my dad that I got from the LIBRARY.

...listened to Mahila Jackson sing Christmas songs, and Jack Johnson (LIBRARY!)

...went to the Mexican restaurant where I used to work and chatted with a co-worker.

...saw friends who had moved to Florida (Paul and Barb)

...went new clothes shopping for the first time in a year!!!!

...held TWO babies. One named Amelia, the other Isabella.
(My shoulder/arm/cheek are in the photo)


...talked about things I didn't know at the Art Institute, and embarrassed myself. (That's a Renior! -No, No it isn't.) Saw a statue that used to be tarnished that they have since cleaned up! (Oh, the horror! It was prettier tarnished)

While I could probably have seen more people so far, it's been nice to do it gradually. Last time I came home, I was worn out from all the visiting. I've surprisingly gotten to go do a lot of things that were in my routine before. Visiting those places make it feel like home. The little cafe you used to meet your friend in once a week, driving the route you used to take to work, seeing the back roads that helped you meander to your destination so many times.

I am changed, in some ways. I went to the mall the other night, and I didn't even WANT to window shop. It was too overwhelming. I bought what I needed and I left. I used to love to walk through all the stores.

I've also noticed that the more space you have the more things you have. In Mexico, I almost always had all my things in my room. Here I've got two pairs of shoes by the TV. Another 3 pairs in the front room. Tons of stuff on the kitchen table....I'm spreading out all over!


"Thought I was learning how to take
How to bend not how to break
How to live not how to cry, but really
I've been learning how to die"

Loving Jon Foreman's Winter EP. LOVE IT.

(I think I'm forgetting how to cook while I'm home, or maybe I'm just to lazy.)

if only I had a cute way of signing off...

P.S. I missed the snow here. When I arrived it was like 75 degrees. It is cold now. So the first few days I made sure to lay out and keep my tan. I got quite a few comments on how tan I was. Unfortunately, it's gonna fade soon! But it was well worth the energy to get darker before I left Mexico.