For this blog, I decided that I wanted to answer your questions. I didn't get as many questions as I was thnking I might, but the ones I receieved were very good questions. I hope you enjoy these answers. If you didn't get a chance to ask me a question, feel free to write one in the comments.
Questions and Answers
What things are you learning about Mexican culture that you appreciate and may choose to continue throughout your life?
This is a really good question. I love being able to focus on the things I like about Mexican culture. I think the main thing I will want to keep is how hospitable people are here. My host mom is probably the most gracious and hospitable person I have ever met. She welcomed me in as a member of the family from the instant I arrived. I can’t imagine what my life would have been like here without her.
I had heard the phrase “mi casa es su casa” before I had ever even considered coming to Mexico, but I never realized how accurate it is for this culture. I spent three nights with a friend, and on the last night we stayed with her former host family. The mom gave me a tour of the house and basically told me that it was my house now, and I was welcome anytime. This happened to me again just a few days ago. I had a movie night with a different friend, and her host mom told me that this house was mine now too.
I think this welcoming aspect of the culture is very Christ like. As much as I like my own space occasionally I really want to be the type of person that people can go to when they need a place to stay. I want people to feel welcome in my presence.
How have you experienced God while being in a new country with no one you knew before you went?
I have learned to trust Him. Life was really difficult when I first moved here. I didn’t really know people. I couldn’t communicate with people. For the first month that I was in Mexico, I was the only person in my mission team that wasn’t a leader. I was trying to figure out how to teach, how to communicate with my students and their very different personalities, and I was trying to learn the language too.
For a while, it felt like my only friends were my students. That is a very difficult place to be in. Friendship is not quite the same when one person has authority over the other. Of course with my students being my only friends for the first month, it felt like I was losing friends every time I had to reprimand them in class. It was a very interesting balance. I’m glad for it though, because I have learned so much about trusting God. I had to rely on Him much more than I did in the States, because it felt like I didn’t have anyone else to really rely on; people were busy, or too young, or I couldn’t actually speak their language. But God is never too busy. He’s infinite, and He invented languages. I could and can always go to Him.
In what ways do you feel God had already begun to prepare you for what you are doing?
I’ve thought a lot about this question. Looking back, I think God has really been preparing me for missions my entire life. I remember being very young and wanting nothing more than to go to Thailand, because we had a missionary from there visit our church. When I wanted to be a doctor, I wanted to do medical missions. During my sophomore year of college when I changed my major, God convinced me He wanted me to counsel missionaries.
I knew that in order to counsel missionaries I would have to leave the country. I would need to learn firsthand about culture shock and adjustment. In order to properly counsel missionaries, I would have to understand their struggles. But I didn’t want to leave the country in order to learn this. I had a really good friend group, and I felt like I belonged. I didn’t want to lose that.
Eventually, I ended up having a falling out with one of those friends. At the time, it seemed like the worst thing in the world. However, looking back on it now, I realize that God had a hand in that happening. I needed to cut some of my ties at college in order for me to want to study abroad. I needed to study abroad in order to feel comfortable making a two year commitment as a missionary. I wish I hadn’t lost a friend in the process of God getting me where he needed me, but I can’t fault how it worked out. I never would have done this if we were still friends; I was too attached.
How much do you miss your family? ( I edited this question a bit, but I think my dad will still accept it.)
To infinity and beyond. That’s my answer. I miss them every day. Leaving my family behind was and is the hardest part of being here.
How are your students like American students?
Haha. My students are very easily distracted. They also like asking about my personal life in class in the hopes that I will get distracted and not teach as much. All things considered, I would say that they are pretty similar to American students, however this is hard to quantify for me, because I have never taught American students.
What do they (the students) think about Americans?
Overall, I believe they think well of Americans. I haven’t had any of them say they hate the States. I have had a few say they don’t like Trump. Beyond Trump, I believe they like Americans just as much as they like people from any other country.
Our (American) culture seems to dwell on providing stuff and opportunities for our children. Is the culture in Mexico as materialistic and youth oriented as it is in the States?
This is another question that is hard to quantify for me. When I moved here, I was just leaving the part of my life where I was a youth. So I don’t think I even have an accurate picture of how youth oriented the States is. I’ve never really been in the States as an adult to view how the youth is treated, which is really weird when I think about it.
I think Mexico is materialistic to a degree. Again, this is hard to quantify; some families seem to value material things more than others. I suppose that is the same in the States. Things vary from family to family, and I have not had a very broad spectrum of examples. I do think some families are willing to sacrifice things in order to give their children opportunities that they never had. I just don’t know how far that willingness goes.
Do you sense that the students have a deep desire to learn and to know about the world around them?
Yes, I do. My students are so curious. They want to know everything all the time. They just don’t want to know what’s in their textbooks. Some of them research politics or social justice causes. I have a group of girls who are all reading the same book series, and discussing it in their free time. I really do think my students want to learn. I just believe that they, like all children and teenagers, only want to learn what they want to learn when they want to learn it.