Yo estoy quejandome demasiado este mes.

Back from another weekend in Ixtlan. Not only did I get leftover Thanksgiving on Saturday, but I even got to help clean up all the Thanksgiving dishes that had been put on hold while holding the leftovers. Jan said helping with the Thanksgiving dishes made it official....I had Thanksgiving on Saturday! To top it off I got leftover leftovers to bring back to GDL with me. I am soooo not picky if it means I don't have to make it!

I didn't really get any good pictures from the Thanksgiving meal I attended last Thursday but here's a few:
We were all set up and ready to start at this point. The tables laden with food are to the right. Three tables and the ledge of the stairs just to hold all the food.


These three ladies were the hostesses. L to R: Me, Iveth, Jennifer, Celina
(Celina's husband was also visiting GDL and helped with the hosting)


As I was driving to Ixtlan on Saturday I realized that, being as it was after Thanksgiving, I could start listening to Christmas music. And then I further realized that I hadn't actually done that yet. Time just gets away from you sometimes. I guess I just got tired of running after it for once, and all of a sudden...BAM! I mean it's almost December already!! I remember when I was flipping forward in my calendar to finally put down my scheduled date to take the Step and thinking it was a long time till the countdown ended. Now I'm way past that point and contemplating when to schedule the next! A good thing about time going by fast though...it most certainly keeps things changing and interesting. No time to stop and get bored!

Hasta!

Yo estoy agradecida!

Hello Everyone! HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!

What a wonderful day it is. Us Americans are all excited about the holiday; it seems our hectic world has stopped for the day as the rest of Mexico carries on their normal Thursday activities as if nothing has changed. Honestly the situation kind of comes in handy; all the stores and businesses are open so last minutes trips or errands can easily be completed.

I have a special thanks to give my Lord this year. This semester has demanded a complete change in my social life as all of my close friends from the past two years are not in GDL anymore or at least for the holiday. And yet I am going to spend the holiday with a house full of friends. Jesus is my closest friend and as such he knows when I’d struggle most with loneliness and takes care of me.

I haven’t struggled with missing Thanksgiving the past two years as much as I have this year. That’s due to the fact that for the past two years at this point I’d already bought a ticket home normally within the next week. So missing Thanksgiving wasn’t as strong because I just reminded myself that I’d be able to see everyone soon. This year every other semester finishes this Friday. They’ve got their tickets and will soon be home to enjoy the holiday season. But it’s still unknown for me.

I have got so much to be thankful for nonetheless:
- If I’m able to be home in 3 weeks, 5 weeks, or 5 months I know that I’ll still be able to get up each morning with a smile on my face because I have the promise of life eternal in paradise which trumps all depressing thoughts I could possibly think of.
- Walking with Jesus has given me a passion for life and for joy that I desire to share with those around me, and this is due to the fact that when troubles hit I still know that Jesus is here with me. I am thankful that I don’t have to face this life with all its unknowns and heartaches alone.
- I am thankful for…..

Should I keep going with this list it would make the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s longest blog post.

In short, I am blessed beyond words. Blessings overflowing; let me share them with you.

Hasta!

HOME

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbSOLBMUvIE&feature=related

"Home"
Michael Buble

Another summer day
Has come and gone away
In Paris and Rome
But I wanna go home
Mmmmmmmm

May be surrounded by
A million people I
Still feel all alone
I just wanna go home
Oh, I miss you, you know

And I’ve been keeping all the letters that I wrote to you
Each one a line or two
“I’m fine baby, how are you?”
Well I would send them but I know that it’s just not enough
My words were cold and flat
And you deserve more than that

Another aeroplane
Another sunny place
I’m lucky, I know
But I wanna go home
Mmmm, I’ve got to go home

Let me go home
I’m just too far from where you are
I wanna come home

And I feel just like I’m living someone else’s life
It’s like I just stepped outside
When everything was going right
And I know just why you could not
Come along with me
'Cause this was not your dream
But you always believed in me

Another winter day has come
And gone away
In even Paris and Rome
And I wanna go home
Let me go home

And I’m surrounded by
A million people I
Still feel all alone
Oh, let me go home
Oh, I miss you, you know

Let me go home
I’ve had my run
Baby, I’m done
I gotta go home
Let me go home
It will all be all right
I’ll be home tonight
I’m coming back home

Yo estoy orando para ti.

Amazing thing happened this Friday. We weren't assigned any write-ups. Honestly, I think it's more that the doctors are getting tired and wanting a break, but I'll take it. It cut my workload for this weekend down much, I'll actually have time to devote to simply studying! That feels good!

Jennifer and I completed our off-campus practicas last week, but this week our classmates (who were at the Psych hosptial) would report back to us that all the patients would ask about and talk about "Christy y Jennifer." It's always nice to be remembered!

By the way, I have to admit that I have never in my life more associated myself with my roots than I did last week at the psych hospital. They want to know where I'm from, do I speak German, etc, etc, etc...
And for the second time ever (both occurring here in GDL) someone came up to me and asked me if I was from Germany. Not even if I was from the United States, but they went straight to Germany. I guess when I'm 4 quarters German it's good that I appear like it. I've just never had a group of people so fascinated by the fact that I have German roots before. I guess I can add "the German girl" to my list of names that I'm called.

Also speaking of names, here in Mexico, Christy is a nickname for Christina, so when I introduce myself they automatically assume that my name is Christina. I just repeat that it's just Christy and there's no problem. But last week at the psych hospital that happened and when I repeated "it's just Christy" the guy responded with "oh, Christy...like a little girl." Oh brother. As much as I don't like Christina maybe I'll just let it go from now on.

Psychiatry is a lot of talking. The majority of the patients we see one on one, just need to talk. They've got a lot of unloading to do. When we are normally one on one with the interned patients we got about 2 hours with them. In Psychiatry there's a total possible 8 hours that we could spend with each patient. We never actually use all 8 hours, but it just shows how much of a different approach to medicine is required by Psychiatry.
However, because of all this talking and conversing going on I've hit a point where I have to say i need a Spanish break. I don't want to talk in Spanish, I don't want to listen in Spanish, read, write or think in Spanish. If I can push through this point and keep up the Spanish, I might actually find I've finally improved some. But right now, don't feel too much like pushing.

Hasta!

Yo estoy respirando. (3:45 PM)

Wow! La barranca was amazing! 3 1/2 miles down and then the inevitable 3 1/2 miles back up!

This is what we hiked:


This is who I hiked it with: L to R: Me, Jennifer, Iveth, Iona, Leti, Celina, Rick


This is proof that I did it:


I took a picture of the Welcome sign because I liked what it says underneath: (Thank you for giving your body the best medicine for preventing diseases, and that's not in a pharmacy.)

I also liked the back of the sign which says "Nunca te viste mejor" (You never looked better!) Funny as you're soaked with sweat by the time you make it back up to see that!
It's very daunting to me now, but la barranca is often used as training. We saw many running it as we made our way. Running la barranca is definitely something to work for.

Ok, now I do need to get to studying! Hopefully things will be calmer now (I've got both of my off-campus practicas done) and I'll be able to write more often.

Hasta

Yo estoy respirando. (8:00 AM)

There's no hospital today! I am so thankful for a chance to breathe again. The 20th is Mexico's 100 yr anniversary of the Mexican revolution....We're just celebrating it on the 15th instead.

This morning I'm taking off with a few friends and we are going to go hiking just North of the city. I really should be studying for the exam I have this week, but honestly I feel the short break and the increase flow of smog-free oxygen to the brain will do me more good than a few extra hours cramped up in my cold apartment studying.

Two weeks ago we started our Psychiatry rotation. Everyone from previous semesters had told us something along the lines of...It's the easiest rotation of 5th semester...Oh, Psych is no problem... It's a breeze. After day one we were in disbelief as to how Psych could have ever been considered easy. What we had unfortunately just discovered is that the Psych program is used to having between 60 - 80 students which they split up into two groups of 30-40. There are a mere 20 of us taking this Psych rotation, split into two groups of 10. However the curriculum was not adjusted accordingly meaning we each individually have been blessed with double to triple the normal work load. Another reason why I can justify hiking this morning...I've done nothing but Psych research for the past two weeks!

The psych rotation also includes two off campus psych practicas (sorry, couldn't think of an English word at the moment). Normally the students are in a group of about 20 and even then we'd heard stories to make us nervous. Due to our class size it was just me and another girl doing these extra rotations together. We didn't know what to expect and were a bit apprehensive about being locked in a room with a bunch of crazy guys. A little example of what I was nervous about...On our first day at the Psych hospital we were being given a tour, upon entering one of the courtyards we heard "guera! guera! guera!" and a few of the residents running at us from across the courtyard. Oh dear! but in the end, our whole rotation was really amazing! I can't really share my crazy stories via blog because the vast majority of them involve actions and must be seen to understand. Crazy people are fascinating.

I must go hiking now... To Be Continued.

Yo estoy segura.

It's been a week because I haven't had time to blog, and so now stories have been piling up one on top of the other that I fear those now at the bottom of the pile will never be told and soon long forgotten. How sad.

I'm blogging today, however not because I have time but because what happened today it too big to ignore.

I've never related any stories about the growing drugs wars in Mexico simply because to never talk about them helps me to not really consider them as a problem myself. But, reality is....they are becoming a bigger problem.

Shortened version of today's events concerning shootings at Hospital Dr. Angel Leano.
- last night a shot and wounded Narco was taken to HAL for care.
- Today offending enemies returned to finish the deed and HAL was caught in the crossfire.
- HAL was completely shut down and entrances to and from the hospital closed denying entrance and exit.
- Mexican army arrived to sweep the area

There's a lot more details that I heard throughout the day but as most stories amongst innocent bystanders are...just rumors, so I won't relate them.
When we finally were able to leave my friend said that seeing all the soldiers as we left was what finally made the experience real for her. For me it was hearing the ballade of bullets. My California classmates brag that they're used to drive-by shootings, but being from the middle of a corn-field myself I guess you could say I've had somewhat of a different upbringing. It was really interesting to experience this in the age of communication that we are living in now. People were updating their facebook statuses the second stuff started happening. News bulletins were being broadcast with updates that friends not at HAL would watch and call us letting us know what the News knew. At first when people started texting and calling asking if we were all right, we were all like "How on earth do they know?" Some of my classmates had fun answering those questions....which I'm sure didn't help a slur of rumors from being started, if you know what I mean.

Anyways, I've still got much to do tonight, and I'm tired already, but I thought that since there is a very very slight chance this might make some US news stations tomorrow I should at least mention it.

I'll end with a question:
Who's stupider? the Narcos? or those that make the existence of the Narcos possible?

Hasta!

yes, Dad I just caught myself...I ment "more stupid"

Yo estoy lloriqueando.

Due to the current string of holidays that Mexico is having (Oct 31 = Halloween; Nov 1 = All Saint's Day; Nov 2 = Day of the Dead) I thought I'd start with a few scary stories:

It has recently come to my attention that HAL (the school hospital) is haunted. Apparently on repeated occasions when nurses stop in to deliver meds to admitted patients the patients confess that they were just given their meds, and when asked by whom they describe the interfering culprit as a nun!

The main cemetery here in Guadalajara has dead people....but not just any dead people; these dead people walk around. The outside walls of the pantheon are covered with pictures of the deceased that have been seen walking around after the time of their death. Every Thursday night for the month of October and November tickets are sold for midnight walk-throughs of the pantheon. No need to decorate or add to the scariness there; the idea of "what if" is enough to sufficiently scare and thus justifying the selling of tickets.

Ok no more ghost stories:
When I got back from Ixtlan yesterday trick-or-treaters were out and about. They'd walk down my street yelling "Queremos Halloween" (We want Halloween). My neighbor underneath me would have them say "Trick-or-treat" before actually treating them.

Last story for the night:
I almost died Saturday! No just joking! Replaying it in my head I've decided I wouldn't of died, but my car would have been completely totaled! I had just started on my way to Ixtlan Saturday morning and in the process of making my way around a round-about when right in front of me a car sped into the round-about without slowing to enter or yield to cars. It was going so fast that you could see the heads in the car ping-pong back and forth violently as the car squidded into a 90 degree turn at the inside lane of the round-about. I was so distracted by the idea of the car slamming into my car that I kind of forgot where I was for a bit, and had to end up making a right turn from the left lane. I'm sure most people back home will shake their heads and say 'crazy Mexican driving' upon hearing this story, but the saddest thing to me about this story is that is not what came to my mind. Yes, Mexican driving is crazy, but the fact is that there is an underlying unspoken rhythym to it. Once you pick up its beat it flows rather smoothly. Seeing the car I was immediately reminded more of something that would be seen in the USA, where people drive to their own rhythym unconscious of the rhythyms around them. And even worse and more specifically, it reminded me of high school age boys from corn-field MidWest when in persuit of "coolness" the line between thrill/tough-guy and utter stupidity gets blurred to the point of disappearance and the two permantly combine. So moral of the story, have patience, because stupidity will always exist, and that extra two seconds you are detained behind some slow grandma could potentially save your life....or your car....or both.

Hasta!