No English Allowed!

Well... not so much that it's forbidden but not nearly as common as I expected. Here is my temporary residence in Mexico for five mornings out of the week in my endeavor to learn a second language. I anticipated that English would rarely, if ever be spoken by our instructor but I was confident that I could tap my neighbor for help in class when needed (hey, it worked at NC State). I did however, neglect to consider that a large majority of this student population may not know English either. In my class of 14 students the countries of Brazil, Ireland, France, Germany, Congo, Taiwan, China, Korea, Japan and America are represented. It is said that complete immersion in a new language is the best way to learn it... we're certainly putting this theory to the test.

The Thinker

Here is Amy getting an early start to the school day. Since she and I are in different classes I was able to sneak into her room and catch a few of the students reviewing before the teacher arrived. (I'm sure glad that one of us is paying attention in class!)

Back on Campus

Does this scene take you back 10, 20 or (many) more years? It's a beautiful day in the mid-70s, you have a backpack slung across your shoulders, public transportation is your new best friend (since you don't own a car) and you're staring down the barrel of three hours of class. In the back of your mind you're wondering if your roommate is leaving out the milk, spilling crumbs on the couch or otherwise lowering the cleanliness level of your living conditions. A lot of the past few weeks have taken us back to the mid-90s as the Wilsons have again enrolled in an institution of higher education. This is a snapshot of a small portion of the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM) campus where we will be studying Spanish for the next 12 months. This shot was taken during the mid morning break when all of the visiting foreigners gather to converse in their native language and enjoy a coveted 20 minute break from Spanish. (BTW, when you are in class and have a three-year-old for a roommate the thought of what he may be doing to your apartment is continually on your mind...)

A Very Warm Welcome

This past Sunday my family and I returned to Horeb Baptist Church. I first visited this assembly back in March at the recommendation of our team leader. Horeb is fairly large for Mexico City (1000+) and not far from our apartment (providing the taxi driver doesn’t get lost). After the service we stood in line to meet the pastor and his wife, confident that our introduction would be brief because of the language difference. After the first three minutes of our conversation Pastor Gutierrez invited Amy, Caleb and I to lunch. Being the well-mannered southerners that our Mamas raised, the thought of declining a meal was never considered. The pastor loaded us into his van and drove and drove and kept driving…

Over an hour later we ended up on the very outskirts of the city high in the mountains. The pastor explained that a family in the church operated a traditional Mexican restaurant complete with a traditional, rural Mexican setting (often hard to find in the city). What followed was a wonderful afternoon with seven families from the church. Upon arriving we ate meals of handmade tortillas filled with roasted pork, cheese, onions and hot chilies. After this we ate seconds. (Most of us anyway… Caleb barely stopped playing ball long enough to swallow anything.)

After eating we sat around a fire and someone pulled out a guitar. As three people in attendance were celebrating birthdays, cakes were brought out later in the evening. After getting in enough Spanish practice for an entire week (and often being rescued by a few bi-lingual folks) Mr. & Mrs. Gutierrez returned us to our apartment around 9:30. At the end of the day we were all exhausted but content with both full stomachs and full hearts. Amy and I have long believed that fellowship between members of the body of Christ extends far beyond the borders of the United States. Nevertheless, when you have newly arrived in a foreign country the blessing of an initial meeting between brothers and sisters cannot be overstated.