Mexico Travelogue - Day 15

Day 15 began at 4:30 a.m. when I rose to help the guys pack lunch for their chartered fishing trip in Ensenada. They left at 5:00, still a little groggy but in high spirits, in time to meet their buddy and head south for the appointed 7:00 launch.

I was fully awake at that point, so stayed up for a couple of hours to catch up on computer goings-on. Around 6:30 I climbed back between the sheets for a little luxury down-time. Cosmo desperately wanted to join the slumber party, and tried to “talk” his way to that end with dog-grunts and affectionate pawing.  But he remained obedient and on the floor (good dog, Cosmo).

A little before 9:00 I decided to officially begin the day - so dressed in leisurely fashion and slipped into homemaker mode to tackle some light housecleaning and cooking.  The house was quiet, a nice change of pace from an auditory point of view, and I enjoyed having productive focuses.  In the early afternoon I finished edging a strip next to the house newly planted with succulents by digging along the edge of the sod to straighten it, then placing smooth stones discovered in other literal “digging around” in the yard as a border.  I also replanted a pot by the laundry hut with some scraggly offshoots that will hopefully be more likely to thrive in their new location, and used white stones (also scrounged) beneath two larger plants on either side of the gate to the side yard.  The effect was pleasing, I thought, with a cleaned-up look.

 

Surprisingly, the guys returned earlier than expected, around 3:30.  Evidently 8 of the 10 passengers on the boat succumbed to violent seasickness, Fritz sr. included (his first time ever - he's faced high seas with significant swells in the past without issue).  Fishing was also slow, so they headed for shore a few hours before the scheduled time.  Fritz jr. also faced a shorter version of queasiness, but thankfully was able to land a couple of fish!  Alas, I have no pictures of this outing at this point...

In the evening we hosted “American dinner” at Fritz jr’s house.  The American staffers get together weekly on Tuesdays for a pitch-in meal as their schedules allow, and it was a real treat to visit with this group of truly special people who have willingly responded to the Lord’s unique call on their lives.  I loved the food, including a vast array of salads – so delicious – and the mutual encouragement. 

 

Mexico Travelogue - Day 14

Our first activity of the day took us back to the same trusty mechanic, this time to deliver a ranch-owned van – another opportunity for Fritz sr. to follow and drive the Jeep (trust me, driving in Mexico can be a new trick for old dog Americans). 

After dropping it off, we visited to the jobsite to see how the volunteers were doing. At times some of the orphan boys are involved in Project Mexico homebuilding work, and this was one of those days.  As soon as we arrived we ran into Moises (in the green shirt below), who cradled a darling show-and-tell in his arms: a tiny puppy, maybe a couple of weeks old.  Actually the entire litter was being well loved by various boys.

Wall-framing had almost been completed when we arrived.  Shortly after, the entire crew joined to repeat the Lord’s Prayer together in Spanish (Americans had a printed cheat sheet). Then the workers inhaled sandwiches of bread and Jiff peanut butter made available on a stack of lumber: lunch!

 

I greatly valued another opportunity to speak to the owner of the new house (with Fritz jr. translating).  She apologized for her husband’s absence - he would love to be helping as well, but had a job as a field worker for a landscape business (this explained plant cuttings in tubs awaiting placement around the new house). I asked how she was feeling about progress on the house, and she said she was “emotional, and very excited.” The same sense of connectedness swept over me as before, and I asked if there was some way I could stay in touch with her in the future.  We’re planning to talk more about that when we attend the house blessing on Wednesday.

Because of his history with construction, Fritz sr. enjoyed checking in with Zach, a full-time staffer at the orphanage who heads up these house-building efforts.  Zach is truly an expert when it comes to interviewing potential recipients of houses, doing all the pre-planning and material ordering, and being the foreman of volunteer crews.

Next we drove around the area to see other houses built by Project Mexico in the past.  This one was headed up by Fritz jr. and another staffer a couple of years ago, before Zach arrived. The owner (red shirt) had been super-involved and grateful, and later built on to the structure (left side) to double the size of the house. 

A pack of adorable kids led by one older girl stopped us to ask for a donation for a school project verified by info on a sheet of paper which seemed legitimate.  Fritz jr. offered a few coins, which made them quite happy, and they waved us good-bye with cute-as-a-button, cheery faces.

At my request, we stopped at a “panaderia” that bakes everything from scratch daily.  Amazing pastries were displayed on open-air baking sheets – I understood very well the time it took to shape these beauties! 

Then home for a quick lunch – grilled goat cheese and smoked tuna sandwiches on Trader Joe's gluten-free bread.

We picked up Chuy’s family at 2:30 and crammed in the Jeep, 5 adults and 3 kids, to head for the beach.  A street performer “did his thing” for us while we were stopped at a stoplight – Chuy explained (via translation of course) that these folks often have somehow lost their official governmental paperwork that proves their identity.  For this reason employers can’t hire them, so they make their living by doing gymnastic tricks on the street and gathering donations. 

Our destination was a large public beach on the Pacific adjacent to a steel wall dividing Mexico and the US.  On the US side of this divider, two hovering helicopters patrolled an expansive open area, just in case someone tried to illegally pass from Mexico to California. Chuy’s younger kids had a great time making sand castles and playing in the surf, even though the water was plenty cold!  Fritz jr.  asked four musicians roving the beach to serenade his dad in honor of his recent birthday, so they jovially played the Mexican version of “happy birthday” and sang to him for the low-low price of $5.

Fritz sr's follow-up appointment with the chiropractor was scheduled for 5:00, so Fritz jr. dropped us off there and then drove Chuy and his family home before returning to pick us up.  During Fritz's adjustment I had a fascinating conversation with his wife, Suzanna, who is an incredibly knowledgeable naturopath studying to become an MD.  Her vast understanding of wellness and disease, and her compassion and generosity, encouraged me greatly.  Although I'm not officially her patient, she treats each person who comes her way with customized care, and is planning to prepare a tincture for me to try in regard to my hearing issues.

For dinner we stopped for the Mexican version of fast food, all fish of course. I ordered a tostada topped with an amazing mix of seafood and garnished with clams in-the-shell swimming in some sort of dark brown sauce.  It was all scrumptious!  While eating, we were approached by a loud Mexican man - he was obviously very drunk, which I admit was a bit unsettling to me.  Fritz jr. handled the situation with grace and poise, and spent quite a bit of time talking with him.  It turned out he was the owner of the establishment, and when he learned Fritz jr. worked for an orphanage, he didn’t charge us for our dinners!!!  A “muy grande” (very big in Spanish) surprise!!

Mexico Travelogue - Day 13

Quite a large crowd gathered in the little chapel for Matins and Divine Liturgy as current home building volunteers joined usual residents of the ranch.  It was an intense Sunday morning.  Together, both services lasted almost 4 hours. 

Father Nick’s oldest son, who will graduate this spring from a private high school, translated the homily from Spanish into English phrase-by-phrase. My take-away was once again simple but profound, as Fr. Nick used a metaphor about fish.  When a fish is kept in a small bowl, it will remain small – but when it is transferred to a large tank or even the ocean, it will grow to full potential.  Similarly, when our faith in Christ is kept small, predictable, and comfortable, it may be quite real and genuine, and yet it doesn’t grow.  But when we’re willing to confront fears, and entertain doubts and questions (venture into the unknown and unpredictable), our faith expands with deeper meaning and greater impact. 

Toward the end of the service an outdoor processional celebrated an historic day in Orthodoxy.  Quite a moving experience to watch this reverent throng walk the grounds.

I napped in the afternoon, luxuriously so, and when I woke the guys were finishing up transplanting wild plants (including a sizeable tree!) in the yard.

They also demonstrated their new outdoor light, mounted on the side of the house.  It worked!

I wasn’t sure what we would have for dinner…so we joked about harvesting snails as they climbed the walls of the house (out in full force as evening approached) for some sort of escargot creation.  No worries, it didn’t happen.  J

 

Dinner ended up being leftovers, enjoyed on a bench in front of a fire as the sun faded over the ocean.