Day 7 in Mexico (plus a few days prior)

Today was the first workday here in Tlapa. Prior to today, Esther and Mark have been on a pseudo-vacation. It is not that they haven’t been doing work, they have just been out of their normal routine, and for the past few days we have been doing touristy type stuff. Let me catch you up briefly on the last few days.

On Friday we spent the entire day on the road from Mitla to Tlapa. We arrived in Tlapa at around 10:30. The actual drive time was only about 8 hours, but we spent some time in Mitla running last minute errands and picking up the two other translators, Carol and Lynn, who were riding back to Tlapa with us, so we didn’t actually hit the road until about 12:30. Then figure in stops for lunch, gas, and stretching. 

We stopped for lunch but not for dinner. I mention this because the reason for it is an interesting cultural difference between Mexico and the US. The eating schedule here is off by about 3-4 hours from that of the typical American. Since I arrived, I haven’t eaten lunch before 3 o’clock in the afternoon, and we normally have dinner at around 8:00 PM. I think that once I get used to it I will actually like this schedule better; in the interim I am using apples to get me through to meal times. 

Saturday was relatively uneventful. Mark, Esther, and I had all been burning the candle at both ends for the last several days, so after a good 3-mile run in the morning, we spent the rest of the day unpacking and napping. That evening Mark and I decided to run in a “5K” race. I put 5K in parentheses because, though the ad in the paper said “certified 5K,” Mark and I measured it with Google Earth and by driving the route and found it was actually approx. 9K (5.4 miles). 

Mark, Mauri, and I before the race.

I woke up the morning of the race with what some have called “Montezuma’s revenge.” It is a common ailment caused by exposure to bacteria in the water in Mexico. I will say no more, except that it left me very dehydrated for the race and more than a little sick to my stomach. Still, I couldn’t not run, so I put on a brave face and accompanied Mark and his pastor friend Mauri to the starting line. 

During the race.

I got 7th place! Don’t let that fool you; I really didn’t have that great of the time. Mark and Mauri both finished before me. They are both seasoned runners (they have both run marathons).

After the race.

I was pretty sick by the end of the race, and after a brief shower and breakfast the Weathers and I headed quite tardily for the Me’phaa mission’s church service. We didn’t feel all that bad since Mauri is the pastor and he was also a little bit late. I must admit that I didn’t get much out of the service. I hadn’t expected that I would, because I assumed the service would be in Me’phaa. It turned out that it was conducted in Spanish. Nevertheless, Montezuma wouldn’t allow me to focus much at all. Luckily I was feeling enough better by the end of the service to enjoy an extended visiting time with the congregation. We even ended up giving two families a ride back into town. Unfortunately I forgot my camera, so I have not pictures from church. Next week!

That afternoon we took naps. Another part of the culture here is what is know as “ciesta time.” From about 2-4 in the afternoon, many businesses will close. During this time, the main meal of the day is eaten, and it is often accompanied by a nap. This is one aspect of Mexican culture I could definitely get used to!

In the evening, we pulled out Esther’s omnichord, an electronic musical instrument that is really quite hard to describe. It can simulate many different instrument after a fashion, and it can also function as a small midi keyboard. It has a very unique sound and is easy to play because it automatically forms chords and the keys for the chords are arranged in the circle of fifths. 

The omnichord. This is one funky instrument

We also watched a DVD of a music writing workshop put on by another Wycliffe couple working with a language group farther north. Then we discussed the need for original worship music in Me’phaa and how I might be involved in the process. It is actually much more doable than I anticipated.

Now we come back to today – finally. The translation team came in from surrounding villages in las montañas. I met Elías, Plácido, Benito, and Emy (Benito’s wife). They spent the day working on translations, and I spent the day learning Spanish (see previous post), reading articles on missions, and helping Mark with various computer related needs. 

Some of the translators at work.

Elías eating breakfast with us.

Benito. I will probably go and visit his village in a week or so.

Tomorrow I have a few more projects outlined that involve finding appropriate backup software and installing it on the computers. I think I have found an inexpensive top-of-the-line backup program that will really help simplify some things for Mark and the team. We’ll see.

Hasta mañana or someday soon thereafter.