December 7, 2005
Hi All,
Bet you didn’t expect another newsletter this quickly.
We had some fun news to pass on, and we also wanted to make sure
that you know that we can’t receive mail here. Therefore,
with Christmas just around the corner, we want to head off any
cards that might be coming our way. If you want to pass along
any greetings, please do it via email, as will we.
We had a nice surprise on Thanksgiving. Two of the other students
asked us and another woman, all of us are from the States, to
go out to dinner on Thanksgiving. One of the restaurants downtown
was having a special menu for Thanksgiving. Of course, we had
school that day, so we left at 7:00 p.m. (after Paula’s
“intercambio” session) and took the bus downtown.
We ate outdoors in a fancy restaurant called “Sanborns.”
It is actually in a department store (which sells no clothes,
just cosmetics, gifts, jewelry, books, and has a very nice, large
restaurant and bar). Sanborns is also the oldest department store
in Mexico—it’s a chain with stores in other large
cities, including Mexico City. The special meal started with soup,
melon balls, Waldorf salad, rolls, tortilla chips, salsa, a good-sized
plate of turkey, dressing, gravy, mashed potatoes, and a slice
of cranberry jelly. Then, to top it off, we had our choice of
ice cream or pumpkin pie, so, of course we had to try the pumpkin
pie. It was all good, but different from our usual fare on Thanksgiving.
The turkey was a little tough but plentiful and lots of gravy.
The pumpkin pie was not very sweet and didn’t have quite
the rich flavor we are used to.
Today we had another surprise: Our host family asked if we would
like to go to Tepoztlan. It is a very old town not far from here.
It is well known for a pyramid that is way up on the mountain.
We didn’t have time to walk up to it, and it is a little
early for John to try it. Maybe next spring we can make the climb.
But the town was interesting, many small shops, many tourists,
a very old cathedral (16th or 17th century), and in company with
our new family. We ate in a very nice restaurant, off the beaten
path. Had our first glass of tequila. It is served in a small
glass with a half of lime and salt. You put the salt on the lime,
suck it then drink down the tequila. I wasn’t sure if I
would choke, but I didn’t. It was very smooth—didn’t
really seem too strong, until later, when you really felt warm
and relaxed.
Well, we just finished our third week of school. It is really
quite demanding. We spend a lot of time on homework. The intercambio
is from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. That is a
time when students of Spanish and English get together to converse.
The first half hour is in Spanish and the second in English. I
(Paula) have been the only one there from the Spanish classes.
It is a small class, just me and one or two Mexicans who are taking
English. I struggle with my words and am very happy when the first
half-hour is up.
Monday evening we went to an orphanage about half a mile from
the school. That is another opportunity for us to speak Spanish.
There are about 30 boys and girls ages 8 to 16 in the orphanage—children
who have been removed from their homes by the court system due
to abuse, problems, and disabilities. Our school has taken a special
interest in the kids with instructors visiting every Monday from
4:30 to 5:30 p.m., whether or not any students sign up to go.
We met the students, had an overview about the school, and plan
to return every Monday.
Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We are looking forward
to the Advent season and to Christmas here in Cuernavaca.
John and Paula Ewers
The 2006 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p.
48 |
