Mexico in a nutshell

Well, let's see...where do I begin?

Lots of yummy food. My first night there I was greeted with Chicken foot soup. I tasted the soup, not the foot. I had chili relleno, tomales, soup, flautas, jello, chicken, jello, quesadillas, jello, papaya, horchata, and a bunch of other stuff. I think I liked everything except for papaya. It is just vile! The jello thing made me laugh. It's everywhere, on every corner and in every restaurant.

Here's a lady tearing a chicken to shreds. Literally. Actually, she does clip the nails off the feet before they're taken home for soup. It was lovely to watch.

I stayed at three different homes while I was there. The first night the home had no running water. I loved it. My friend laughed and apologized for the conditions. It was great. If I wanted everything like my home I never would have left. We got water from a well by throwing a bucket tied to a rope down and then pulling it up again. The water was used for the toilet that had no seat, showers that actually were a hand full of water at a time, and doing laundry by hand in the sink. There were no sheets on the beds, the doors were locked by propping a stick up to them, no heat, and missing windows throughout the old ranch house. The family felt fortunate seeing how they had been living with another family in a one room house two months prior to our visit there.

We went downtown and saw the sights. We went to the Metropolitan Cathedral, the Museum of Anthropology, saw the U.S. embassy, the Navy Museum, saw the lighting of the World's largest Christmas Tree, the pyramids buried by Cortez, the Angel of Independence and many other neat places. There is a lot of Spanish influence in the architecture since the Spaniards tried to take over at one time. Here is the building where the president of Mexico yells out on their independence day, "Viva Mexico".

Here is the main post office. It's beautiful inside.

Here is the House of Tiles. It's a restaurant that used to serve only very rich or prestigious people.

The Mexico City temple. Inside there is a large mural of when the Savior visited the Americas. I was bawling at the thought of being in that temple with those people. It was very touching. The next morning we went back to the visitors center at the temple. We watched The Testaments. I was bawling again. (I bawled a lot down there)

While I was there they were celebrating the Virgin Guadalupe's birthday. For twelve days they have parties that move from one home to the next. We visited the Virgin Guadalupe on the hill. There were indigenous groups of people that had walked in from their surrounding communities to see the Virgin and to have their statues and pictures of her blessed. It was very interesting.

There were so many neat places, buildings, and walls for pictures. Here's one of them.

I had food poisoning for a couple of days after eating a quesadilla. I knew I would probably get sick from it since it had been made right before my eyes without anything having been refrigerated. After seeing the Virgin Guadalupe I dashed towards the restroom. I was greeted with a counter where I had to pay to use the restroom, I was handed four squares of toilet paper to use, and then found a toilet with out a seat. Not a welcome sight when you're sick and you go by thickness not by squares!

The city of Queretaro was beautiful and clean. We went to church there on Sunday. Somehow we had gotten the wrong time church started on the internet. We showed up with only twenty five minutes left in Sacrament Meeting. Afterwards, many of the members came and welcomed us. It was very neat. Then the Bishop came and introduced himself. After he heard how we had gotten the times mixed up, knowing our intentions of partaking of the Sacrament, he asked four young men to bless it again for us. We sat on the front row after the chapel cleared out and the four men blessed and then passed the Sacrament to us. It was very touching. It showed me that the Bishop had a real testimony of the Sacrament to do that for us. Needless to say, we were bawling again.

I loved these arches. There were seventy five in all.

We went to the Ballet Folklorico de Mexcio. It was awesome. We loved it.

We saw the pyramids of Teotiahuacan. They were amazing. We climbed the Pyramid of the Sun.

Here I am doing the "Rocky" thing after running to the top. How come nobody ever does it with me? I was the only one in Philadelphia too. Oh well, they're missing out.

As we were leaving the pyramids, we ran into the elders. That made my day. I was so excited to see them. I had secretly been looking for them the entire week I was there.

After the pyramids we went to La Grata which is a restaurant down in a huge cave.

Just before heading to the airport to return home, we went to the market. I stocked up on a real pinata made with a clay pot, Mexican candy, and gigantic marshmallows for the kids. No, those aren't rubber chickens. They're real.

I got a manicure there at the market for just under five dollars. It was a little beauty salon smaller than the size of my master bathroom with four ladies that worked there. My manicure was done over a cookie sheet covered with a towel, while soaking my fingers in a cereal bowl resting on the lady's lap. Had to get a picture. D doesn't appreciate it since he's never been to a salon.

I loved my trip. I enjoyed everything about it. I loved getting to know my friend better. Now, we are friends. Before that we were soccer moms that spoke once a week. I'm grateful for her. I'm grateful that she chose me to invite. It truly was a chance in a lifetime trip.

Before going, my friend had me nervous to the point that I didn't wear my rings, I didn't take my new purse, I didn't wear my jackets, or my boots, or heels, perfume, bracelets, necklaces, or anything else that makes me feel like me. I felt stripped that week trying to blend in rather than draw attention to myself. It got me thinking. Why do I wear all those things? Are those really T, or do I wear them to draw attention? I like to think that they're me. Anyone that knows me would say that they are, but I have to be careful, not prideful. Just a thought.

Knowing how hard I was trying to "blend in" and not wanting to offend the people, I didn't take as many pictures as I would have liked. Ones that I wish I could have taken...

1. A Christmas tree with red and yellow thongs tied together and used as garland. I'll never forget it.

2. The home where I stayed the first night.

3. My friend nibbling on the chicken feet.

4. The people

5. The markets

6. The beauty salon in action

7. All the little places to eat that served only one thing like the quesadillas.

8. Me standing on a bus with my head touching the ceiling while wearing my flat shoes.

9. Me in a pickup cab with three other adults. I sat on my side and there weren't ANY shocks. It was great!

10. The pig market store.

I'm home grateful and thankful. Have I said how much I love him? I came back feeling so blessed.