Pictures from Mexico

Ken showing off his chapalines. Chapalines are grasshoppers, apparently they're a Oaxacan delicacy. Many of the Mexican students we talked to said even they havent eaten them. They tasted like really dry, spiced popcorn. i didnt particularly like them, but i'm glad i can brag about having had them!

Here's our team at the pyramids in Teotihuacan. Sorry it's tipped, but i had to rest my camera on a rock.

We went to an orphanage with Kat (my northeastern STINT pal) bringing backpacks -or "booksacs" if you live in NOLA- for all the kids so that they could have new backpacks like all the other students in school.

i'm a big fan of coke and Ken was constantly looking for a glass bottle of Pepsi so i thought i'd follow suit. Isnt this a great picture? Danielle took it and it turned out great.
i was told that coke tastes different in Mexico because they use a different recipe. Now i'm no coke aficionado, but i agree. A little different.

You know what else is different in Mexico? Cheetos! And man they are amazing! i like them way better than US Cheetos. They have a chili pepper flavor in them.

hello from mexico!

Hey everyone!

i'm writing to you from Mexico City but here everyone refers to it as el D.F., the Federal District. My trip here has been a blast and i'm sad that my week is pretty much up. Today is our last full day in el D.F.

So far i've traveled all around the city by nearly every major form of transportation: bus, taxi, metro, and above ground trains. i've seen the zocalo (which is the center of the city), the pyramids at Teotihuacan, and three campuses: 2 UAMs (Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana), and Tech (the "Harvard of Mexico"). i'll post pictures soon when i'm back in New Orleans and have all my electronic stuff. Unfortunately i forgot my battery charger so i had to be fairly conservative with my picture taking, but i think i got some good shots. i'm waiting until i get back to look at them all, i think it will be fun to delay the gratification.

i'll post again soon about meeting a friend here. i met this guy named Asead on my first day on campus. We're pretty good buddies now and there's some fun stuff to share about,

but that will come later, i'm busy taking some much needed down time here at our STINTer (the US team doing ministry here in Mexico City) friends' apartment.

the future...

Ah, the future.

What will you be doing next?
What's next year going to look like?
How will you survive afterwards?
Will you ever grow up?
Will you please stop drooling?

-head swims then drops to the floor-

AH!

Lots of questions on everyones' minds. Well, they're on mine too. This idea of the future and where i fit into it is a subject that absolutely breeds consternation (if you'll notice, i used that phrase to spell 'abc').

Here's what i'm thinking:

(forgive the punctuation if it's incorrect please)
i can live in a large number of locations next year: New Orleans, Louisiana: Rochester, New York; Maine, Vermont, or anywhere else that i havent thought of yet.

There are three main options that i'm thinking through though:
1) Get a job in Rochester: i have a degree in computer engineering and actually do enjoy doing software stuff. So potentially, i could get a job in Rochester (i have friends that work for Paetec and might be able to get a nice job there)

2) Go to grad school for counseling or psychology. i've thought about this more lately. i think the part about Crusade that i've liked the most is seeing growth in the students that i work with. i love to see them open up in community and be vulnerable with each other and work through forgiving others, truly loving others, and allowing Christ to love them. It's really cool when it works. i love the human mind and body and how they work. i think God really did create us in his image and there's a lot of beauty locked into who we are. i think this route might be a way to explore that.

3) Join staff with Crusade. i've thought about this for a while. Not sure what to think about this one. i know it well, so i know i like it, but does it fit with my passions and make me feel alive inside. That's a big question. And i'm hoping to figure it out. If i did join staff, i feel like i'd really want to do it in the Northeast, and i'd probably want to do it with Lifelines, the ministry that i worked with in Maine over last summer. For some reason, seeing people grow while rock climbing, getting my whitewater rafting guide license, and being in beautiful places is attractive to me. But dont spread that around. All the other staff people might be miffed.

Feel free to share your thoughts with me... as long as they're helpful!

Please pray for me if you ever wonder what i'll be doing in the future!