Cultural Information

Some of you know a lot about the Mexican culture and others of you completely unaware of the culture in which we live. So, we thought we'd give you a taste of our surroundings.

First off, Mexico is extremely diverse and probably more so that the U.S. Just like the the U.S. it is made of states and each state has it's capital city. As most of you know, we live in the state of Guanajuato in the city of Leon. Guanajuato is located in the dead center of Mexico. We came from central KY and moved to Central Mexico. Leon is a huge city in comparison to the cities we are used to in the States. Many dispute the exact population, but it has aroung 2 to 2.5 million habitants and is growing daily! Honestly we thought adjusting to a large city was going to be more difficult than it has been because we were raised in the tiny town of Wilmore outside of Lexington which is not a big city at all. Thankfully it the adjustment to city life has been smooth, though at times we do miss the grass and the countryside.

While we have almost every modern convincience here including Starbucks, (is Starbucks a modern convienience?), we live in a very different world than were we lived in the U.S. For one the social classes here are VERY distinct. It is as if three worlds are coexisting in the same city, but each world is unaware of the other. Yes, lower, middle, and upper class do not really overlap in daily life unless they run into each other at Wal-Mart. (Just a side note, Wal-Mart's prices are often high here.) For us the class system that is so pronounced makes us sad and often makes us stop and think. The sad reality is that those in the lower class or lower middle class will most likely never have the chance to better their circumstances and will remain in their class for the rest of their lives. As foreigners we are able to make friends with people of all social classes. The other day we were talking to our tutor about this and she said that it is not common to have friends in various social classes. We are thankful for the ability to live in all three worlds. We live in a middle class neighborhood, but have friends in one of the poorest neighborhoods in the city as well as the wealthiest. Sometimes we feel as if we are living in contrasts. The difference between the worlds is startling. God continues to give us the grace to move between all three.

Here are some fun facts:

-You only drink filtered or bottled water here. Most people, including us, buy our water jugs from companies that go from building to building and through the neighborhoods shouting "water, water" and their brand of water. Then you shout out to them how many jugs you want and they deliver it. The same is true for the gas. All homes have gas water heaters and gas stoves.

-It is true, Mexicans love spicy food and chiles. And so does Josh! From spaghetti to sandwiches, chile and salsa are everyday condiments. In central Mexico corn tortillas are also a staple! In fact, food in general is a staple. Much of life here revolves around food!

-Where ever you live there is a little tiny store nearby that you can go to for milk, eggs, and all kinds of things. Most likely it will be in someone's house. Here the norm is not to buy all your groceries once a week, but instead go to the market daily and get things you need last minute at the convinient stores. It is a different way of life and we are starting to enjoy it.

-Certain times of day traffic is crazy here and other times it is perfectly fine. Driving is sometimes very aggitating for us because the mentality is totally different from what we are used to. It is kind of like playing frogger only you are the frog dodging pedestrians, other cars, and bicicles oh and of course there's the pot holes and speed bumps everywhere. =)

-The prices of many things are not lower here though the salaries are. However, fresh fruits and veggies are way cheaper in comparison to the states. Even the apples from Washington that are imported are cheaper than in Kentucky. Being able to eat fresh fruit and fruit juice when ever we want is a huge treat. When we tell people the price of produce in the States they cannot believe a pineapple or an avocado would cost so much. One time we bought 2 lbs of oranges for 50 cents. Gas is about $2.80 a gallon and the economy is of course struggling.

-In the city everyone lives in town houses, houses right next to each other, or in apartments. Their is hardly any grass or green space unless you go to a park. There are some very nice parks here.

-Many people have cars and many do not. There is a good reliable, but slow, public bus system. There are taxis everywhere and of course all kinds of cars as well. We are thankful for our old Camry as it has been a huge blessing to us and others and given us a lot of mobility. We even found a reliable mechanic.



We could go on and on about interesting cultural things, but we will save some for the future. The short of it is we are in URBAN ministry and feel very at home in this setting.

Some of you have asked about our safety. Truthfully, central MX is much safer than the border when it comes to drug problems and kidnappings, though Mexico City is pretty dangerous. However, common theft etc. is on the rise right now here in Leon too because of the very high unemployment rate and lack of resources. And for us it is understandable. So far we have had nothing happen to us and aren't worried even if we were to have something stolen from us.

Okay, this post was way long, but one last thing...

This week a group from Michigan is coming on a short-term trip and we will be leaders and very occupied with them for 10 days. We look forward to sharing everything with you after they leave.