We arrived safely in Oaxaca yesterday and are staying at the Casa Arnel, a private home turned hotel with a lush courtyard full of plants. The boys have each responded in exactly the way I expected. Sam has fully embraced and enjoyed every minute and every aspect of the culture. Well, he wasn´t fully impressed with the repeated church bells at 6 am, but other than that he loves it. He is meeting people and taking frequent opportunities to speak in Spanish to locals. He´s doing very well and loving it all.
Ethan, likewise, is responding the way I expected and went into total culture shock at dinner last night. He felt completely overwhelmed by not being able to understand anything anyone around him was saying, not being able to read the signs, and being in a totally different environment. When we asked him what he wanted for dinner and he realized that he could not even order food because not only did he not know how to ask for it, but he had no idea what was on the menu, he fell apart. However, after his taquitos arrived looking and tasting like what he expected from a taquito and a real, normal Sprite in a bottle arrived with it, he began to recover and is okay. Please continue to pray for him, though, as this trip combines so many things that he has trouble with. . .operating on little sleep, new things, new people, new food. . .the works. I am confident that it will grow him and he will be so glad that he came when it is all said and done. I am also glad that we are here the week before Acapulco rather than the week after as we did last year, because hopefully he will adjust and get more out of his week in Acapulco this way.
Our flights were all good. We enjoyed a good dinner at a local restaraunt, then a walk to El Llono, a park nearby. We collapsed into bed around 10 pm. A few minutes later we had a large group from a nearby church singing and playing music for us outside our open window. Viva Mexico.
We were not able to get a rental car yet. Hertz says they will have something for us tonight or in the morning. Please pray that they do.
More later.
The three little kids are doing great! I was so impresed by how well behaved they all three were during church this morning. They really enjoyed the get together we went to last night and played in the pool except while they were eating. Joseph not only was swimming like a pro but even jumping off the diving board to Grandpa. We're getting lots of pictures to share when you get back. We're praying for you guys.
Posted by: Mom at Julio 3, 2005 01:03 PM