Mexico Mission Trip Reflection, part 1

From July 12th to July 24th, I had the amazing opportunity to spend time in two areas of Mexico... from the 12th to the 16th in Merida (Yucatan Peninsula) and then from the 16th to the 24th in Oaxaca. Going in, it was tough for me. Even though I had spent time in Mexico each summer for the past seven years, for various reasons I have never had the passion for Mexico or the people that has been evident in the people I had the privilege of serving with. However, missions in Mexico has been a commitment I have made, and this trip was a revelation for me in allowing me to experience the culture and people of the more southern, less American areas of Mexico.

First off, I really need to learn Spanish! I REALLY need to figure out a way to learn and have some basic understanding of the language before (hopefully) my next trip next summer. From a ministry standpoint, not being able to communicate with the kids at the youth camp we did in Oaxaca, or the ministry partners that we were doing the camp with, relegated me to the sidelines (this was a humbling experience that I will touch on in later blog posts).

In this initial posting, I'll touch on my time in Merida. The temperature was hot and humid, a definite shock from the mild and cool summer weather we've been experiencing living in Santa Monica. And I'm gonna try my hardest not to whine or complain about the mosquitoes, who came out every night and feasted on any area of exposed skin that I had the unfortunate folly of exposing. As opposed to all my previous experiences in Ensenada (with its climate very comparable with Los Angeles), both Merida and Oaxaca are in tropical climates; it rained just about every day.

We went to Chichen Itza, Dzibilchaltun, and some cenotes (underground water holes) during the week that we stayed in Merida. The Mayan ruins were impressive; thinking back to my schooling, you have to think of the Euro-centric prejudicial lens regarding the material we're taught in history class. At least when I was in high school, we may have spent a day or so learning about the Mayans and the Aztecs (no mention of the Zapotecs or Mazotecs!)... I'd be a safe bet to say that most of what we know about these cultures comes from Mel Gibson's Apocalypto! The pyramid at Chichen Itza is impressive, even more so considering it was built literally in the middle of the jungle. Dave (head of Adventures in Life Ministry) and I spent a lot of time contemplating the decision making process in building the pyramid and surrounding temples in the middle of literally nowhere. Dzibilchaltun was frustrating; it was fun being able to climb all over the ruins, but the mosquitoes were possessed.... they bit me constantly THROUGH my clothes... and weren't affected at all by constant swinging of limbs and even attempted swats.

The cenotes were fun; probably the most enjoyable aspect of the particular cenotes that we visited was the horse led train ride. Very unsafe, highly doubt the possibility of a similar type of attraction ever getting approved in the States. But in Mexico, well worth it! It was fun.

The food was definitely different. There was a dearth of tacos in Merida (burritos don't really exist in the parts of Mexico that I visited)... in fact, Merida had more of a European vibe to it than I expected. I guess there is a sizeable Italian/ Spanish population in the Yucatan. We saw many more European tourists than American, which was refreshing and brought out the inner Europhile in me too, hehe.

Anyways, that's enough for today. Tomorrow we'll begin the spiritual element to the trip. I'll probably reflect on the same questions that Dave asked us upon conclusion of the camp. I'll begin by touching on the first question: "How would your faith be different if you grew up in Oaxaca (as opposed to Los Angeles)?