An Unusual Day

Sunday was a most unusual day---a day of fun and fellowship followed by a funeral. Happiness and sadness; life and death. I'll start at the beginning...

My friend, Emma, invited me to go with her family to their church and then to their home for a special Mexican meal. They are Mormons and this was the first time that I had been in a Mormon church.

After church, we returned to their home, along with Juan Carlos, a most delightful young man who works for Emma at the colegio, for a delicious meal.

This is the Sanchez house:




As you can see, it is a 2 story home. The family of 5 lives here. Downstairs is a living room, dining room, small kitchen, and a small back patio which Emma dreams of making into a garden some day. There is an upstairs but I don't know how many bedrooms there are. The footprint of the house is very small. I cannot think how they have raised 3 girls in this tiny living area.

I was put to work chopping up chicken which Emma had boiled on Saturday. Emma and Carla, her oldest daughter, made the enchiladas. Notice that they are both wearing aprons. They offered me one but I haven't worn and apron for years! Everyone here in Mexico wears an apron when they cook.

These are the enchiladas they were preparing. They made 2 large pans! Emma is pouring the sauce over the enchiladas.

The stove is gas. Gas is purchased in a large tank which sits in the back patio. It supplies heat for the hot water and the cooking stove. A truck drives up and down the streets with the tanks on it. The driver calls over a loud speaker system: G-A-S, G-A-S!! and if you need a tank, you go out, flag him down and he exchanges the tanks for you. By the way, drinking water is sold in the same way. Our water truck comes by our house on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

While I was chopping and they were putting together the dinner, Juan Carlos and Daniela made sandwiches for another meal and set the table. Isn't that a cute picture? Juan Carlos is only 20 years old and the sweetest thing! Daniela is 9. By the way, in the background you can see the stairs going to the upstairs bedrooms.

Here we are at the table: Fernanda, Emma, Tomas, Daniela, Juan Carlos and Carla. I took the picture! But I do have one with me in it too! Fernanda took it. Tomas asked me to say grace, which I thought was nice.

Their dining room table is glass and wood. I have noticed that many dining tables here are glass. The enchiladas were great! By the way, we drank pina colada juice for a beverage.

After dinner, Emma, Tomas, Carla and I went to a funeral home to a wake. On Friday there was a terrible automobile accident in PV and the husband of our Director of Academics, was killed. He was a young man, in his late 30s or early 40s. It was a 6 car accident and the man who caused the chain reaction accident was not injured and ran away. The police are looking for him. Several people were injured but Azeneth's husband was the worst. Attending a Mexican wake---another cultural experience for me, albeit a sad one.

Hasta luego.