Month two in Mexico

Because when you are in México and there is snow
you build a snowman and name him Nievecito. 

Yesterday was month two in Mexico. The past month has been hectic, but good. I have settled into my job in Projects and love it every day. One of the things that have really opened my eyes is before when I thought about people donating to an orphanage I would think that they would want toys, clothes, sports equipment- don't get me wrong they do- but I would not have thought about the fact that the home may need a donation for new boilers, or waterproofing different parts of the home, or materials for the farm. Working in that part of behind the scenes of the home has been one of my favorite parts of serving at NPH.

The weather this week was odd for March- it rained and
it was colder than it's supposed to be, but the clouds
were fantastic all week.

Being with the kids continues to be the highlight of my time here. In the middle of February one of the pequeñas asked me if I wanted to go to Parque Ecological Chapultapec, an ecological park in Cuerna with her. It was hard to believe that it could be in Cuernvaca because it was so quiet and tranquil. Cuerna is a city of 400,000+ people it makes for a noisy place to live at least compared to the farm town I am from. We walked around, saw the different types of animal they had in the mini zoo, and they had a lake and so we went paddle boating for a little while. They also had an organic market and for those of you who know me, I was all over that. The day was perfect and it was a beautiful way to continue connect with her. During this past month I went home for two weeks for my grandpa's funeral, NPH they told me to spend all the time I needed with my family. The support from the home was wonderful. When I came back so many of the kids were so cute. They extended their sympathies, gave me a lot of hugs, told me they missed me, and that they were glad to have me back. When I saw one of the girls for the first time since being back she ran up to me, gave me a hug, pulled away and said "I don't remember your name but I missed you." I got quite the chuckle out of that. Earlier this week I sat next to one of the girls I hadn't had the chance to speak with yet. She is a gem. About 1/4 of the way through the conversation she asked me if I would be able to help her with her English, so we came up with a deal- I would speak Spanish to her and she would speak English to me. Since then it has been going great! She also taught me the "Our Father" and "Hail Mary" in Spanish and wrote them down for me to help me learn them. Another favorite activity I like doing with the kids is running. Every day they have to participate in an activity for an hour and a half or so and running is one of them. It allows for 1-1 conversations, encouraging each other, and just spending time together. A few of the girls asked if we could do yoga on my roof this weekend, so I am looking forward to that! 

Somos familia.

The weekend after returning to México my roommate Emily, boss Oscar, and I decided to see the mariposas (butterflies) that migrate from Canada and the States to México every year. Sanctuario de la Mariposa Monarca in Michoacan, Mexico is one of the largest butterfly sanctuaries in the world and we had heard wonderful things about it. The week before México experienced a cold front and at the sanctuary it had snowed. We checked our sources to make sure the butterflies survived the cold front luckily they had. Oscar and I googled how far away it was and Google Maps said it would 2.5 hours, so we decided to make it a day trip. Well, turns out Google Maps was very wrong, it ended up taking six hours one day. After a lot of missed turns, pulling over to ask for directions, and laughter we finally made it. At the beginning of the hike a volunteer told us that as a result of the cold front that the butterflies were low to the ground verses flying all over like they usually do. Halfway up the hike we stopped to build a snowman, Emily named him Nievecito. When we finally got to the field it took our breath away, well the little breath we had left after the hike up the mountain. Despite the fact that there weren't as many butterflies as per usual, it was still absolutely beautiful and it made the six hours worth it. The butterflies flying around, the mountainous hills, horses and sheep roaming around and the great company made for the perfect day. 

Upcoming in the home is Semana Santa (Holy Week). I am so excited, from what I have been told by former volunteers it's an absolutely beautiful week. Starting Thursday we will be in Miacatlan for the weekend so that both homes can spend the three days as one big family. Please continue to keep the home, the children, and the employees/volunteers in your prayers. 

God bless,

Katie 

One of the women in Michoacan making table runners. 

One of the many butterflies from Michoacan.

Paddle boating at the ecological park.

At the ecological park in Cuerna.