Meet our Mazda 5!

Our Spanish School and Beth's Sunday School Class in Español !

 This is a picture of Andrew in front of our new language school. Our teacher is a lovely lady named Susana. She lives on top of the school with her husband. It is about a 20-30 minute drive to the historic central part of Mexico City called Coyoacan.  Andrew and I love this traditional town. I will post some photos from Coyoacan another day.

 Below is a picture of Bethany and her new girl friend Sara. We are so thankful Bethany has a friend at church.

 This is a picture of the Sunday school class I was asked to evaluate, What a fun morning we had.

 OK so the room is tiny but the teachers were so creative they still managed to find a way to teach a craft and do little activities.  I think most of us of Children's workers in North America would be humbled to see what other countries use for classrooms. And they still make it work. The room is actually a make-up / powder room used during the week at a theatre.

Independence Day in Mexico

Hey i hope you do not mind but i was wanting to write and describe what the Mexican Independence Day looks like and then I found this article so I thought why invent the wheel. I will however add our own photos soon.

El Grito (or the “cry for Independence”) is a tradition that commemorates the original grito given by pastor Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla in the town of Dolores, Guanajuato back in 1810 to gather all to join the rebellion against the Spanish colonizers. This moment marks the official beginning of the 11-year war for independence that ensued and from which Mexico came out victorious.

This original Grito is now a tradition that kicks off a two-day long country-wide celebration known as Fiestas Patrias. Mexicans gather around local plazas, TV sets, cantinas, etc to watch the President and his family live from the balcony of the National Palace in the Zocalo of Mexico City. At 11pm on September 15th, the President rings the same bell of the parish of Dolores that was used by Hidalgo–and later moved to the National Palace–and proceeds to give the Grito de Dolores. The Grito includes shouting out loud the names of the heroes of the Mexican War of Independence and ending with three uplifting ¡Viva Mexico! chants which are repeated with the most patriotic fervor by all around the country. Then, the bell rings one more time and we see the Mexican flag waving in a see of red, green and white while the air is filled with the voices of Mexicans singing their National Anthem.

The symbolism gives you chills, the fervor is contagious and the celebration ignites.

The following day, September 16, is full of more patriotic symbolism and ceremonies such as military parades, festivals and remembrances all over the country.

Last year Mexico celebrated the bicentennial anniversary of its Independence and they went all out with it. This slideshow by Life Magazine illustrates just how rich and colorful the symbolism is during these Fiestas Patrias.