Next Steps

Well I have been back in the States for 10 days now, and I have gotten a job and moved across country. It has been wonderful. I have not had much time to think, but I will settle down soon. Leaving Florida was not as hard as I thought it would be, but possibly because I was only there for 2 & 1/2 days so it was crazy. But I know that this job I have is going to be so rewarding. I am working at a women's' shelter in Round Rock which is right outside of Austin. And the few days I have been there I feel so at home and comfortable. It has all happened so fast, but it is so rewarding. This week has been a lot of training, but I have been doing a lot of shadowing, and I will be on my own Monday. I am really looking forward to it all and starting my life here. Thank God I have such a wonderful sister and brother-in-law, who have opened their home to me. But this move just feels so right and I know that I am going to get a lot out of this job. I am just so happy to be here and back in the States. Once I have PTO I will be traveling to Mexico to visit my boys and friends. This just all seems so crazy, but it really all just makes sense to me.

I must say that the BBQ I had with my family and friends we really well. And I cannot express how much I appreciate my family and friends. I have the best parents some one could ask for, and the most supportive friends. This past year has just been so amazing and wonderful, and I cannot ask for anything more, (OK and apt. would be nice, all in due timing.) I know that my year in Mexico is over, but really I am still using the many things I learned there to be the woman I am here today.

Good Byes

I think this is the hardest thing I have had to do, is to say goodbye to my family here in Mexico. I just left the house of my Mexican Momma and her children who have become my family. I could not help but to cry, but she told me something very simple but great advice. Think of this as a long vacation from Casa Hogar, and I will be coming back in a few months. She has been my substitute mother here. She was there for most of my tears and frustrations, and she just always had an open ear for me. Her children are like my brothers and sisters. Her daughter Evelyn and I have spent many nights laughing and laughing, while the others were always there for when I needed time away from Casa Hogar. So I just said goodbye to my family here and I do not know when I will be back to see them.

So then all day today I have just wanted to relax, but I had a list a mile long of things to do, and places to go. But I will be leaving soon and Mexico will be just a memory. It is so s ad, but I am trying to focus on the good, and all the memories that I will be leaving with. I just did not think it would be this hard, to have to say goodbye to my home, my boys, my friends, and my life. I am leaving my life. I am going back to my life in FL with no job, no plan, but a whole lot of faith which is the most important thing right now in my life. I have learned a lot here in Mexico, and I will be taking back with me so much from here. I do not know how to explain how I feel right now to be honest I feel nothing, and I think that is the worst thing in the world. But Hno. Carlos told me, it is all in the hands of God, and that it is.

One Week

Well 4th of July here was just another day. I got to see some of my boys who came to get their grades so that was nice. And now that the champ got cancelled due to the horrible weather in MTY, we the volunteers are cleaning and cleaning some more here in Casa Hogar. And the rain will not stop I am so over it all. But the weather stayed dry for the graduation that we had today, which was long but each class danced traditional Mexican dances which was interesting. And then I started to think about how traditional Mexico is, and how I will always hold a very special place in my heart for this country. Although all my time here was in the walls of Casa Hogar I learned a lot about Mexico and how wonderful of a country it can be. But I do miss my country and I am very looking forward to my return. My boys will be fine in the hands of other volunteers and I know that I did my best with them, and they taught me so much about life. I cannot imagine my life without these boys. I have so many fond memories with each and everyone of them, I could right a never ending story. But this chapter is coming to a close, as I might me leaving sooner than I thought due to a possible job interview, (Come on God Help me with this one) that I might have in Austin next week. So I will be praying for that. In the meantime I am going to eat the Ice-Pops I brought back from the States, and clean Casa Hogar.

Casi termino

My year officially ended about an hour ago, and surprisingly I held it together. I do not think it has hit me yet that I will be seeing the boys breifly next week and then not until Sunday the 11th. I have been in charge of these boys for so long it honestly just feels like the boys are coming back on Sunday and that we are having a normal weekend. The boys who are going will be leaving from CH on Sunday and coming back on Saturday, and then they will come back for the summer term. But I plan to go on a Mission with some people for the States so I will not be around that much. So I said all my goodbyes to the boys last night and I am sure there will be more tears to come. I am sad but my boys are happy to be going home.

As for Hurricane Alex we made it through 3 days of nonstop rain, and lots and lots of wet clothes. But we had to cancel our party we had planned for the boys due to the rain. But we rescheduled it for the 15th of July too bad I am not here for the party, but I know that the boys will fully enjoy their party. We have so many games and things for them to do, I know they will have a great time. The rain has left the streets extremely wet, but we are fine here in Saltillo, Monterrey is another story, but thankfully we are doing well here, just drying everything out. But not to worry the streets and drainage systems just don't work. We had about a foot of water in Study Hall which is 4 classrooms so I got to throw the water out bucket by bucket. Thankfully we have teenage boys who love doing stuff like that. And after 2 hours you would have never know there was water in the rooms. So we survived all the rain, and now I just have to get through these next week and a half :(