Evidentally there was an earthquake ...?

July 5th I experienced my first earthquake at 8:39pm... and I didn´t even notice it! The center wasn´t actually in Oaxaca, where I´m currently living but most people in the area still were able to feel the earthquake and I am told it registered as a 3 here in Tlaxiaco. I was sick the entire day from an allergy attack and was pretty dizzy that night - so it probably could have been a ful-fledged earthquake and I still wouldn´t have noticed! I´m still adding it to the list of cool things I´ve experienced in Mexico.

In other news I ate soup made from flowers this week! Violet and pink flowers to be exact. But not until after I went on a 3 hour shepherdess expedition up a mountain and helped pick the flowers and greens for the soup while the sheep were grazing. Times in Yucanama are always delightfully Little House on the Prairie style! The soup was actually really good too...much better than the piece of Cow Kidney I ate on Saturday. One bite of that and I refused any more. Basically, it had the texture of a harboiled egg and tasted like spoiled liver. Mom- next time you insist on making liver for dinner I´m going to make you Kidney and you´ll understand how Laura and I felt growing up :-P

This week was full of interesting conversations; including one with Lucy about Dia de los Muertos. [Day of the Dead] is a spanish celebration that comes from ancient Aztec and Mayan cultures and has continued through hundreds of generations. Lucy explained the practice to me in detail. Here in Tlaxiaco, the schools close for the days surrounding Dia de los Muertos and the entire town shuts down to prepare elaborate feasts for the spirits of the dead. Many women and men here believe that if they prepare a feast for the ´spirit´of a deceased family member they will receive protection if the feast is pleasing to the spirit. Lucy noted that more than a time to remember the dead (like Memorial Day) it is a time to entreat spirits for protection from evil, and if a feast is not found pleasing it means wrath on you and your household. The town shuts down to ensure every best grain, fruit and meat is offered and many people fear their offering will not be pleasing. This was a new perspective because in school I was taught that Dia de los Muertos is a happy celebration, and we never learned about the underlying anxieties that accompany the festivities.
Lucy was pretty shocked to learn this celebration is very different from Halloween, and informed me that people in Tlaxiaco have always seen Dia de los Muertos and Halloween as equivalent.
Our conversation was amazing because I really enjoy learning about the Mexican culture, and Lucy was incredibly relieved when we finished talking. She said su madre y abuela (mom and grandma) want her to carry on the tradition but she doesn´t believe in offering sacrifices to spirits. She was pretty excited when I told her I don´t believe in that either, and we talked very in-depth about why and also why her mother and grandma believe what they do. Basically, I believe in God and so I don´t believe in offering to other spirits, and I am firm in my belief that these offerings will not protect someone from evil. I really love talking with Lucy because neither of us are pushy in our beliefs but we genuinely want to learn more about a different culture from each other.

Now for the sobering news: this past week I found out my friend Ophelia is much sicker than I realized. She has cancer in her legs and a tumor in her spine that is inoperable, so she has been receiving home pain treatment and nothing else. No chemo or radiation. I found out that the doctors told her she shouldn´t expect to live past September, but I´m still praying for a miracle. Hearing this was eye opening. I am Christian, but at the same time I never understood why it mattered if other people weren´t Christian. Everyone I´ve been close to that has died was Christian...so I had never faced the reality about my beliefs with heaven and hell. I had to take a step back this week and realize that if I truly believe in Christ I have to understand that it is sad, even tragic, when someone dies that doesn´t believe in Christ. Many of you may not agree - and that is a personal choice - but it is the belief I was raised in and I am honored to uphold my beliefs though it isn´t easy. I was pretty upset when I realized how sick Ophelia is and that she doesn´t believe in God but at the same time it made me realize that God has purpose for my time here this summer. I will continue to visit Ophelia and be myself with her; joke, talk about our childhoods, have a good time, and pray. And maybe through this, she will have hope. Seeing her smile when I visit is the most rewarding and encouraging thing I have experienced this summer and reminds me of a quote I learned from Michael.

"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around."

That is one thing that holds true despite your culture, religion or any other belief - people need kindness and hope.