Update #5: Los Cuates

Bridge Mexico Families,

Greetings from Windsor Mountain!
Can you believe that the summer is almost over, and that the Bridge Mexico group will be home in just five short days? In the office we are amazed at how fast the time has gone, and how much the Bridge Mexico group has accomplished: from Orientation in Zacatecas, to relaxing at Media Luna, to service work and Friendship Camp in Agua Puerca, to the surreal mansion/cathedral in Xilitla, to their family homestays, this wonderful group of students has risen to every occasion and performed admirably. Bravo Bridge Mexico!

Right now the group is wrapping up the family homestay portion of the program in the small town of Los Cuates. In addition to living with their host families and getting an idea of what day-to-day life is like for a typical Mexican family, the group has continued with their community service work. Here is a direct report from leaders Darren and Becky about exactly what they have been up to:

"Our homestays are going well. Everyone is happy. Nicky, Rachel, and Elkema's family is awesome, they hosted us for the welcoming party, they are incredibly friendly, they keep them up past their bedtimes because they like talking to them. Zoe and Miriam are a great pair, her family is so awesome that we're helping build their house. Becky and I giggled with delight at pairing Youngsan with Maximo--we are sure he will get a lot out of the experience! Paige and Kaytie were surprised to find that their family likes watching TV just as much (or more) than many American families, while Julian and Gideon have a homestay father that is the embodiment of the 'strong silent type'. Emma and Rebecca have been getting along great with their family, singing, dancing, and making friendship bracelets.

Our service projects in Los Cuates have been:

1. Teaching English classes in two separate groups (teenagers and little kids). This has gone amazingly well, the kids really want to learn. Yesterday, it was time to leave, and the kids chanted ¨Que lo pongo¨ which means ¨put it up!¨ referring to a drawing that Emma had made of a woman to demonstrate the names of clothes in English. They actually whimpered when class was over because they didn’t want it to end, when have you ever seen that in your life?
2. Painting the secondary school in the state-mandated colors of red and beige
3. Today we started mixing concrete and making the floor for Miriam's new house, directed by her dad and assisted by her mom, her little brothers and cousins. Miriam has totally helped our group out in her time with us, so we are psyched to be helping out her family.

Student Notes:

Zoe - Is really enjoying her homestay with Miriam, the family loves her, and she even helped her host grandma make tortillas. She has also been working really hard on painting the school.

Emma - Has been doing an excellent job teaching English to the children of Los Cuates, by using her artistic skills to draw diagrams which the kids copy diligently into their notebooks. She also taught her host sisters how to make friendship bracelets.

Rachel - Has been learning new dances from her host family and is doing a great job teaching English.

Julian - Has been finding more cute animals to cuddle with and he's enjoying the culinary delights served up daily by his host mother.

Rebecca - Has also been making friendship bracelets with her host sisters and today she was given a rose picked fresh from the garden by a 3-foot tall admirer while she was working on the floor for Miriam's new house.

Youngsan - Has spoken more Spanish since arriving in Los Cuates than he has in his entire life. Rooming with our Mexican student Maximo has left him no choice but to use his long-neglected Spanish vocabulary. ¨Pasame la salsa picante por favor!¨ (Pass me the hot sauce please)

Elkema - Is trying to keep up with her host family, who insists on talking with her for hours after dinner. Between her host family and teaching English classes, she is learning a ton about Mexican culture and the Spanish language.

Gideon - Worked hard on painting the local high school in Los Cuates. He has also been using his brute strength to mix concrete for the floor of Miriam's new house.

Nicky - Finally solved the mystery of who her real host father is amidst the parade of friends and relatives who seem to call her home their own.

Kaytie - Did a great job teaching English to her group of high school students. It seems that her father's genes have expressed themselves quite nicely.

Paige - Is now famous in Los Cuates for her teaching skills. Even though they have trouble pronouncing the "G" in her name, numerous students ask for her by name upon entering the schoolyard."

That's it for this update, folks!