Arrival in Mexico

We’re back in Mexico! Despite the fact that we’ve never spent much time in Mexico City, it still feels like we’re back home.
Our flights from Guayaquil to San Jose, then San Jose to Mexico City were uneventful, which is always a good sign. The worst part was the gentleman who sat in front of Brian on the second flight. He absolutely insisted on reclining his seat, but every time he did the back of his seat bashed into Brian’s knees. I’ve never seen anyone so determined to recline those extra two inches despite making someone else very uncomfortable.
We landed around 9:00 p.m., went through immigration and customs, picked up our bags, changed some money, and waited for our ride. Iskra, a woman who has worked in the Mexican Bible Society office for 18 years, had graciously offered to not only pick us up from the airport, but also invited us to stay at her home for the weekend. It was a welcome change to not have to rely on buses and taxis for transportation and not have to check into a hotel, for a few nights anyway.
It was quite late when we got to the home that Iskra shares with her mom Yolanda. Before going to bed, we discovered the second casualty of our trip (the first being my missing Grand Tetons t-shirt in Cuenca). We searched every suitcase, carry-on, purse, pocket, toiletry bag, everything, but my computer power cable was nowhere to be found. We both saw in in Guayaquil in the electronics carry-on, but somehow it didn’t make the trip. Somewhat disgusted and frustrated, we finally went to bed, knowing that Friday would be a busy day, and now it would also include an electronics purchase.
By 7:30 the next morning, the four of us were on our way to the Mexican Bible Society (SBM) office in downtown Mexico City. Traffic wasn’t too bad, and it only took about 35 minutes. Iskra introduced us to several of the people in the office before we headed out to grab some breakfast. On the way to eat, we met Bob Bascom, who was going to be spending the day at the office as well, so he joined us for breakfast. It was good catching up with Bob again after spending the two weeks in Alaska with him.
Back at the office, Rachel and I did some school work while we waited for an 11:00 meeting with Abner, the General Secretary of the SBM. Bob, Brian, and Iskra were going to meet with Abner to discuss the various translation projects in Mexico and our role with those projects in the upcoming months.
Rachel and I stuck around for the introductions, then excused ourselves for some important business. Iskra had told us that just a few blocks away, there were two museums, The Wax Museum and Ripley’s Believe It Or Not Museum. We didn’t think we could pass that up, so we spent a very enjoyable couple of hours taking pictures of Elvis, Pancho Villa, Barack Obama, Harry Potter, and seeing the weird and unusual at Ripley’s.
By the time we got back, the meeting was done and we had a chance to eat some of our first real Mexican food. We walked to a small street stand that sold delicious quesadillas and other similar foods. Bob left for the airport for his 5:30 flight, and Rachel and I again left for important needs. No museums this time, but a shopping mall. We didn’t buy much, but it was fun walking around and looking in the stores. We did buy a couple of magazines (in English!) for the bus rides we will be taking in the coming weeks.
After more meetings and making arrangements to get to Cheranastico (where the Purhepecha team works), we finally left the office at 6:00. As you can imagine, Friday night traffic in Mexico City, coupled with the holiday (Dia de los Muertos) and the fact that it was raining, was awful. Iskra dropped Brian off at an enormous electronics shopping complex to buy my power cable. After several unsuccessful attempts, he was finally able to get what we needed. Then, back to Iskra’s house. Despite her excellent driving and use of every short-cut imaginable, we didn’t get back until 8:30. I’m so glad we don’t live in the most populated city in the world!
Yolanda had a great supper waiting for us when we got back, and that was a perfect ending to a busy, somewhat hectic, yet very enjoyable day. Donna

P.S. Once again, no luck with uploading pictures. They will have to wait until this weekend!