December...

Hey Friends,
I have not done a good job with keeping up with this. I am going home to Argentina in two days, I am so excited! Still a little melancholic (sp?) from leaving Mexico, I have had a great time here and my love for the city and the people has grown a lot... So, it is bitter-sweet.
One thing I have learned lately is that I have a long way to go until I can consider myself as a cross-cultured person. I am so quick to judge without knowing the circumstances of the person! I pray I can be open to others and not misjudge them for where they come from or what they do. There is a past behind everyone and I want to be sensitive to that.
At the same time, I have been in the foreigner's shoes before. It is amazing because it is awful when others do it to you. But in that case, I want to be a peacemaker and not choose to get mad or get offended. We are all sinners and judging others is a sin, and that's not to excuse it, but yes to forgive it. I pray for all of us who see this and for all of those who don't.
Just some thoughts from a nobody who needs Somebody who can save anybody. I am glad I know Him.

Hey

Hey friends, I hope this post finds you doing well. Well, first of all, I want to say I have the most amazing friends ever. And with that I mean my friends, my real friends, those who have stood by me through thick and thin and distance. I thank the Lord for godly friends who point me to the Word in hard situations. He is truly the only one who can heal one's heart and give us eternal hope.
Soooooooo... I had a good weekend. I went to Guadalajara for work and stayed an extra day to visit the city. It ws very pretty, smaller than Mexico City, but big at last: about 8 million people. I met some great people while I was there, not only Mexicans but from all nationalities. Mexico is a country with many foreigners, which makes it unique. However, as I have mentioned before, the country is able to keep such a traditional culture.
By now, I have eaten several spicy dishes. I am so excited to be getting used to the food. I also do eat a lot of my home-made dishes, which are mainly salads to get out of the routine of tacos, tortillas, tamales, quesadillas, and others :)
I am heading to bed now. I am encouraged more and more everyday and I thank God for His mercies, which are new everyday and are enough. I feel blessed for being able to live for Him. Oh and by the way, two of my best friends are getting married :) I am so excited!!!!! Be sure you two, I will be there and I can't wait to see you.
Tere

Hi Hi Hi

Hey! I miss my friends so much! But hey, I have made a few friends here and this weekend showed me I can count on them. Of course everyone at work wanted to take me out on Friday, but I took the night off to think about things. Sol, my Argentine friend from the hotel, was so great this weekend. We went out on Saturday to see the downtown of Mexico, it is very pretty. Little, winy roads. Tall, antique-looking lights and light-poles. People dressed in Indian costumes and people dressed in Halloween costumes. The day of the dead is a big day here in Mexico and people go to their relatives' graves to say "hi" I guess and offer offerings (sorry about the redundancy). I am so thankful for knowing Jesus is right here listening to me and I don't have to go through anyone to get to Him. His promises have been close to my heart this weekend. Praises to the only one who can sustain me! We also went to the Cathedral, I am not sure about its name. It was very pretty and it had gold everywhere. I started thinking about the gold and whether it was wasteful. Then I remember the passage that talks about the lady pouring the expensive perfume on Jesus and everyone freaking out because of the waste. Jesus didn't think so. So, I wonder if He sees the gold in the church the same way. Maybe He will let me know.

So, today I went to church and it was nice to be surrounded by believers. Oh how I miss having fellowship with people everyday - I miss my Cooper girls. But after church and a yummy, spicy, Mexican dish with Bob -Lyndsay's dad, I took a cab home and met Sol to go to the movies. We walked around, had yummy cookie dough ice-cream, talked, laughed, and went to see a Mexican movie called Arrancame la Vida. It was okay, kind of crazy actually! So now I am off to bed while I look at some catalogs for work, and write some on my new journal. I finished my last one. A good sign - new journal - new life :)

In addition to that, my grandma had surgery this weekend. She came out okay, lost a lot of blood in the process and will be in bed-rest for about 4 weeks. After that, she will be in a wheelchair. Painful for her since she loves doing everything on her own. No more french fries for me, I guess. She will be staying in my house I think, which is great considering I am going home soon.

I leave this blog with a thought... Hope is based on Christ's character and not circumstances. I can't wait to hear from you friends. T. Tere. Teresita. Me. TJM. Teresita Julia Mariani Albrisi.

Here are some pics from today... with my new friend, haircut, and earrings :)

Here I am...

I write this time because I need to. I feel empty today. I feel like I have nothing left to give and no one to receive it. I feel very, very little... I thank the Lord for the relationship on which I can count, for someone who loves me everyday without excuse and without blame and so sincerely and eternally. I feel at fault for leaving nothing and at the same time I feel stupid for doing so. The truth is I chose to do that because that is me - I run as hard as I can go and get crushed as hard as I can, too. That is my way to live life wholeheartedly. I wonder if that is the way we should live. The Lord says to guard our hearts and I think I haven't done that thinking I needed to give it my 100%. But the sun shinning outside my Hotel room today indicated God did not give up on me yet and He is right here regardless of my sin. I am joyful to think this moment, as sad as it is, brings glory to His name. I pray (and know) He will use this situation to bring me closer to Him, to shape me into who He wants me to be, and I am thankful for no wasted moments -He works in every situation and knows everything. I say goodbye to my best friend and the person who I have loved undescribibly much, my heart aches just thinking about it. I say goodbye to the one who has made me cry oh so much. I say goodbye to the person I had built my dreams around. And I say hello to a new path, a new time in my life. I say hello to something better that the Lord has planned for me. I say hello to God's plan after this, knowing He has been in control the whole time, and has never stopped to prosper me. Even now.

One more day in Mexico...

Hey! I haven't written in a while... I am not sure if anyone reads it, but just in case, I want to update it! :) I have had a good few weeks. I have time for nothing but to go to and come from work and actually work. It is good though. I feel like I like work for the most part and I am getting to meet people, do new things... I haven't been to church in a while now and that needs to change asap because I don't want to get lazy. But I am thankful God has me here and I feel like I am in a good place... at a point I wasn't sure I was meant to be here, but I feel like it's a stage in my life He wants me to go through and endure. I am trying to enjoy it while I am in this moment.
Other more trivial things are that traffic is awful. It is so awful! It took me 2 and 1/2 hours to get back to my hotel the other night (Friday) when on Saturday, it only took about 12 minutes. I didn't come back from work on Saturday, but from a place called Lomas Verdes, which is a little beyond work. Crazy, right? I was there on Saturday and Sunday because I went to see a friend of mine who was playing a tennis tournament. She is from Argentina and I had not seen her in nearly seven years. It was good to encourage her during the tournament and be a fan :) She lost in the finals -a great score considering she was playing a professional tournament. It was fun to watch, but I must admit it was hard to just watch and not play :(
So... to get there both on Saturday and Sunday, I rode the public transportation. I am telling you this is so different! It seems like Argentina is so developed compared to Mexico sometimes. I had to take 3 buses to get there and walk some. The first bus I got on, I had no idea how things were done. In Argentina, we have change machines to pay for your ticket. Here, we had to give the money to the driver, which made me think it makes it to easy to be dishonest. So, I told the bus driver where I was going and he told me how much and that was it. I went on and got on a seat and guys my legs did not fit in the tight space. I feel so tall in Mexico!!! I mean really!! So, after that, I took two other buses and got pretty near the tennis club. I guess another interesting fact about the buses is that they are a little dirty, but I was trying to block that out and think of the people riding and their stories and their lives... but really these buses are so funny looking I wish I had the guts to take pictures... I just don't want to show off my camera everywhere, I have been told is not very safe, so I try to be very cautious (without being paranoic). Of course being cautious means I do everything I want to, but I have taken off any bracelest and rings that could be valuable. That way, if someone steals from me, I won't feel that bad. Everyone tells me I am pretty brave though for riding on the bus :) I love to do things like that and besides there is no large enough budget for taxis everyday. Mexico City and everything about this city is beautiful in its own way. I am happy and alone but happy. Finally, huh? I am getting used to being alone a lot or maybe just to be content with my situation, knowing God is my friend and my adventure buddy.
So... I have to run to my neighbor's house to have dinner. One of my first dinners out and about. I really hope no chiles are in the food this time ;) I love everyone, thank you for reading me, and I hope this finds you doing well. Chau my friends and I can't wait to hear from you!

Chile & Mexico...

I am not going to post pictures yet because they are still in my camera. I went to Chile as many of you know for a work event. It was a good event, many people showed up and we visited a ton of clientes. It was a learning experience for me. I also got to see my parents there... it was great to see them, my sister Gorda and Ana, one of my nieces. We had a great time and got to see an amazing country, where I would like to return for longer than just a week.
Now I am back in Mexico and my life is lonely. I reach out to the Lord to find some peace and answers to my questions. It is hard though. But you know what? I am blessed. I can't complain... the Lord has promised to take care of me and He has plans to prosper me. He loves me and He is faithful and I hold on to that. In a world where everyone and everything fails, He is a faithful Lord and I am blessed by Him and His wonderful character. His daily mercies are enough and plenty.
That is all I have for now. I will post some pictures of Chile and my new home in Mexico -a hotel called Batia, located in front of "The World Trade Center," which reminds me of the country I used to call home not too long ago. I miss it and its people, but I am rejoicing in my very small sufferings knowing that God is working in me. That is hope I only find in God and fo which I am thankful.

Fun Weekend :)

Hello my friends....... I am glad to be back on here again. I just came back from a great day of sightseeing. We went to the Aztecs' pyramids. It was awesome!!!!!!! They are located to the North of the city, about 1 hour away with no traffic (basically on the weekend). It was really something unique -something I have never seen before. There is so much history here. Everything was done for a specific reason, they thought about everything, and can you imagine building those things however many years ago. It is just mind-blowing. People say their calendar was more exact than ours nowadays. Again, mind-blowing. There are two pyramids on-site, one called "Piramide del Sol" and the other one "Piramide de la Luna." What is funny is that each pyramid's measurements are directly correlated to the measurements of the Earth to the sun and the moon. Of course, in a much smaller scale. Also, it is said the sun one represents men and it is bigger and stronger looking and the moon one represents women and it is shorter and steep -tough as crap! Does that mean we are tough?! lol... So, you will see some pictures of that trip posted on today's blog. Also, you will see some of the restaurant we ate at, which is located inside a cave and might be the coolest restaurant I have ever eaten at -regardless of the piece of glass I found in my food :)

In addition to the trip experience, I have to say Mexico is an interesting place. It is so rich in its culture. It is so authentic, it is so unique. People seem to be so loyal and true to their culture. That is just nice. It is very different, especially after having been in other countries where the culture does not seem as strong. At the same time, I feel like it is a little dangerous because we have to be open to others and be able to adjust in different circumstances. I guess this explains why Mexican communities are so closed in the United States. I feel like maybe that is why they try to stay among themselves. Maybe I am wrong, but it seems to be a pretty accurate perseption. Someone told me last night that Mexico grows on you and I can tell you right now, it does.

So, along the same lines, everything in the city seems to be "similar" or look alike. Those words do not really say what I want, but they'll do for now. Everything feels "Mexican," if you know what I mean. But hey! not at all with a bad connotation. Everything feels authentic and unique. I guess that explains it and if you don't get it, come visit me so I can show you what I mean :)

We have eaten in very typical places, it is awesome, I love it! I have tried so many things! I am really glad I get to tell you about it through this blog because it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me. Also, another thing I noticed about people is THEY ARE SO NICE! Everyone is kind to each other... I feel like it is a million years ahead of Argentina in that sense. People love each other -that's what it feels like. It is an inspiring atmosphere and I feel encouraged in a different way.

On the other hand, Mexico is so mythical! Is that even a word? People have so many beliefs and it may be because of their Indian background. They told me there are theories the world will end on December 12, 2012 in the Mexican pyramids I just went to and people in Mexico will be the only ones surviving the end. And then again, Catholicism is such a big thing here. Or I thought it was.... I have not seen that many churches at all (of any kind). It's kind of confusing and I will start praying for these people specifically because even though most of them have found an identity in who they are as a people group, they have not found Christ or their identity in Him. It is sad because I can see how man-created beliefs or myths get on the way between them and the truth.

Anyway........ keep checking my blog. I am glad you all are reading this. I miss yall!

Tere

Some pictures from today :)

Flight to Mexico City

Hey there! I am glad to be writing again! Here I am in Mexico City now... sitting on a magazine which is on a chair -and if you are wondering why I am doing that, it is because my butt got dirty somehow and I don't want to get the white chair dirty. Simple. I love writing on my blog. I think it's because I know Sheley and Roslyn read it and that makes me feel like they know my every move. And if that isn't enough, we are chatting on facebook right now, even though it is 3 am in the morning, Mexico time, which means it is 4 am Miami time and I have been up for 21 hours by now. We'll see what time I end up going to bed.
So today was a hard day. It was quarter-end at work, which means we are trying to ship scanners and PDTs to your and my mom in order to meet the quotas. It was hard! We had to go through 300 boxes of inventory and take the cable out because it was a USB cable and the customer needed another kind. Now, we did ship those 300 scanners, but I think we ended up shipping them with the cables we had already taken out. Oh yes, things get pretty crazy in our office. But it is a fun job (even though stressful at times), what can I say?
Oh! I can't forget to tell ya'll (yes I am a Southerner at heart) about this morning's mess! I had to pack all my things and of course that was no easy task and I had to get all the packed things to the elevator. Let me tell you that was tough! Thankfully some guys who were walking by helped me and I got them IN the elevator. That was nothing my friends. I went all the way down to "G" (Ground Floor) and once I got there, I was trying to juggle three oversize suitecases, one carry-on that was probably the heaviest carry-on in the history of carry-ons, my purse, bags with refrigerated things, and two huge bags with stuff that I did not fit in my luggage (just like I had predestined the night before). So, I get to "G" and I start getting the bags -one by one- out of the fancy elevator. Well, what I found out this morning is that fancy is not a synonim of good. Oh, no. I was trying to stop the elevator door from closing with two bags out and the rest in when the thing actually closed on me. Yes, ma'am. It closed on me and my nice leg and I had to pull it so that it wouldn't get crushed by this fancy thing moving very fast toward the ceiling. It took me all the way up to the 20th floor or something. I was like "unbe-freaking-lievable," and on the meantime thinking "someone is going to steal my bags, someone is going to steal my bags." Anyway, no one did. Of course -they were way too heavy to be interesting items of robbery. After that little, funny incident, I pulled myself together and got out of the apartment to meet my ride. On the way there, I got several people involved in helping and, after a few minutes, I made it to the car. Yay!
So, work went by fast -especially after we went out to get empanadas for lunch- and it was time to go to the airport. That's when my day really began. Oh, yes. I get there and my ride tells me to get someone to carry my things for me (in order to avoid any previously mentioned incidents). I agree, a little skeptically since I hate asking for that kind of help. So, the man literally walks my things maybe 10 feet to another guy who was going to wrap the things for me -granted I took the luggage out of the trunk- and I gave him a $10 bill and asked for change. I said "you can keep $3," thinking that was pretty generous. Oh, man! That man made me wish I had cursed him. So, whatever, he took $5. Right after that, I get my bags wrapped, go to the ticket counter and start asking about the prices for overweight and extra luggage since they only allow 2 per person. I had to pay $180 for overweight. No comments on that one.
After that, I get on the plane and have a wonderful flight. No, really. Actually wonderful. I slept, I prayed, I read my Bible. It was great. But before all of that happened, I saw what I think was the best sunset I have ever seen. It was absolutely beautiful. Anyway, after about 3 hours, we got to Mexico City -lights everywhere which reminded me it is one of the largest cities in the world.
I get to immigrations, no problem. One of the questions was "how long are you staying in MX?" My honest answer was 3 days. Well, so I get through with no trouble and then I get to customs with my bags. Here we go again. After 10 minutes of holding up the line because I couldn't find my luggage tickets, it´s my turn to scan my luggage. The guy reads my 3-day answer out-loud and says "four bags and three days".... beep, beep, beep, beep! I knew I should have lied! So, they start asking questions (the FBI type of questions) and I get a little scared. After I answer all the questions and persuade the guy to open just one of my nicely packed suitecases, he says he will check for new items (he basically thinks I am bringing merchandising into MX... he should know better considering everything we sell in the US is made in MX or China - HELLO!). Anyway, I tell him to go ahead and he starts checking. He asks if I am from Argentina -judging by the amazing accent- and I say yes. Immediately after, I retort to ask him if he thinks anyone from Argentina would EVER (and I mean ever) move to Mexico. He laughs and tells me sure! I was like I don't think so, buddy. And he goes on to tell me I will love MX so much these next 3 days, I will not go to Chile. Doubtful, but whatever. So, I get through that on a great note -since they were very nice- and get out customs to find my ride -a nice coworker. Once again, she instructs me to get a guy to carry my things, which I am not happy about. I do it anyway. He takes the bags for a little while up to where the car was. I ask my coworker to tell me how much tip I should leave with him and she drops a big "$10." Guys, I am sorry I am referring back to money again, but seriously, that is a big tip for pushing a cart. Then, she mentions that is how much she pays her workers (she has her own business on the side) a day. Yes, a day. Then, I was really happy I gave the guy the money because I felt like he may have doubled what he makes, thanks to my tip. That was the Lord reminding me not to be stingy since the money is His anyway. So, I will give out generous tips from now on, especially here in Mexico.
Once in the city, at my coworker's apartment, we get all set up and go out on the town to see how the night life works around here. He lives in the heart of the city. It is very nice, but a little loud. We went out at 12 at night and ladies and gentleman, people were eating. Yes, eating. It was fun and there were bars open everywhere with live bands that played good music. It was nice.
Suddenly, it's getting really late and I think I have ran out of things to say.
I love you all, Tere

Leaving my third home...

So, I've decided to blog! yay! Maybe it won't take long for me to get used to it. I don't know. I like the idea of people whom I love reading about my days in yet another foreign country. What can I say? My life is pretty exciting! I thank the Lord for blessing me with opportunities and an enjoyable job. He is pretty nice :)

Tonight is my last night in my apartment in Miami... I am definitely going to miss it considering I love going on walks around it and it almost felt like yet another home away from home to me. I think I have way too many homes away from home. I think I just probably don't have a home at all, wouldn't you say? My citizenship is in Heaven and I am thankful for that. I have to admit, though, this home away from home in Miami is nice! I love the TV in my bedroom and just being at a familiar place after long days at work.

Anyway... I am supposed to be packing. I have little left compared to how much I had when this journey began in Greenville. I only have 3 suitcases to take to Mexico, so I have no choice but to fit all my stuff in the three suitcases. That sucks because I tend to deceive myself and think I need 10 boxes when I really needed more like 20 of them. But oh well, right? I can't change that now because I am car-less and can't run out to get another bag at a store -besides I pretty much get lost by walking inside the apartment building... can you imagine trying to find a store to buy a bag? No, thanks. I'd rather go ahead and sacrifice some of my much not needed attire.

On a different note, as I write I think about my dear friends... I miss Laura Beth and Sheley and Roslyn and Esther and Lyndsay and Valeria... God has blessed me with AMAZING, out-of-this-world friends, but it's hard when we are so far away. Sometimes I think I just want to get a big house and ask everyone to move in and then we could be roommates again and we could have so much fun together again (yes, you could bring your husbands if you really, really wanted to -I guess). And maybe we could also have some arguments -even though those were quite rare, maybe even non-existent. I can't even recall one right now. Maybe I have selective memory. Anyway... I love my girls. I wouldn't trade them for anything!

Okay, so I guess I need to go back to packing! I have to finish doing laundry, too. Oh, my! This whole "having an apartment" thing is too much work :) Anyway, I better get going for tonight and try to keep some energy for future blogging. Hopefully, I'll be diligent.

I'll try to keep you posted!

Tere