On a scale of 1 to serious, this is PRETTY SERIOUS

Warning: this post might be a little deep coming from my mouth (or fingers that are typing), so hold on tight or just skip to the pictures:

Reflective Thoughts

Since we've been here about two weeks, one particular theme has stuck out to me: THAT WE STICK OUT. It's unreal, you would think that we're a traveling circus by the amount of stares we receive daily. For fun, I counted and found that 9 out of 10 passing cars stared at our group of 4 gringos.

But more than just the superficial self-confidence/slightly offended duo that this has caused me, it has really changed my view of minorities. You see, growing up in San Diego and attending Westmont have meant being part of the majority my whole life. But for the next 3.5 months, I will live life through the eyes of a minority group. I'm praying it opens my worldview and gives me compassion for those that don't fit in, whether it be social differences, racial differences, religious differences, or the such.

Even in only 15 days here, I can tell my sympathy for minorities is changing to empathy. I'm not being persecuted here like many minorities throughout history have, but I finally understand what it feels like to stick out like a sore thumb. This isn't a bad thing; actually I think it'll change me for the better in the long haul!

This Week's Events

This week was as close to normal as it will get. No hiking, no encounters with the police, etc. We all went out to an antro (nightclub) on Thursday night. It was lots of fun but not really my scene, especially when there are a lot of barrachos (look that one up hehe). On my way back, I saw a dead cat. It was so dead! If you want more details, read the bottom of this post (the P.P.S., not the P.S.).

My friends and I faithfully went to the same taqueria four nights in a row (6 times in 8 days). We're becoming locals there! The juice is out of this world.  

Last night, I attended Betel Bautista and attended a birthday party after with a pastor and a few guys from the college group. It was a time full of laughs and cultural mishaps. 

This morning, most of the group participated in the color run! It was a 5k run for funsies (aka not a charity run or anything, but rather purely selfishly motives) and about 10 people from our group participated. I even got a medal for winning! ...(or finishing, I forget)...

Anywho, in other news, we made international news!!! check it out if you dare.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8SllWXaZ7U (around 1 min mark)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzQ_Sz-mmlw (first few seconds)

Everyone's Favorite Part of the Week

...Looks like I don't have a future in sculpting but it was worth a try. Prehispanic ceramic (unintentional rhyme)

 The locals (minus Laura and Betsy) at "El Lugar".

 THE COLOR RUN! This is Benjamin (ben-ha-mean), but he's actually really nice.

 I couldn't keep my moves on the ground, so I decided to utilize them on stage. Looks like I was the only one really feeling it when this picture was taken.



P.S. By the way, I plan to post every Sunday, just in case you plan your week around reading this life-changing blog.

P.P.S. The cat (warning: pretty graphic scene depicted here): It was a full-grown cat, and it was by the sidewalk, blood everywhere, with one really big eye. I almost stepped on it :/ poor guy, what a bad day. Just a reminder of the fragility of life, even when you supposedly have seven of them.