Pig Heads for Anita

Anita had asked that we bring her a pig head, but we got held up a little in customs coming up to the states. Something about contamination, but by the looks of their faces, I think they were just plain disgusted.

Okay. So we didn't even try, but for Anita's sake, here is another reminder of the wonderful Mexican delicacy (which I have never tried).

Guest post (a revision of ANITA, KENT AND GINA)

Written by anonymous. (Unless by sheer luck you can figure out who wrote it. I will give one clue. It starts with A and ends with an NITA.) See previous post for a picture.

It was an eventful week, to say the least. We were very fortunate to have Bev’s brother and sister, Kent and Anita, and their cousin, Gina, delight us with their presence. Our lovely visitors didn’t waste any time getting down here to the warmth, arriving in Guadalajara a little after 8 am. Bev and I decided to treat them to burritos on the drive back to Ixtlan. It’s not a bad breakfast, let me tell you. Kent was bold and tried the lengua en salsa verde (tongue in green sauce) while Gina and Anita played it safe with pollo (chicken). Anita ended up being incredibly brave as her second burrito was some funny-looking chicken that was actually tongue. “It was interesting,” she lauded when asked how it tasted. “I wouldn’t eat it every day, but it wasn’t too bad. It looks much worse than it tastes.” Once we arrived back in Ixtlan, Bev was showered with gifts from the states. The gifts included cream of chicken soup, peanut butter, chocolate chips, some personal items, yarn, and a quilt that her mom sent. Needless to say, the suitcases were much lighter on the trip home. But Bev was very appreciative of her newly-acquired wealth.

After giving the visitors a chance to unpack, freshen up and change clothes (the matching BevRegg shirts needed to go), we headed out with others from church to Samuel and Maria’s property for a true Mexican lunch. It was delicious food and a quite enjoyable afternoon. We had youth group that evening which included volleyball before the Bible study. A fun time was had by all. Many of the girls couldn’t believe how much Michael had changed since last year, as they mistook Kent for his younger brother. Kent also acquired the nickname “no puedo” from Alejandro. That one may stick around for awhile. Gina’s height was mentioned frequently as she tended to look down on everyone else. Anita was glad to be able to sing in Spanish again, but not so thrilled about volleyball bruises. All in all, it was a great first day for the visitors and just a preview of all the good times yet to come.

The most popular event of the week was evening conversations held on the kitchen counters, the most logical place to hang out. There was much laughter and good-humored teasing, or at least they tell me it is only teasing. I have learned from my short time in the Schlatter family that understanding what is going on or being said is not required, just laugh when everyone else is and don’t be afraid to dish it out. They tell me that I’m fitting in nicely.

According to the visitors, it was a very relaxing week. I still had to work all week, but it worked out well. A lot of books were read and games of pinochle played. We all learned interesting, not so accurate facts about how to treat goiters, snakebites and other infirmities. Anybody have some buzzard brains on hand? Anita made sure we went to the plaza for tacos at least once. She frequently inquires as to why we don’t go more often when the tacos are so fantastic. We were able to climb La Mula on Friday and despite continual jabs about me getting more thorns in my head, we made it up and down without any mishaps.

Saturday morning was rough, as the three visitors packed up to go home. Their flight left at noon, so we hit the road early. I personally was quite distraught at the thought of their departure. No more comments about soccer players or uncanny strength, at least not in person. Thank goodness for skype! It was hard to say goodbye, but we hope to see them all soon during my spring break in April. Thank you all for gracing us with your presence!

Anita, Kent and Gina...

I don't have to say anything else.

They were the next visitors. They came in on Saturday the 5th of March and left a week later on the 12th. So it was a busy week. It started immediately after they got here on Saturday. Samuel and Maria, an older couple in church had invited the church over to some of their property to have lunch. So a group of us, including Anita, Kent and Gina, headed over and enjoyed some good Mexican cooking. We had carne asada, tripa, nopales, chorizo, grilled onions, beans, tortillas, rice. It was some good stuff. So they started the visit off right. Later we managed to do all the normal stuff. Tacos in the evening (didn't work so hot when we went to get them on Ash Wednesday), ice cream, trips to the market (both in Ixtlan and in Zamora), and eventually even the good ol' climb up La Mula, the mountain that we always climb close by. Besides that everyone had a lovely opportunity to enjoy the warm/hot weather and relax a little bit. I (Regg) had to keep on working, but that worked out alright. Bev was able to try out Mexican driving for the first time and survived the trip to Zamora and back just fine. So, it was a very successful week. So then they left and we had some peace and quiet before the next group of visitors. The big event during that time was another school parade. I managed to get a ton of confetti dumped on me while I helped the kids. It was a little better than some of the others. It wasn't as long and the kids did pretty well. It's just hot and a lot of standing and walking around. But it was finally over and I was left picking confetti off my clothes. (Some of the colors stain, as we discovered from the last parade.) Well, I guess that is enough for this time. In the next post, the Eye Clinic.