Noisy Silence

Altotonga, Mexico -- Wow, there are about 17 MILLION thoughts running through my head right now. There have been a few reasons I haven't written in the last week-- Tammy has been here visiting, there have been changes in the plans for moving and therefore details to work out, and a few other issues that have gone on with some youth that have needed to be taken care of.

But today I was able to get some stuff done... laundry was a big part of it, too. The Briles also arrived today (did I mention that I dropped Tammy off at Puebla to catch her bus to the airport? And came back! Wonderful 5am mornings)...

I also got my report done, which is important, and did some research on my drivers license. It was stolen here, and so I need to get it replaced. BUT I'm going to transfer it to Texas... and so I'm trying to figure out how to do all this... because I'm going to drive to a point to meet some friends and stay with them a couple of days while my mom comes on the weekend and we drive back together. But in order to rent the car, you need a drivers license.... And so, I'm trying to get this all taken care of WITHOUT having to retake the written and driving test...

Anyway, logistical bleck.

But like I said, there have been changes in the moving date, and so on the 24th of this month, I'll be bussing out of Mexico (some 18 hours), which obviously gives a whole variety of emotions... happy and excited to see my family... very sad to leave the kids... and a whole bunch of things nagging at my mind of what has still to be done, bus tickets, packing, selling, and now the drivers license thing.

Anyway, if you could please be praying for me for these things.

Hmm... I just got distracted by the news... it showed the Mexican president giving a speech there in London, and then of course, it showed out president. We get about as much news about the states as we do about Mexico here.

On to more pleasant things. We are into "summer" which means it'll get to a steaming 75 degrees. At night there is a LOT of wind, characteristic of the 2 summer months, and you think that your house may be blown away. But after 3 years of this, I'm not fooled. We have this huge sign outside of our window on the 3rd floor. This sign is how I describe to everyone where my house is. And now it has a piece of loose cheap sheet metal on it. Tonight I looked up and there it was flapping in the wind. THAT'S what that is! I exclaimed. Since it's a newer sound and being so close to our heads, it's pretty obnoxious at 3am.

Tammy being here, and lately my grandma and mom, they note all the sounds that are just part of life for me and that I don't even hear anymore (on the contrast, it's interesting what I do hear clearly and they don't). We have the 2 competing ice cream cars that play some type of typical "ice cream music", but 2 different tunes. Every Monday-Friday, they arrive promptly at 1pm, outside my apartment and blast their music. There's an elementary school in front of my house, and it gets out between 1 and 2. Every night too, I get a concert across the street. The workout class, and later the dance class blasts out its Samba music (at least it was tonight) for a couple of hours. It's also on the 2nd floor, and they leave the windows open. It's often louder than the tv or whatever else I happen to be listening to.

Hmm... The shoe shop below us plays music all day long.

There's a shrimp guy that walks around every afternoon shouting "SSSSSSSSSHHHHHHRRRRRRIMMMP!" But in Spanish.

The bass-ed out cars that rattle my windows. The kids playing on the neighbor's roof that sounds like it's mine... the rattling of the lamina on our washroom from about 11pm til about 6am. The cow bells anouncing the trash truck. The roosters crow at all hours. The gas trucks that blare their horns and have irritatingly-catchy tunes that they play to announce their arrival. And just street noise (because you can hear normal conversations inside the house).

Very little of this do I hear... in fact, people ask me what was a certain noise, and I say-- what noise?America is quiet. I remember thinking that each time I go back home. It's so quiet, I whisper to myself.

Well, my day did start at 5, and it's 11 and I still have 2 more things to do on my list, so, I'm gonna get. If you think of me, be praying for me in these next few weeks! Thanks