Welcome to Tapachula

Here I am, three weeks in Mexico, and I decide it is about time that I start sharing some of my experiences.  It still sounds weird when I say that I am living in Mexico-I might not ever get used to the idea until I leave.  But here I am, in the city of Tapachula, located in the state of Chiapas, only 15 minutes from the Guatemalan border and 20 minutes from the Pacific Ocean.  Just to fill you in on the name of the blog, I am often referred to as "güera" (usually shouted to me from cars) which should not be confused with gringa (or someone from the US), but rather a lighter skinned, lighter haired person (can even mean Mexicans). Maybe they think I'm  Mexican already! Although I highly doubt it...

I live in a 2 bedroom apartment with two of my good gringa friends and we share a building with 3 other Mexican students who are also in Tapachula volunteering.  When I first got here, the heat was so thick you could practically swim in it.  Now I am getting used to just being sweaty most of the time, and I look forward to the heavy rain storms almost every day in the afternoon because it usually cools down a little after that, and the streets turn into little rivers after the rain. 

  Living Room

Bedroom that Megan and I share

I am currently working at the governmental organization called DIF (Desarollo Integral de la Familia) which translates to Integral Family Development.  DIF is an organization which provides social services such as daycare, a nursing home for abandoned elders, a center for battered women, and also a temporary shelter for abandoned or abused children.  I am currently working in the section upstairs called CASACAMAS which is divided by girls and boys, and serves as a temporary location (can be a few weeks or even a year) for children and babies who have been abused, abandoned, neglected, sexually assaulted, and whose situations are being processed by the government to see where they can send them.  Many of the children who have been abandoned end up in orphanages around the country and other children who have been abused often return to the streets or to some family member.  Right now there are about 17 kids (girls and boys) from the ages of 1 month old to 14 years old, but most of the kids are younger.  Every child has a story, and each story breaks my heart, but I am getting to know them each individually and really love spending time there each day thinking of activities to keep the kids occupied, and even just to give them some attention and love that no one else is able to give them. 

 Aremi (3 yrs) puts everything in her mouth

Lupita is so sweet, she calls me Tia (aunt) and has the biggest eyes ever