Abbreviated Tales from Tijuana: Part II

I tried to find the cricket that is still chirping incessantly every night. Originally, I thought it was behind the mini-fridge, but in moving that yesterday I was proven wrong. What makes it more difficult is that it stops chirping when you come close! *sigh* I wonder how it is surviving back there...?

Today I went to La Morita (one of the Esperanza communities) to pour a roof. It is always inspiring for me to see the community members unite: forming lines to pass buckets, shovelling sand and gravel and the men heaving it into the mixer, tossing the buckets up to the passing-line on the roof...Meanwhile a group of ladies prepares comida and the dogs wander in and out. The kitty at this house is adorable, and fifteen years old. I love her. The others laugh at me because I cuddle with her, she sneezes on me, and then I am covered in white fur. The guys think this is repulsive. I think I will continue my tidbits...

All Dogs Go To Heaven:
Keeping on the theme of animals, I would like to save and nurture every stray animal (and some with homes) in Tijuana. Ugh! There are all sorts of dogs wandering around the streets, some seem friendly, others not so much (a strange-looking hound dog tried to bite me as I was running yesterday), some are battered, limping, missing limbs, with open wounds, some that look at me with such pitiful faces that my heart sinks and I just want to love them until they are well. This is very difficult for me, which I expected. I went out to go to the market last Saturday and saw a little pup wandering down the side of the road. Imaginate! (imagine it!) Tiny, tiny little lab-type cutie trotting down the dusty road. I followed him to find four other little pups more or less huddled together on the side of the road. I was so taken back that it took me a couple of seconds to realize that right next to them in the tall grass was a box of four more little puppies all knotted together in a cardboard box sleeping. I was so close to taking one home, but I don't have money or space to care for such a little puppy. I held one, inspecting it for fleas, and a family approached in a car. Two women got out and adopted one. I held the little one and noticed she had stacks of ticks and this other type of blood-sucking beetle between her toes and in her ears. They all did! Poor babies. It was difficult to walk away from them, especially because we lost one of our two puppies last week. After the rain, one of the workers came flying out of the back of the driveway in the truck, the tires were covered in mud. He hit the brakes in front of us; we had been waiting in the main parking lot. Apparently the tires slid and hit the dogs front legs and neck. I could have lived without seeing an animal hit by a vehicle at close-range. It was startling, watching it writhe in pain, and so much blood. Sorry to be graphic, but it was really shaking for me. It actually resulted in a lot of reflection of how fragile life is, and what amazing strength those humans who deal with tragedy and trauma have. Maybe I'm not cut out for humanitarian assistance, or maybe I just need to toughen-up so that I can provide service in serious situations. Al final, I would like to adopt a cat, but no one here likes cats either...and bunnies in Mexico are mostly thought of as food, not pets. So I guess that leaves me with our remaining pup and the pets of our community members...

La Fé en Vivo (the faith alive):
There is a nice community church just down the street and I have enjoyed very much going to mass there. The music is nice, even though the mic sometimes spatters and I can't always follow-along. None the less, I love all the families and the children wandering around the aisles, their parents chasing after them! ha! Mi compañera and I have taken to going to daily mass on Tuesdays because there is an office meeting in the morning so we have an extra hour or so to go to mass. It is nice to actually have time to study my faith and reach deeper into my soul and grow closer to Christ and the ministry of the Church. I am taking advantage of my break from academics to read about Catholicism, social justice, Mother Teresa, the Catechism, the friendship of Jesus, and other lovely topics. I remember that when I went through confirmation at age fourteen I was doing much reading and reflection that was so enriching and fulfilling. This is what I hope to reinitiate during my time in Tijuana. Over the past several months I have realized the toll that depression has taken on my faith, self-determination, and spiritual-self-identity. I am finding great solace in building-up the relationship between myself and God once more. It really has been powerful and this is the perfect time in my life for me to feel that fire reignited, to replenish my will and abilities to provide moral leadership and work for peace and justice. There is more I wish to say about the faith alive in Mexico, but I will save that for a later date since this is already a long post.

Thank you for being a part of a shared journey of faith.


"Go forth and set the world on fire."
~ St. Ignatius Loyola