Lancaster, Pennsylvania: the beginning of this adventure.....

I arrived on Sunday (accompanied by my family) to a semi-overwhelming, but beautiful, experience: 51 SALTers from across the US and Canada, and 66 IVEPers (MCC's equivalent to the SALT program but the opposite direction -- those from other countries who are coming to live/work in North America for the year). The diversity of the group has been absolutely wonderful and a blessing. I've had a chance to practice quite a bit of Spanish with some new friends, and have begun to glimpse the exciting challenges of communicating in a language I'm not fluent in. The days have been filled with various sessions -- everything from learning the history of MCC, to exploring the importance of living out Jesus' peace teachings in a diverse world, to talking about what to expect and learning some of MCCs current initiatives and challenges -- all within the realm of a healthy cross-cultural environment. Perhaps what I've found most helpful so far this week was being broken down into regional groups (both SALTers and IVEPers) to discuss the differences between our two regions and how to interpret some of what we'll encounter.

Though the week has been informative and a good preparation, I recognize there's only so much one can learn from talking about it all. It's left me feeling quite excited and ready to be fully engaged and begin to acclimate to the Mexican culture....I suppose it's convenient that I only have until Saturday until that will come to be!

Also, for those who wish to write (and I'd love to hear from you, though they ask that large packages not be sent...) I also have a postal address:
MCC
Pedro de Alba #300
Col. Villa de Cortes
Mexico City, D.F. 03530
MEXICO

Peace,
Hannah