a few pics from the week.....

So this was our first week of language study here in Cuernavaca. We have class from 8 - 1:30. The four of us are all staying with various host families for these four weeks of classes; my family´s really nice and about a 20 minute walk from the school. This first picture if our view out the back of the school -- simply beautiful!

This first weekend we decided to go back to Mexico City to visit Derek & Ana. Saturday (today!) Ana took us to the pyramids at Teotihuacan -- about 2ish hours (via metro and bus) northeast of the City. We had a great time! The tall pyramid in the first picture is the Pyramid of the Sun; the pyramid in the background of the bottom picture is the Pyramid of the Moon.


We´re looking foward to visiting an anthropological museum tomorrow, and are then facing week two of language study! We continue to adjust and learn each day -- remember us!

Love & Peace,
Hannah

i´m here!

here´s a quick note to let you know the four of us all arrived safely in Mexico City yesterday. Derek Hostetler met us, him and his wife Ana are the country representatives for MCC here in Mexico, and we´re staying at their house. Their three year old son, Lucas provides plenty of entertainment for us. This morning we were riding a combi (like a VW mini-bus??) back from the Mennonite church we worshiped with, and going extremly fast down a hill when Lucas turns to Ana and asks, ¨Why are we going so fast?¨ she responds, ¨I guess the driver just wants to get there¨and he responds in a very confused manner, ¨But we are not a race car!¨ ...at which we all burst out laughing. :)

Early tomorrow morning we leave for Cuernavaca, the city I´ll be in this year. The four of us will all be in language school for about 4 weeks, living with various host families. I´m really ready to start using more Spanish and can´t wait for classes to begin!

I wanted to post a few pictures but have to appologize because I cannot figure out how to rotate them! Nonetheless, the first is from the rooftop of Derek & Ana´s house, the second of some flowers they have growing outside.



Peace & Love,
Hannah

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

some Vonderful news....

Thank you so much to everyone who contributed financially towards my year in Mexico. I just got word that I reached my goal and just about fell out of my chair -- huzzah!! Your support in this way is quite overwhelming! Again.....

Thank you thank you thank you!!! :)
Peace,
Hannah