Light, Darkness, Laughter and Tears

It rained hard last night.  The chill of the air and the sound of the rain made it difficult for all of us, even Armando, to get up until 8:00.  When we did, we saw how the rain washed mud into the living room, but Armando already had boys cleaning it all up by the time we came downstairs.

Brayan brought us Mexican hot chocolate for breakfast.  It was leftover from last night and every bit as good as it was the night before.

The power is out, probably because of the rain.  Jose` will work to fix it.  I wish I would have taken a picture of his hands.  I've never seen such worn, calloused, hands--evidence of the hard work he does.

He is one of Armando's good friends, along with Paco and Julio.  They are quite the motley crew, but good men.  They make me smile.  I can talk to Jose` easily because he knows English from when he worked stateside.

We needed to take Eliana's 2 month pictures.  Megan is such a wonderful mother.  She is relaxed and loving.  She talks to Eliana all the time.  I catch her savoring the touch of her baby, the smell of her sweet hair, and her expressions--all the time.  I love watching Megan with Eliana because it is a picture of perfect love.  Eliana is the most cheerful in the morning when she first wakes up, so we took advantage of that.  

Yes, I'm pretty sure she is the most adorable little thing I have ever seen.  

She makes my heart happy, but even more, she has captured the heart of Christian, who cannot stand the idea of not seeing her again until summer.

 

Today we decided to go to the markets and run a few errands.  

Eliana loved the company in the back seat!

We took Brayan and Chico to Brayan's mom's house so they could pick up some stuff.  They decided to walk straight up the hill to the house, after crossing a busy road.  Crazy boys!

We stopped at Nana Kathy's favorite taco stand, but they had JUST sold out.

 But we found another wonderful taco stand where we enjoyed a delicious lunch.  I told Megan it may be my favorite taco stand in Tijuana, but I feel this may be a premature conclusion since it is only the second one at which I've ever eaten.

Next we went to the open air market.  I have been there before, and I love the complete sensory experience.

We sampled some Jack fruit.  They are massive melon-type things with a flavor that is a cross between honeydew and...oh, I can't remember!  It had a unique texture.  Have you ever heard of it?

 I got a kilo of chia seeds here for $8.  I was so excited!  This is also where we bought dried fruit and ground flax.  It was such an interesting place.

We then picked up Brayan, Chico and Pricila.  Brayan and Chico showed us their bike tricks.

 After we got back, Armando made us supper.  He makes the best guacamole in the world!  This is Armando grilling the meat for our tacos.

And this is Gordo.  I think his name is Jonathan, but I'm not sure.  Something that is hard to get used to for me is that the terms of endearment in Tijuana seem so insulting to me, but they are not insulting to them at all.  For instance, they essentially call this guy "Fat".  Other nick names I remember are Windows (for a kid who was missing teeth), and Baldy.  There are lots more that I cannot remember right now.  We laughed at the cultural contrast.

Armando's kids went back to their mother's house this evening.  Christian was pretty lonely without them.

 By the way, this is Solo Vino.  His name means, "I Come Alone".  He was just a pup when I came in October, 2012.  He guards and protects the home and is the nicest looking dog in the city.

Christian and I were feeling a bit melancholy this evening.  We leave tomorrow.  Christian, who is forever changed by this visit, does not want to come home.  We have so many thoughts and emotions that simply cannot be expressed except in songs of worship to God.  The power is still out, so that is just what we did.  Christian played guitar in the dark and we sang as Megan rocked Eliana to sleep.