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| Est. 27 Million people - One "Grande" city! (http://srufaculty.sru.edu/james.hughes/100/100-6/d-6-45.htm) |
So it is 3 in the morning. I am still recovering from jet-lag and the 32 hour travel. The human body is designed to withstand many things, but the traversing of 11 time zones still does not seem to come naturally to mine. I’ve now been here 2 full Mexican days, and it seems my stomach has noticed some ‘differences’ too, so between that, the jet-lag and the altitude sickness I’m pretty sure I’ve officially “arrived” and still incredibly thankful to be here.
After having met all the community members that Matt works with (pictures coming soon), the first day he showed me around his team’s area of the city. It was wonderful to spend time with him… and just him for the first day. We were so grateful just to spend some time together after over 2 weeks, and a whole ocean apart. We had lunch and stopped at a coffee shop to try and wake me up a little. We caught up and he showed me around like a champ, like he’s lived here for years.
This is a city that considers each one of your senses. Matt took me to the legendary train/subway system that although is extremely efficient is also outrageously crowded even though when we were there he said “it wasn’t so bad”.
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| Train/subway station. |
All over the place street vendors are accessible in the informal alley ways and crevices between the structures, each person shouting at us in Spanish to buy something. Packs of cigarettes, water bottles, candy, cup-of-noodles, you name it - they sold it - if the item could fit in their hands, or in a manageable plastic bag. Oh and the magazine stands scattered between them with everything from children’s magazines to hard-core pornography right next to each other on the shelf.
As we walked between the skyscrapers there were oceans of Mexican people around us, casually flooding the streets. Here and there a mariachi (sp?) band would be on a corner blowing their horns loudly and singing boastfully at the top of their lungs with unreserved joy. On top of those sounds was the blasting American pop-music spewing out into the streets from the store fronts. Beneath all of the overwhelming competing sounds there was a constant hum of traffic and distant echoing blurs of sounds from the distance that has not stopped even now- church bells, machinery, construction, birds and roof-top exhaust systems. As for your sense of smell being overwhelmed - between the pizza shops, taco-stands, layered in is a distinct and dank smell of gasoline, car exhaust and rotting items that I cannot quite describe with words. Im guessing that it is from the sewer systems that have open grates all over the middle of the city.
First visual impression from the limited amount that I’ve seen so far: This is a cement kingdom. Every single building is clothed in graffiti, made up of cinderblock or stone and coated with years of wear from the thick dirt or acid rain. In the air looms a juicy smog that hovers throughout the city. I say the word ‘kingdom’ because it is immense. The street blocks go up and out and despite the fact I’ve seen so little, the vastness of what I have viewed doesn’t even come close to pricking the surface of this city of millions of people.
Familiar things: 7-Elevens, and Starbucks on every corner. Most of the products that I’m used to in America… that I missed oddly enough because it reminds me of my original home culture- Reese’s Peanut butter cups, Heinz Ketchup, Hershey chocolate, common detergents, and house hold goods. Virtually every brand was recognizable even written in Spanish because the logos are still incredibly engrained in my head by default.
Visually cultural things: Beautifuly bright colors. I expected it but here no stone is left unturned. A guy a made friends with on the plane said that the 'its very common for the average person or business that can afford to change the color of their house will often'. I was impressed and inspired by their choices of opposite colors. It blows me away just the use of bright and florescent variations contrasted by blacks, browns, and cement textures.
Mexico City is not like I imagined it at all; I’m not quite sure what I expected. No matter how many books I could study, pictures I could see from other teams, or classes I could take on the culture it’s just not the same as a swift kick in the face of uninhibited culture shock with my own feet actually on the ground.
We want to thank you for your prayers. Its been a miracle to see us both just get to Mexico City. Now that there is a constant internet connection we will first be just throwing out some pictures and some short articles. This has been more than an amazing experience we have seen God moving through the hands and feet of many people in the city. More coming soon.
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