Valentine's Day around the world

I just celebrated my first Valentine's Day in Mexico.  Down here it is called El Dia del Amor y la Amistad.  So, both love and friendship are honored here.  I enjoyed driving through the city and observing how the day was celebrated.  It is a good reminder that this is a culture that places great value on relationships (family, friends, that special someone) and celebration (fiestas!).  

Lots of balloons for sale

 A lovely lady who has received her valentine or is getting ready to pass one on

These stands were set up all throughout the city in front of markets and houses.  They were selling balloons, candy, and stuffed animals.

Flower stands were set up for the special day

More balloons for sale downtown in Centro

After seeing a Valentine's Day in Tijuana, I was curious about how the day was celebrated in other parts of the world.  Most countries were similar to the United States, but here is one that is a bit different.  South Korea.  So, it turns out that on February 14th, the ladies give candy to the men.  That seems reasonable, but the celebration is not done at this point.  On March 14th, the men are expected to return candy to the ladies that gifted chocolate or candy to them.  This day is known as White Day.  But wait, there is one last thing to wrap all of this up.  It is called Black Day.  On April 14th, all of the people that did not receive anything on the earlier dates go out to eat noodles covered in a black bean paste.  This a tradition celebrated mostly among the younger generation.  So there is your interesting cultural fact for the day.  

Life in a Border Town

One of the very interesting parts of Tijuana life is certainly the border that sits between the United States and Mexico.  There are two border crossings that we can use in Tijuana, but most times we use the San Ysidro crossing.  It is the busiest land border crossing in the world, and it is estimated that over 50,000 people cross each day.  That is crazy to consider.  

We had a funny crossing incident among our staff the other day.  I had been to the states on a Tuesday and done some grocery shopping on my way home.  As I put my groceries away that night, I realized that I lost one of my avocados.  It was late though so I did not head to my trunk to look for it.  So... the next day three of the staff headed to the states in my car.  Each border crossing is different, different guard, different mood of the guard, and occasionally a trunk check.  Well, they checked the trunk on this particular day and guess what they found, one avocado.  My very gracious staff friends took a detour to secondary and the Subaru got an X-ray.  And the border patrol confiscated my avocado.  We had a good laugh about the whole story, but it was a good reminder that we live in a unique setting.  Two worlds meet at the border and they are very different.  I know that I have learned a lot from the Lord in my crossings of that border and I know our students will too. 

Here is the border as you head East toward the airport.  Crosses have been added to the border on the Mexico side in remembrance of those that have died in attempts to cross illegally.

The new border fence.  Construction is currently underway to rebuild the fence.

My view from the office.  I was sitting at my desk the other day, and realized that I have an incredible view.  I look out at the city of Tijuana and San Diego at the same time.  Baja Bible is in a very unique setting indeed.