A few of my favorite things

As we head into a new year and a new term of school, thought I would tell you about two of my favorite moments in Tijuana last fall.

1. The Mariachi Party at the local nursing home.

I went to visit one Saturday with a few of the students. We entered into a very festive scene. A band had come to play for the residents. This meant clapping and dancing...and a piñata. I think this was probably my favorite thing of all, the piñata. The residents were taking turns striking the piñata, but not with a bat, or sticks, but with their CANES:-) What a sweet scene. Never too old to play!

It made me think of 2 Cor 4:16 which says: Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our inner man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.

2. Making Caldo de Albóndigas.

This is meatball soup and is one of my favorite foods in Mexico. I got the chance to make it with our friends Maria and Chewy. (Many of you know them from eating tacos at Rene's, Maria and Chewy are his parents). I enjoyed the time with Maria, and now I know how to make one of favorite soups. But again, I was so impressed by the hosptitality of the Mexican Culture. First, the three of us sat and had caldo together and then she sent me home with a whole pot of soup for the rest of the BBS family. And all of this was done on their one day off of the week.

Caldo de Albóndigas cooking on the stove.

Our dining area in the midst of their restaurant (the restaurant was closed, but Chewy put together a little seating area for us)

The delicious end product... YUM!

Happy New Year to You! May it be a year filled with peace, joy, and contentment.

Feliz Navidad

Merry Christmas! We finished our first term at Baja Bible and now both staff and students are on break visiting family and friends in the states.

I wanted to share with you something that I have really enjoyed in the pre-Christmas season in Tijuana; cars dressed up like reindeers! I first saw cars driving by the Castillo in November sporting both antlers and a nose. As we moved into December, I saw many, many cars decorated with this seasonal flair. It is a strange thing, but I really enjoyed seeing the festive cars drive by. See for yourself...

But, it does get better. The students were entertained by me. I was easily distracted by these reindeer cars as we were out driving in the city. So, one morning, to my delight, I found my little Subaru decorated for Christmas too! Before leaving for Christmas break, I did get a chance to drive around Tijuana displaying the antlers. I decided to remove my antlers before crossing the border as I wondered about them flying off. I was informed by the border guard however, (he asked where my antlers were after spotting the nose), that they would be fine at high speeds :-)

Another fun holiday shot... coffee at the local Starbucks. My name is very confusing in Spanish :-)