Trip home Wednesday was super fun! I got up early (after only 4.5 hours of sleep), packed up my last few things, took the remainder of borrowed items back to the distribution center and my two not-clean towels to the laundry room, and swung by the chow hall to say goodbye to everybody. They were assembling for breakfast, so I got a chance to give hugs to the girls and to all the staff (including Juanita) and to distribute all my thank-you cards to everyone's mailbox cubbies in the Brown Room. It was sort of a whirlwind goodbye. Then I went back down to Howard & Janet's, gave them their thank-you card, and loaded my stuff in their CR-V. Howard prayed for our drive before we went out the front gate, and then we were off! Adiós, Rancho . . . for now, at least!
On the drive up to the border we talked a lot about art stuff because (as previously mentioned) Howard & Janet both have artistic blood in their families. We had only about a fifteen-minute wait at the Tecate border. When we got across (easily, praise the Lord), we went to the post office on the U.S. side of Tecate to pick up all the packages for everyone at the Ranch (they all have P.O. boxes for their mail). After that we drove to Rancho San Diego and stopped at Starbucks for a quick late breakfast. I had blueberry oatmeal and of course coffee. I was never even a coffee drinker until about a year ago, but now that I've warmed up to it, being at RSM for three weeks was a bad thing, I think . . . I got super accustomed to drinking it every day while I was there. (Note to self: Must not become a coffee addict. Probably too late already . . . )
When we got to San Diego, we drove to the address my friend Wyatt gave us. Wyatt goes to our college study in Seal Beach, and we've been friends since swim class at Long Beach City College about five years back. Since his dad, uncle, and brother Walker all work in San Diego, he offered to drive down and pick me up, and we could visit Walker while we were there. Howard and Janet took me to Walker's apartment, where Wyatt and I had arranged to meet, but Wyatt was stuck in traffic and was running late. So Howard, Janet, and I went to Home Depot to get some supplies they needed for the Ranch while we waited. It was kind of funny that this was how they were spending their day off (though they told me that this is pretty much what everyone at RSM does on their day off), and that they were willing to let me tag along (after all, their free day is probably the only chance they really have for one-on-one time together, so I felt weird to be crashing it, but they didn't seem to mind). We got some door hardware, tubes of caulk, and a couple of other things, and then drove back to Walker's. By then, Wyatt was there waiting for us, so I introduced him to Howard & Janet and we transferred my stuff over to his car. I gave Howard & Janet big hugs and thanked them for everything. They were such a blessing to me during my three weeks . . . like parents, friends, neighbors, and mentors all at the same time. They always welcomed me and took time for me, which meant SO much.
Wyatt was hoping we could go to a bakery called Con Pane in Liberty Park, which he said has really good bread and sandwiches. But it turned out that they are closed Wednesdays! Bummer. So we went to a place called Brown Bag Deli, which is near Walker's apartment (by Point Loma University), which is WAY old school. I could tell it's probably been around for decades. They have a 20-sandwich menu, a big jar of pickles, and a fridge full of soda and water, and that's it. Sandwiches come in (of course) a brown paper bag. Definitely not hipster or gourmet, but they were nice hearty sandwiches on decent bread, and we were both so hungry that we devoured them pretty fast. And as I found out later, Brown Bag Deli really has been around a long time—when I mentioned to Aunt Nadia where we ate, she said, "NO WAY! The place off Rosecrans? By Point Loma? That used to be my FAVORITE place when I would go down to San Diego! Their bread used to be so good!" Not sure how long ago that was, but obviously that place is a fixture in the neighborhood!
After we finished our sandwiches, we drove to the buildings near Qualcomm Stadium where Walker was working. Wyatt and Walker's dad flips old buildings—he will buy one, fix it up a little at a time, and then sell it once it's fully renovated. These two buildings in San Diego house medical offices and are being renovated one hallway/room at a time. Walker and one of the other workers were priming the entryway of one building, and the other two workers were drywalling the ceiling of a hallway on the second floor. I had a ton of fun because the three workers were Spanish-speaking, and our conversation ended up being half in Spanish. I was right in my element because I'd had lots of practice! We hung out for a half hour or so, and Walker & Wyatt showed me some new hallways and doors, and some old ones that hadn't been renovated yet. There were a lot of people going in and out the whole time, since most of the office spaces are still in use during renovation. And I got to meet their uncle, who does all the financial stuff for the company. It's been about six years since they started this project, and they're finally getting close to completion! It was a fun detour . . . since my dad does landscape architecture, I can appreciate a project in progress.
Wyatt and I had a good drive back—minimal traffic, and lots of snacks from Trader Joe's! I was home by around 4 pm. I told Wyatt thanks for driving me. It was a fun hangout day for sure: Howard & Janet in the morning, and Wyatt & Walker in the afternoon!
It's been chaotic here at home, as I expected, but I'm glad to be back with my family and friends, of course. Everyone keeps asking me how the trip went, and I've been telling them it was awesome! I really did learn so much.
The best things I got out of this trip were:
- I did brush up a lot on my Spanish, which was the main goal of my internship. Conversations in Spanish have definitely come easier over the past week—I've been forcing myself to talk to my amigos hispanohablantes in Spanish only. I also learned lots of signs in LSM—turned out to be about 130 new ones total!
- I learned a lot during the staff church and devos . . . things about servanthood, resolving conflict, being patient, and loving others. And I got to practice a lot of the things I was learning, both while I was at the Ranch and since I've been home! That's the hardest part of the lessons—the application!
- Quiet time with God was one of the best parts of the trip. I think I said it before, but life in SoCal is just so crazy busy, and that can make it really hard to stay close to God on a daily basis. I think a lot of the time He's saying things to me, but I'm just too busy to hear His voice! So on this trip, I finally had minimal enough distractions to be able to hear from God, and to talk to Him, every day. It was a much-needed break, and it made me realize how much more I need to prioritize my daily quiet time with Him now that I'm back in the middle of the chaos.
- The friendships and relationships I formed, both with the staff and the kids, was a huge blessing, and probably my favorite part of the trip. I loved getting the chance to talk to all of them, day in and day out, as we were doing our different activities. I was also so blessed by how kind, welcoming, and loving everybody was to me, even at times when I could tell they were stressed out or tired. I wish I was that good at loving others consistently.
- Learned a lot about Mexican culture too. Baby showers, Día de la Independencia, and how to make Mexican dishes like flour tortillas, salsa bandera, and sopes! (I made tortillas this past Thursday to go with family dinner and they were a big hit!)
So what's next for me? A lot of people have asked. Everyone at the Ranch kept telling me I should come back down and stay for a longer time, and that they didn't want me to leave. In a way, I really did feel like I fit in well down there. But I have things I'm committed to here at home also, and it's been my goal since I graduated to find a steady job. At this point I'm looking into substitute teaching, and I have a few leads on that, so I'm going to pursue it further and see how things work out. But I'm also praying for God to show me the right direction and to point me to where He wants me, and I'm trying to be open to whatever. At any rate, I'm going down with CCPC for the next weekend trip in November, and I'll make it more of a priority to go on the weekend trips as much as I can. I have a way better idea now of what everyone at RSM deals with on a daily and weekly basis, and now I know everyone a little better, so I'm more eager to go down and be able to help them in whatever ways I can. We'll see what God does . . . I know His plans are way better than mine, so I'm just trying to seek Him and let Him take me on the next leg of the journey! He is so awesome, and so good, and so wise, and I want to give Him all the glory for all the things He is doing down at RSM, and in my own life, every single day!
So that concludes my adventure in México . . . at least for now. Thanks for reading, mis amigos! If we haven't talked yet since I got back, I'll see you soon!
