THIS...is San Miguel.

Well, it looks like I have been struck by what all the locals thought inevitable but I thought I was invincible from...the travelers poo :/ The downside, of course, is that I cannot move far from our little casita without having to take an immediate about- face back toward the porcelain throne. Lets just say, Kyle and I's first official "esposos" night did not go quite as romantically as planned. WARNING TO FUTURE MEXICO TRAVELERS: don't even think about eating an entire bowl of homeade salsa from a restaurant without asking if the ingredients are washed in filtered water. Kyle and I = Tourist Fail.

But enough with the downside, the upside is that I now have to time to write a little about what has been going on down here. Let me tell you about our new friend Ramon...

Ramon is our wonderful friend who picked us all up at the airport, dazed and confused as we were from over 15 hours of travel. He is also the host father of Lindsey. He has taken on the role of advice giver of all things Mexico, which has been a real blessing for all of us. (More advice from Ramon to come). The night we arrived, it was already after 11 o clock and we all expected to just crash in our beds, thinking that everyone else here had the same idea. Oh no, not in San Miguel. We were met with a full meal of fresh frijoles, rice, rolls (I can't remember their Spanish name), Guacamole, and fresh cream. The whole family was there to greet us! This was my first impression of the people in this city, and I can say, it made me never want to go back to the states. "What a warm and thoughtful welcome, they must be so tired but are wanting to serve us food as a welcom," I thought to myself in my stupor.

The next morning we were told to meet for breakfast at 9 am. Well, 9 am turned to 9 15 which turned to 10:30, and then we were off to breakfast with Maria (more about Ramon's lessons on Mexico time to come). I thought this would be like an orientation type of breakfast. You know, to tell us our schedule of activities for the church and the expectations held for us. You know what I mean, business-type stuff, the real important things.

Instead of sitting down to a moderately serious meeting with Maria, we were met by all the host families, including the pastor and his wife. They were already ordering food and laughing and talking away. No business here, just talking. I sat down in my chair a little disillusioned, wondering what was going on...my expectations were shattered...and I had been so nervous that Maria and us were late. We spent the next two hours chatting away about life, having different foods explained to me, and learning new words in Spanish. Everyone seemed so happy together, this big family with the pastor and his wife. I felt warm and at home already. I couldn't help myself, I had to inquire about this new culture. I had to understand if this was some strategically planned event to make me feel at home or if this was normal life for them.

"Ramon," I leaned forward across the table, a little embarrassed to ask my following question. "Do you guys always do this, you know, eat together as a big group and talk together all the time? Or is this a special occasion?"

Ramon gave me the tiniest hint of a smile and nodded at me. "This is what we do here. We eat together, and we talk together. We are together all the time."

"THIS..." said Ramon as he lifted up his large sandwich full of huevos rancheros, waving it in a large circle to gesture around the table at all the smiling faces, "...is San Miguel."