More of Week 3

-One day for lunch we had tamales which are tortillas filled with something or other, not really sure what, but they were good (that's my attitude towards most food here, but I will NOT try the famous grasshoppers). Apparently they are extremely difficult to cook and it's a very long process; Blanca had gotten them from a friend who made a bunch at once, so we probably won't get them again.

-There's a famous saying here, "He has his cathedral but he also has his chapels," which refers to the common occurrence of Mexican gentlemen (caballeros) having a girlfriend (cathedral) and other female friends as well... Our dear host brother Joakin is kind enough to set an example for us of how this process works (i.e. when his girlfriend is in the States).

-Chenoa and I did a presentation for our Mexican Culture class about the family and I found otu several interesting things:
>Mexican Catholics become extremely offended if you call them Christians
>It is the norm for children to live with their parents through schooling/work until they get married, and to move back in if they get divorced
>In more traditional families, the youngest daughter must stay home and care for her parents until they die (meaning no marriage). In others, the youngest children are not taught to cook or clean and that responsibility lies with the oldest children.

-One day for lunch, Blanca fixed us spaghetti and instead of garlic bread, just plain white bread. It sounds kind of plain but I realized I am so used to wheat or garlic bread at home that this tasted kind of sweet.

-I don't remember if I've said this before, but Blanca truly is the Christmas Story mom. She never gets a hot meal, always fixing people more food or cleaning up after the dog who has already been house trained but decided she didn't want to be anymore. That's really appetizing during a meal, so that might be another reason Blanca doesn't always eat with us...

-Saw Toy Story 3 in Spanish in a gigantic IMAX theater in a mall that looked just like any in America. I understood the plotline, even if not all the words or jokes. Daisy and I looked at each other at the end and we were both crying as we watched Andy leave for college! Thankfully Joakin and Eli (with whom we saw the movie) thought it was more endearing than pathetic.