Last Thoughts, Last Blog

Today is Eric's last day of work. He'll go in tomorrow to say goodbye to everyone, come home, then we are headed up to San Jose to spend a week with his parents. His engineering team did goodbye lunch for him (pictured here).

Last night we went out with Eric's friends. We went to a local food truck hangout in Tijuana. These guys have so much fun together! It was fun to try some different Mexican cuisine besides tacos.

Later that evening we stayed with Fred (blue shirt) and Ernie (hat) headed to work. Fred's girlfriend came over and we headed over to the mall.

We went and saw the new movie Pixels (very funny!). They have a section in the theater called "VIP." You enter a lounge area before the movie. You can hang out and eat, then you go into the theater with reclining chairs, and little tables. They have a menu that you can order from and eat an entire meal while you enjoy your movie.

I have really enjoyed the times we have been able to hang out with them!

I have some last items about Mexico that I never got to blog about, so I'd like to do that.

First is our weekly grocery shopping experience. They have all their sweets displayed as such. Gosh, just walking by it is so inticing! We've tried some of the sweets they offer in this area. Most have been good, some not so!

The other thing you will see is meat out in the open. They freeze it overnight, then leave it out on this table. You can use you tongs to grab the open meat. Personally, I find this a bit odd an unsanitary!

Something that you will see a lot of in Mexico are tire shops. The roads are so bad here, that most tires do not last that long. So, instead of paying lots of money for tires, many buy just a cheap set and use them until the road damage forces them to get another cheap set.

 Overall, it is has been a good experience for the both of us. We are happy to be going back to the US, but there are things that we will miss here!

Thank you all for sharing this experience with us!

A Mini Excursion

We've heard a lot about some of the cities that just lay south of where we are at. We decided to explore as it is our last week here. Last night, we made our way down to Puerto Nuevo, about 15 minutes south. People rave about the seafood, especially the lobster.

As we got on the highway, we were forced onto a toll road. These are nicer than the regular ones, and were charged $2.05 dollars to make our way to Puerto Nuevo.

We made our way into this city onto Main street, which is just a loop. The streets were covered in seafood restaurants, and tourist shops. Outside of the seafood restaurants were employees, just standing there, waiting to usher people in. As we drove down the street, we were just bombarded. Everyone came up to our windows telling us to eat at their restaurants. It was just crazy! We did not want to stay. We would've parked, picked a restaurant, and would've continued to experience this constant bombardment. We did not want to experience an evening like this.

So, we decided to make our way down Ensenada, another city which we've heard a lot about. As we got back on the highway, we were not able to get back onto the toll road, but were directed to a road that took us through the countryside.

It was beautiful! It was really nice to get out of the city and see the countryside of Mexico. Things just feel so much simpler in settings like this. However, our enjoyment did not last; it soon turned to a building stress. The gas gauge dropped closer and closer to the looming "E." As we passed through small towns, we hoped that we would see a gas station, which did not happen. Then the worst happened. That darn gas light turned on! Any stress relief the country had brought us was completely gone.

We continued on our way, trying to make our destination before the truck ran out of gas. I was praying like crazy. We finally get to a larger town. We see a gas station! Yay! Except the gas station is on the other side of the road, and there is a median in the middle, so we cannot cross over. We continue. Finally we see one and we are able to pull into it and fill her up! PHEW. We were so grateful. I don't know what we would've done if we had run out of gas in the Mexican countryside. I'm grateful for the power of prayer.

We arrived in Ensenada. There was a Carnival Cruise ship docked in the bay. We continued to make our way along the coast line. The three lanes on the highway turned into two, as people used the right lane to park their cars to go down to the beach. We couldn't find a parking spot, so we continued on.

We drove around the city and got some tacos. There wasn't much else to do, so we decided to head back. As we made our way back up north, we made our way back to the toll road. Again, we paid $2.05 dollars. This road took us along the coast line. It actually took about 20 minutes off of our drive. If we would've been able to take the toll road down, we wouldn't of had the gas issue!

We saw a less occupied beach along the way, and decided to stop. We walked along the bridge over the highway, to the beach.

Very few people occupied this beach, but the beach left us clues that many people had visited it before us.

We just spent some time, enjoying the sunset, the sound of the waves, and being together.

This is my favorite photo of the evening.

We continued on the toll road to Rosarito. We passed the statue of Christ, that watches out over the ocean.

As we approached Rosarito, we hit yet another toll booth. Again, we paid our fee and got off at the next exit. We assume they put the toll both there on purpose, because many people get off the exit to go to Rosarito. 

It was a fun evening, despite our moment of peaked stress due to almost running out of gas. We are trying to make the most of our last few days here. Its gone by so fast!

Saturday Night Dinner

Saturday night we were invited to eat at the house of an Engineer that Eric works with. They were at the Toro's game with us.

Once again, we did a Mexican BBQ with them. Its delicious. You pick the meat, and vegetables apart, stuff it in the quesadilla, and top it with sauce and guacamole. I wouldn't mind incorporating quesadillas into our future American BBQs.

Julio is an electrical engineer, his wife, Marbella, is a lawyer. They have a 12 year old daughter, Wendy. They are such a nice family. They moved to Tijuana for better work opportunities and just recently bought their house. I don't know how much this house costs (it is in a nice area of TJ), but for a newer house on the outskirts of Tijuana, you're looking at about $67,000 dollars.

We spent all evening with them and had a great time. We talked a lot about the differences of our countries, and about where we come from. It was so nice of them to invite us into their home.

Do you see the Guacamole in the the glass bowl? Did you know that if you leave the avocado seeds in with Guacamole that is doesn't turn brown? I didn't know that trick! Just thought I'd share in case some of you didn't know either.

Just a side note before ending this post. The first Sunday we went to church here, we parked in the church parking lot, and started to walk into the building. A local approached us and told us that if we had any intention of leaving early, we should probably park on the street. Here is why:

People create their own parking spots and will park right behind you, with no room to get out. The church building is full of chairs, tile, and running fans! It has a very Puerto Rico feel to it. As everyone always says, the church is the same every where. Some just might be a little more relaxed about keeping to the schedule :)

Downtown Tijuana

On Thursday we went with Jorge to downtown Tijuana. He took us to a sit down restaurant where a Mariachi band played. I saw on he menu that they served rabbit. This surprised me, but I guess it is a normal thing.

Eric ordered enchiladas, I ordered chicken, and Jorge ordered beef. When our meal came, I started right into my chicken. Jorge sat waiting and picked at the complimentary chips. I thought to myself, "why isn't he eating?" Then a few minutes later the waitress brought the warm tortillas that were to accompany our meal. Well I felt like an idiot. I was supposed to eat my meal with these tortillas! I know I already stick out, but the least I can do is follow the customs of Mexico! Feeling a little sheepish, I quickly grabbed a tortilla and made myself a chicken burrito.

We then made our way to the local catholic church. Jorge is catholic and on one other occasion Eric accompanied him so he could go and pray.

 We walked around, looking around the city. Sure there were some nice areas, but overall, it is a very dirty city. Eric and I both agree that we wouldn't be walking around this area without a Mexican accompanying us.

Eric was careful about putting our valuables in his front pockets. He kept his hands in them most of the time as well. This precaution paid off! He felt a young woman reach her hand in his back pocket while she walked by him. Luckily she had nothing to show for her "hard days work."

We got to see a few street performers.

A donkey painted like a zebra (sad) so that tourists can sit on it with a big sombrero and get their pictures taken.

We made our way towards the arch ( a monument in the city).

FYI getting Jorge to be in this picture with us was like pulling teeth. That is why most of the pictures with him in this blog are taken from behind! haha.

You can see this arch from San Diego. Its weird to think about how close the USA was being in this city.

Speaking of the boarders being close-we had quite an experience last week. We went to the San Diego temple (by the way, the celestial room is gorgeous, I've never seen a prettier one). As we crossed the boarder into Mexico to head back, we saw three men (I'd say in their 20s) jump over the barbwire Mexican wall, cross the street we were on, and shimmy up a light pole and hop the wall over into the US. It all happened so fast. We were already in Mexico so we couldn't really call 911. I'm positive boarder control caught them, as they have sensors everywhere. I think these guys knew what they were doing though. They were fast, and had no problem getting up that light pole.

Cannon Safe

http://www.cannonsafe.com/

Well, as everyone knows, the whole reason we are here is due to the internship Eric got at Cannon Safe (thanks to Emily, she was able to set up this connection for Eric).

Cannon manufactures home safes, gun safes, and fireproof safes. Eric has worked on the design of these safes, as well as programming the machines to cut out the pieces of metal for the safes. 

Eric a his desk

Eric can for sure give you a lot more detail than I can about what he does. However, I was able to get a better picture of what he does when I went to the plant. 

Eric can give you some good stories about how he has stirred up this work environment. One is when he went out to the production line to inspect some of the safes they had recently made. Well, these safes were bowing around the handle when you pulled on it. He told the production manager that these could not go out. After some talking, and some unhappy looks at Eric, they ended up redoing the safes. Now the production manager tells Eric that he likes it when he comes to the line because everyone starts working harder.

One of Eric's most treasured relationships that he has developed here is with Jorge (shown above). Jorge is a 65 year old man, who lives in LA, and comes down for the work week and stays in the Cannon house. To save money, his wife makes him enough beans for the week and that is what he eats for dinner every night. 

He makes stuff for Cannon; anything they need to improve their jobs, he is their man. He keeps to himself, and doesn't like many people. However, Eric made the effort to talk to him, and to get to know him. Now, Eric is the only person he likes :) I think this man has helped Eric through some of his more frustrating days, and vice versa. Jorge has his work station out back behind Cannon, where he can work by himself. Eric will go out there to unwind sometimes and talk.

When I met Jorge, he explained to me that I won the lottery with Eric. He told me how much Eric means to him and that he took the time to get to know him and just talk to him. He hasn't met someone who has done that before. At first I was a little surprised about how much he opened up to me about Eric, but then I had to remember that is it part of the Latino culture. They express very openly about how they feel about someone. Eric has a wonderful gift of connecting with people easily, and creating a good relationship quickly. I think Jorge is what he will miss most about Mexico.

Working here, Eric has had frustrations and learning opportunities . Not only just in the manufacturing tasks given, but working in an international environment as well. I don't think Eric wants to pursue working internationally again.

Overall, I think it has been a positive experience for him. He was so worried that he would get into his internship and realize manufacturing engineering isn't what he wants to do. Luckily, those feelings have subsided and he knows that he will enjoy his profession of choice.

I'm really grateful to heavenly father for paving the way for this opportunity.

Advertising and Friends!

 I have found this very interesting. How do they advertise events in the city here? By painting walls alongside street.

Once the event has passed, they paint over it and advertise for the new coming attraction!

We learned about the local carnival this way, which is now going on. I think we are going to be attending it this week with Eric's friends, which we hung out with the other day.

We went to another Toro's game with them. Eric's work provides free tickets to the game, so its a cheap way to spend your evening. The two guys in the picture are Fred (far left) and Ernie (center). They lived with Eric in the Cannon house, the place where Eric lived for two months until I came out. Next to Fred, is his girlfriend, Michelle.

Both Fred and Ernie live in the US, and stay in Tijuana for the work week, returning to their homes on the weekend. Michelle is a local. She learned very good English just by watching TV. She loves where she is from. After the game, she took us around Tijuana, showing us the nicer areas of the city. There are some very modern buildings, and statues, including the pride of the city: the new soccer stadium.

Tijuana is not what I thought it would be. Sure its dangerous, but you just have to know where not to be, like any city. After talking to people at Eric's work, many come from more rural parts of Mexico to TJ (its what the locals call it) because it is a growing economic city. There are many jobs available. So, you won't find a mix of cultures, but you will find a mix of Mexicans here. We've gone to a couple of really nice malls and areas. I think I was too quick to judge what I heard. I think TJ is actually a very nice city.

I know I talk a lot about food, but it such a huge part of the culture. Below is a picture of elote (which actually translates to the little corn hairs found on corn. The Chileans would tell me that I had elote hair). It is corn, Parmesan cheese, butter, and lemon juice, all mixed together. I will definitely be having it again before we leave as it is very good!

Vamos Toros...Lets go Bulls!

On Friday, we went out to a baseball game with the Engineering team from Eric's work. We went and saw the white and red Toros play. The Toros are a local baseball team in Tijuana, and they are pretty popular.

Everyone was so nice. It was great to be able to socialize and get to know the people that Eric works with everyday. They all brought their families. I always think it is best to experience a culture with the locals; it makes the experience so much better!

We ended up doing a barbecue at the game. Julio, below with Eric, taught him how to Mexican BBQ.

 The guys were having a little too much fun at that grill!

Even BBQ revolves around tacos! They BBQ the beef, make quesadillas on the grill, then you make your own taco with the meat. You add salsa and guacamole to finish it off.

I tried a fruit bowl that they sell. It had this chili powder on it that I mentioned in an earlier blog. Well, the powder is okay....don't think I'll have it again. I think fruit is already good by itself, but I finally tried it.

Eric and one of the other guys (I never learned his name!) got on TV. There was a news cast going around asking how people were enjoying the game and they interviewed them. The reporter's eyes opened really wide when Eric just started speaking in Spanish on camera. It was pretty funny to watch.