Muchos Besos y No Me Gusta Limpiar Los Banos (Many Kisses and I Don't Like to Clean the Bathrooms)

Muchos Besos

Mexican people are sweet. Why do I think this after 3 weeks in this country? Two words: generosity and kisses.
People are so hospitable, welcoming, and generous. When I go to my friend Lili's house, she insists on buying everything (movies, food, drinks) because she says that she is the host, she serves us food and will not accept assistance, she waits on us making sure that we are comfortable and enjoying ourselves. I love to help people and I dont want people to have to go out of their way for me, so this could be frustrating, but Mexican people are generous with a servant's heart. They do not serve out of obligation or because they are expected to do so. Rather, they desire to serve others.
Another demonstration of sweetness: When you meet someone new you say, "Hola, me llamo Dulce." (hello, i call myself dulce) then you shakes hands and kiss each other's cheeks. When you say hello to someone at the beginning of the day, you shake hands, hug, and kiss each other's cheeks. When you say goodbye to someone, you shake hands, hug, and kiss each other's cheeks. Get it yet? These people are so kind and tenderhearted. An impersonal and simple hello is not all that is offered as in the United States, but they make contact with you and make every effort to connect with you in a personal way. Some people might find this invasive, but I find it endearing.

No Me Gusta Limpiar Los Banos

When you volunteer, you do just that...volunteer. Profound, huh? You cannot necessarily pick and choose what you volunteer for. Well, I am finding that what I do hear is similar in concept to my job back home. My job description at the preschool in Redmond (montessori children's house) was Float because I did a little bit of everything. That was fun cause it kept me interested in what I was doing. But, it was difficult because I did not belong to anybody, I had no team to which I could be a part of, and I sometimes had to do things that I didnt care to do. I feel like a Float again in Mexico because I do a little bit of helping with the children, with the youth, with babysitting, with Puga outreaches, with services, with prayer, with orphanages, and with cleaning. But, I often find myself wandering and trying to find something to do because I have no team to work with.

I have been helping for a few hours nearly every day cleaning the church and it is my least favorite thing to do here. But, I realize that I did not volunteer to do the easy work, to keep my hands clean, to not sweat, and to exist here without a little bit of suffering. But dont worry, I am not complaining, simply reflecting on my tasks and things that occupy my time in Tepic. Today I unhappily cleaned the women's bathroom of the church. I do like to clean, but not bathrooms, and not necessarily outside of my own home. This could have been ok, except there were no rubber gloves. For the love! I could have gotten some terrible disease. After taking over 6 hours of required AIDS/HIV training online this year for work and to become a registered counselor in the state of Washington, I wear rubber gloves, no questions asked, no protesting. I wear rubber gloves. Trust me. Plus, I am already kinda a germophobe. I feel like there is just a general lack of knowledge or education about these sorts of things in Mexico. I dont know anyone who would scrub public toilets without some sort of barrier to protect themself from the harm of nasty liquids and germs.

Well, apparently there are supposed to be gloves at the church, but the girl who does the cleaning doesnt use them anyways, so it doesnt matter. So, I decided that I would NOT clean the bathroom without some sort of protection. I cannot handle exposing myself to such dangers. You will find that when you are desperate, plastic garbage bags tied over your hands work just fine. I am resourceful when necessary and the bathrooms are now clean. End of story.