Miss Chichihualco 2007

Senorita San Miguel Arcangel 2007

Last night, our family went into town to see the Miss Chichihualco competition. It wasn't much of a competition because only one girl was in the running for the title. It was announced to start at 9 Pm. We arrived at about 8:45 pm to make sure that we were able to get a good seat. The centro was full of cars.

We walked around and decided to go get out seats. It was slowly filling up.

We waited with the rest of the town until after 10:30 PM for a singer to perform. At this point, it was standing room only. The only problem was that everyone was standing in front of where we were sitting. We asked them to move over so we could see too. They all answered NO.

Finally after the singer was done performing Miss Chichihualco 2006 walked her final walk and we waited for the Miss Chichihualco 2007 to enter. The only problem was that because it was so crowded she was not able to get in the building. The police were called to help. About 5 policemen came in the door to escort Miss Chichihualco 2007 in the building. I wasn't able to get many photos of her because of the lighting and the amount of people in the way. I did get one photo while she was getting her crown.

Miss Chichihualco thanked everyone for supporting her and being there. She also thanked all the family in the United States for their support. It ended with her dancing in the center of the hall to a spanish rap song.

Sunday en Chichihualco Guerrero

Today I woke up early to attend mass at the Guadalupe church in Chichihualco, Guerrero. The sun had not yet rose but I could hear the church bells ringing from my house. The first set of bells was to let you know that mass would be starting soon. I hurried to get to town. Driving down the Carretera Nacional into town was different from the other days I had been there. It was so early that everything was still closed. The sun was just coming up, many people were walking fast to get to the church before mass began.

When I sat down in church I watched a couple birds that had decided to join the mass too. I didn't understand everything but tried the best I could. The priest made many good points during his homily regarding alms giving. One point stuck to me, he said that our hands are the doors to God. When they are open we can let God in. Of course, he was a lot better at explaining than I at this moment. I was moved by his homily. After mass, I came home and began figuring out breakfast. We had no tortillas, so I walked up to the New Mercado and waited for the tortillas. Everyone is so friendly to me. It is a wonderful experience living here.

Hopefully everyday can be this beautiful!

Different Worlds

Living in Chichihualco, Guerrero is like walking back in time. After living my entire life in the United States of America, I have moved to Mexico with my husband and our two children. Our daily life has completely changed. Making dinner was a huge accomplishment the first couple of weeks here.

Let me help you understand the life here as it really is, not about how you are told by the media. I am currently living in a town called Chichihualco in the state Guerrero. It is about an hour outside of Chilpancingo, which is the state capital. Before getting to Chichihualco, you will be searched by the Mexican military. You will be asked to get out of your car to be searched by 3-4 soliders. Afterwards, you continue your way to the town.

This is one of the checkpoints from afar. You are not able to take photos close up.

Chichihualco doesn't have a grocery store or Walmart. Everything is bought in the local Market. All the vendors live in town and slaughter the meat that morning. You must go in the morning to get the food for the day. If you arrive to late, you will not be able to get meat for the day.

The town doesn't have any parks or activities for children. One family has a pool that you can pay to go swim in and the town has a soccer field. When school is not in session the children work the fields with there family or work in the local stores.

In the middle of the town is a Catholic Church named San Miguel. It has a garden around it which is a gathering spot for people all hours of the day and evening. The Catholic Church is a huge part of the town. The city hall is in the garden of the Catholic Church in the section of town.