a haircut, corn, iglesia bautista, and a visa

ok don't faint. i'm updating again! this one won't be as long as the last one, i promise. really not too much has happened since the last time i updated. ok well i did get my hair all chopped off. most of you will recall that i had hair almost down to my waist and on a bit of a whim, i got it cut to just about an inch below my ears. i say a bit of a whim because i'd been thinking about doing this in january, but last friday, my cousin was going to get his hair cut and asked if i'd like to get mine cut as well. so i decided to do it right then. i was able to donate my hair to a charity that makes wigs for cancer patients. i didn't think they'd be interested in a gringa's hair, but i guess it's kind of desirable. the lady asked if it was my natural color and then she looked really impressed (i've learned to read body language and facial expressions pretty well). i'm supposed to get some kind of certificate in the mail for my donation.

i like my hair. . . on some days. it was a pretty drastic change, but i've had this haircut before, about 5 and a half years ago. the lady did cut it about an inch and a half shorter than i wanted. i may or may not have quoted the 23rd psalm in my head while she was cutting my hair. this is the same salon where i got a manicure for my cousin's wedding and the lady cut my finger, and it bled for 10 minutes. anyway, i do like my hair, but it's going to take some time to for me to get used to it as well as figure out the best way to fix it.

ok, enough about my hair. i'd like to talk to you about corn. i am convinced that mexico is obsessed with corn. last weekend, i went with coco to a festival for the virgin of guadalupe. it was her birthday or something. (the virgin's, not coco's) anyway, there was a big festival with all kinds of vendors. coco and i sat down for some yummy chicken tamales and champurrado. champurrado is a hot chocolate drink made with bits of corn dough. don't ask. it's very thick, and let me just say that it was my first and hopefully my last time to drink it. i could only drink about half of it. this is not the only strange food item in which corn makes an appearance in mexico. i have also had corn on pizza -- not terrible, but not something i want to make a habit out of. another corn dish is elote. elote comes in two forms (or maybe more that i don't know about). one is basically just roasted corn on the cob. the other is roasted corn kernals served in a cup or a styrofoam dish. you can have either served with a variety of toppings -- chili powder, mayonnaise, sour cream, cheese, etc. i've had the corn on the cob version, but the corn in a cup with all of the above toppings is basically like a corn soup with a side of heart attack. needless to say, i prefer the corn on the cob variety with just a bit of chili powder and maybe some lime juice. anyway, that's what i think about corn. i mean corn has its place, but not in my hot chocolate and not with mayonnaise.

this sunday, i went to a spanish baptist church. i was a little nervous, because my spanish is still pretty low. but everyone was really friendly and i was able to converse more or less with the people i met. the pastor's wife asked me where i learned spanish and when i told her here in mexico, she was a little bit shocked that i had only been here two months. don't be too impressed because i still have a very long way to go. i did understand about 2/3 of the sermon which made me pretty happy. i find that it's much easier for me to understand something when i already know the context of a conversation. i can focus on how the words fit into that context. this particular sunday was a special service and there was lunch afterwards -- tacos -- yum. it was also someone's birthday and they brought out a cake and sang a birthday song -- very different from the one we know. it is a tradition in mexico for the birthday person (girl, in this case) to take the first bite of out of the cake with just her mouth, no hands, forks, etc. it is also a tradition for everyone else to shove the birthday person's face into the cake, which these good church-going people did with relish. anyway, it was fun to watch. i do think i'll go back to this church. my spanish can only improve, right?

well, finally i am kind of on pins and needles, waiting for this visa. i should hear something by tomorrow or friday. as far as everyone can tell, it really should be finished by then, but i'll believe when i'm holding it in my hands. if it does come this week, that means i should get to go back to the states to be with my family for christmas. my cousins are driving up to mcallen, texas (which is on the border) to do some christmas shopping. i'm going with them, so i can hop on a 19 hour bus to little rock, arkansas, where i will visit with my dad and grandma and pick up my car. then i'm going to drive up to springdale, ar to see the rest of my family and spend christmas with them. the plan is to drive my car back to mexico. it's about a two day drive, but it will make my life so much easier to have a car down here. anyway, all of this is contingent upon whether or not i get my visa this week. if it doesn't come this week, i'll be staying in mexico for christmas, which is ok, but i'd really like to go home and see my family. once i return at the beginning of the year, i will be able to start working. i don't need to tell you how ready i am for this.

anyway, i'll let you know what happens. hope everyone is having a wonderful christmas season.