Atlixco

This past weekend, Nicole and I went to stay the weekend at our grandparent's house.

As usual, we had a good time! I always sleep sooo well when I'm there, it's like magic!

Of course we ate the most delicious food while we were there because Sis. Wakefield is the best chef and always makes American food!

One of the nights we were there, we went up on the roof to have a little fun...

We planked off the second story roof ledge.

We did it again the next day for a better picture.

S.C.A.R.Y.

Friday night was Ladies' Service

Bro. Mario preached

 

Saturday morning we went out to a little town here called Atlixco.

They have huge gardens there and sell all kinds of plants.

On our way there we saw a bird "stand".

Here are the gardens!

Nicole pulling our little plant cart

Browsing...

On our way back, we stopped again at the bird stand and I bought a cockatiel!

Here she is!

She is pretty much a little brat and hisses and bites if you even look at her, but soon she will be a cuddly lil thing. (I hope :)

~Bethany~

Zacatlán de las Manzanas

Yesterday we went to Zacatlán, Puebla to visit a school there. We had never been there before so we didn't know what to expect. I thought that since it was a "pueblito" (a village/small town), it would be poor and maybe a bit uncivilized. 

When we got there however, we found a beautiful little town! The weather was wonderful, everything was so clean, and the people...! They looked like foreigners. We saw people with this gorgeous dark red hair, and many with blue and green eyes. I'm telling you, they didn't look like any Mexicans I'd ever seen! 

After we got our business done at the school, we went sightseeing in this magical little town. 

Here is Zacatlan's zocalo (the center of town)

Beautiful buildings...

Do you notice anything weird about this picture?

...or this one?

Yes, there is no graffiti on the walls!! Very unusual. 

Zacatlán's famous floral clock in the middle of town

For lunch we went to this huge warehouse that had a bunch of little restaurants set up in it.

I got to taste a Tlacoyo for the first time. They are these wonderfully tasty little ovalish triangular flat things. It is similar to a tortilla, but much smaller and is stuffed with different things like potatoes, beans, etc. 

They are usually served in soup, which is what I ordered. It was so tasty!

The mini restaurants were inside this building. 

We were having a fabulous time!

A little honey stand on the side of the road

A meat shop

See the "sheets" of meat hanging over the pole at the far left? This is how they make beef jerky. (But this was pork so I guess it's called pork jerky). 

Wowwwwwwwww! Isn't it beautiful?! 

After eating, we went to the canyon of Zacatlán. It was amazing. 

Far across the canyon we could see this waterfall

Me and Mario

He was being so funny, it was like he hadn't seen the beautiful outdoors in so long. He rode the whole way with his head hanging out the car window like a puppy. :) After seeing the canyon, we got back in the car and he looked up at the mountains and said, "God, you sure did make a beautiful creation here in Zacatlán!" 

For our last stop of sightseeing, we stopped at La Cascada de San Pedro. 

As you can see, it was breathtakingly gorgeous. 

The water was a little chilly, but we couldn't resist getting in it :)

At the left is the drop-off of the cascade. 

Mario enjoying the beautiful scenery

:P

Bro. Mario and Sis. Hayde

We love them so much!

There is something about a corn field that I just love. 

Isn't this beautiful? Imagine living in that little house, surrounded by corn stalks!

It looks wonderful. 

An orange house 

I finally got my picture of them that I've been searching for!

Mario with his head out the window :D

We stopped at a little shop on the way out that sold cheeses and traditional Zacatlán foods. 

I thought these looked delicious! 

Anyone feeling a calling yet? :))

~Bethany~

So You Think You're a Mexican

I have a friend that has an extremely weak stomach and passes out over the slightest thing, but she says these pictures are not that gross. Buuuuuuuut......I'll warn you all just in case.

Don't read this if you are eating.

...

Don't read it if you're about to eat.

.....
Don't read this if you might eat in the near future. 
...

Don't read it if you think you might be grossed out because hey...you never know.

NOW...Let the party begin!!

*Maestro!*

I woke up early Monday morning for a teachers meeting. After that, I went downstairs to retrieve my pig head, tossed it over my shoulder, and schlepped it down to our local butcher shop to have it cut up. A lady in our church owns the shop it so she let me go behind the counter and watch everything. (I felt quite important). 

First she cut off its big-O ears and the fat inside its ear with a knife so sharp, it would've made any boy scout proud. 

She then took the head over to this huge machine and proceeded to cut it up into about 10 pieces. 

Getting smaller.....

She is holding the cesos, which are its brains. I held them and it felt like a scoop of pure mush. 

Pig brain tacos are a popular food here, and I've tried it. Tastes like fish. 

After this surgery was finished, I returned home to cook me up some Pig Head Stew haha :P

Washing the pieces of meat

Here is part of its tongue
I tasted it after it was cooked; it was very tender and not rubbery like I'd imagined.

...and some of its teeth. I actually saved one of its teeth as a keepsake, but I seem to have lost it...
Can you hear me bawling? :(

Its eyeball

Do I look like a pirate? Arg!

My faaavorite part of all of this was the snout....It was so soft and mushy and fatty, like a chunk of jello.

Comparing snout sizes

Beau wanted this snout so bad!

  So pink and funny looking!

I made a traditional soup called Pozole. Its main ingredient is whole hominy kernals. In layman's terms: corn. 

In aztec days, pozole was made with human meat. Eventually cannibalism was banned however, so pork was used in its place because it "tastes similar". Nice to know.... :-/

Here is a bowl of the cooked head:

The majority of it was puuuuuure FAT! 

Now, I know I said I would not taste the pig head but something that had me shuddering even more was the thought of being labeled a ninny. I gave in, if only to defend my honor.
Surprise, surprise! It tasted like pork!
Here is the finished product:

You are supposed to put lime, radishes, lettuce and oregano and chili powder in your soup.
It is not my favorite meal, but of course my pozole was totally bomb.
Just kidding...actually, I was poisoned by a pig a few years back and pork has never tasted the same to me.

While cleaning the meat, I managed to paper-cut my hands up with some bone slivers.
(For some reason, any cut I ever get ends up infected.)
When my dad found out, he basically turned all melodramatic and said this...(and I QUOTE!)
"Go to the store right now and buy some alcohol. Rub that on the cuts, then repeat with peroxide."
When I scoffed, he added, "If you don't, you could lose you hands." 
Immediately I began to feel a strange tingling sensation in my fingers.........


"But God, I...I..I need my fingers for my new meat-cutting career!"

 ^^Better safe than sorry, no?^^

If anyone has any extra animal heads laying around......Well...
I pretty much am a pro now.

~Bethany~

Next goal: Have reason to get a tetanus shot.