I just got back from a week in Ensenada, Mexico on a Mission Trip. We did some construction, bible studies with kids, built relationships with local families, and we had a great time. A local group (SLAM - Students Living a Mission) goes to Ensenada every winter and every summer and meets with the same church, local families, and local missionaries. We stay with the church families, in their homes, and get to know the people in the community. It's one of the poorest parts of Ensenada, Mexico. Some families live off $50-60 income per month.

I thought I'd share some of the pictures from the trip.

http://photobucket.com/albums/b332/majikti...&slideshow=true - Slideshow of Pictures
http://photobucket.com/albums/b332/majikti...xico/?start=all - Album of Slideshow Pics

10 people from our church and 10 people from Global Outreach Developments International (local Nashville missionary training school) went on the trip.
http://www.SLAMweb.org
http://www.GODinternational.org

Bump for Majik, I'll check this out when I get home from school.

God I love Mexico! I mentioned this in another post a few months back, but I went to Monterrey for an Architecture field trip. I had the time of my life. It was insane how rich it made me feel and I'm just a poor college student. It was like there's no middle class whatsoever. You're either poor, or rich. I barely spent anything there on meals, clubbing, and booze. Buffets cost $3-4, and were damn good too. The food wasnt like the microwaved crap that you get at cheap buffets here. They made it right front of you.
Owners were outside their stores/restaraunts, trying to get you to come in. Weird feeling at first and made me hessitant, but they were really nice and had awesome service.
The people there were also more friendly compared to the "get out of my way" Americans. Granted, the border isn't the greatest, but just close your eyes until you get 100 miles in. wink1.gif
Basically, I stayed for 3 days and barely spent $100, and I was throwing money away. That didnt include the hotel though. We had a 4 star hookup on that. I recommend everyone go there though.
I'm thinking about going even further to like Mexico City. Anyone been?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (JonGTR @ Jan 12 2006, 08:39 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>It was insane how rich it made me feel and I'm just a poor college student. It was like there's no middle class whatsoever. You're either poor, or rich. I barely spent anything there on meals, clubbing, and booze. Buffets cost $3-4, and were damn good too. The food wasnt like the microwaved crap that you get at cheap buffets here. They made it right front of you.
Owners were outside their stores/restaraunts, trying to get you to come in. Weird feeling at first and made me hessitant, but they were really nice and had awesome service.</div>

This is exactly how it is in Korea. The "Rich" factor isn't as great as it used to be, stuff costs more now than it did the first time I went there in 1995, and there IS a middle class there, but it's the exact same otherwise. Amazing.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>I recommend everyone go there though.</div>

Me too. To any outside country. it'll show you how different things are and how good you have it here. LOL

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>I'm thinking about going even further to like Mexico City. Anyone been?</div>

No, but I've heard the smog is horrible. I want to go to some of the old citys down south, let's go Jon.


Great pics B$.

Looks pretty interesting over there. I hope you had a good time.

hm... where'd you see the B$ thing at? lmao.gif I'll explain later

It's sad, honestly. You're in San Diego, looking a million dollar homes on the sides of the hills, drive 2 miles, pass a fence, and it turns into poverty. The streets and houses look like something out of a WWII movie. It looks as if bombs were dropped there and houses demolished. Most houses are half-way built, trash covers the streets, graffiti everywhere... it's depressing. The only difference is a fence divides the two. They're as much God's children as we are... them maybe even more so.

Going into Ensenada you first see the tourits area. Almost everyone there speaks English, it looks like any other Southern California city. Restaurants everywhere, bars, shops... then you get out of the tourist area and get to see the real communities. Nothing but dirt roads, sewage running down the side of the streets, houses built with cardboard and scrap wood found on the side of the roads. Houses have dirt floors, most don't have electricity or running water.

We stayed in a house with a family from the church. They had 5 rooms in their house, and it was one of the nicer homes (it's the 2-story concrete house that resembles like a jail). We slept on the concrete floors in our sleeping bags. They had electricity, which consisted of 3 light bulbs in the entire house. Their running water worked about 40% of the time, and hot water doesn't exist unless you boil it.

It doesn't make me appreciate what I have, it makes me hate what I have. They have so little but are so much more loving, caring, friendly, appreciative, humble... the list could go on forever. I learned more from the people there than they could ever learn from me.

mexico is a nice place to visit.. as long as you look in the right places..

Yea, dude. You definately went to a border town or something. If you go to the more major cities like Monterrey, like I did, you'll find that it's just like any other major town here in the US. We went there because they had some important buildings. Not exactly sky-scrapers in hieght, but nice enough to sit in the middle of any major city here.