learning new languages

Just like the rest of the Ixtlán visitors, I (Seth) have learned so much just in the week and two days that I have been down here.  As I was reflecting on the week, I realized that everything I have learned, can be made into a language in some way. Forgive me if this is a stretch, but here are 4 languages that I have learned that stuck out to me throughout my time here in Ixtlán.

The most obvious language I have learned is Spanish.  I guess maybe enhancing is a better word than learning because I have taken 4 years of Spanish in school, but when it comes to listening to native speakers talk 20 times faster than anyone else you have heard before in your life, then it becomes a learning experience.  

Another language I was surrounded by just about every day is the Mexican construction language.  It is much different than the US.  I learned how the Mexicans mix concrete by hand, and I am still in the process of learning what all the different types of whistling mean because pretty much every tonality of a whistle means something different... although Grant tells me I'm a good Mexican whistler! :) I'm also learning what it is like to build a house with concrete walls.  Grant and I have been pulling wire pretty much the whole week, and to do so in a concrete house, you have to put rubber tubing between every outlet before the concrete is put on the walls.  This can create some problems as there aren't many alternative options if you cant get the wire through the tubing... or if the wire you are pulling on breaks, that creates a lot of problems too.  The thing is though, the Mexicans always find a way to solve the problem at hand.  This is especially the case when it comes to tools.  If you don't have the exact tool you need, you can make do with something else.  Overall I think I have learned a lot about my attitude towards working from the Mexicans because even though carrying and mixing 5 gallon bucket fulls of concrete is hard work, they don't hardly complain at all... at least in the time that I have been here.

I also learned Baby language.  Ivory is the cutest, most lovable, most adorable little baby I have ever seen... and that's not even my biased opinion! :) Baby language is something that I haven't spoken too much of since Addie was a baby 10 years ago, so I was a little rusty at first.  Here at the end of the week though, I'm doing pretty good.  Hannah and Leah both made comments about my baby talk, and mom noticed over Skype also.  If that isn't enough, Ivory fell asleep on my shoulder the other day. It made me a very happy uncle/tio.

The last language I have learned is the carefree attitude of the Mexican culture.  They can do pretty much whatever they want, excluding the most harmful things.  For example, the other day while Grant and I were walking to the hardware store, I saw a family of 4, 2 adults and 2 children, all sitting on the seat of a motorcycle.  There have also been many instances where lots of people were sitting in the back of a pick up truck going down the highway.  Chickens and other livestock walk the streets and roosters crow at 5 in the morning. Firecrackers get lit off at any time of day, including evening hours.  But the most amazing thing of it all, is that they Mexican culture is so carefree, that it doesn't bother anyone.  To be completely honest, I think the carefree aspect of things is one of my favorite characteristics of the Mexican culture.

Note from Hannah: And they even do dishes for me. I'm so blessed! :)