I have officially begun my final week living in Mexico City. I have enjoyed spending the past seven weeks in Mexico and being able to speak Spanish every day, everywhere I go! And the variety of food, wow, what a treat! I will most definitely miss stopping by street stands to buy tortas, fresh fruit, tacos, elotes, Mexican hot chocolate, candy, and so much more. However, I must admit that my time here has not been easy and in many ways I’ve had to re-adjust my quite American lifestyle in order to fit in and learn to deal with the cultural differences. It’s been interesting (and challenging) to learn about how I seem to fit right in ethnically, but culturally, well, not always.
However, my greatest struggle in thinking about leaving Mexico is how I will say “adios” to the precious little princesses I have shared life with during my time here. Each one of the girls is so very special and we have kindred spirits because almost all of them love pink, flowers, and Disney’s princesses! Last week I purchased a very girly, pink edition of “Twister” for the girls and I was lucky to play with them…and yes, I lost against them on several rounds! I know I will miss their little hands wrapped around my hand; their slender arms linked with my own; their bright cheery eyes and smiles whenever I arrived and greeted them; their constant question, “Maestra Keila, nos va dar computación hoy” (Teacher Keila, are you teaching computer class today?); their gentle hugs around my waist; and tons more that I keep treasured in my heart.I have also had a delightful opportunity to directly love the girls by sharing life with them and helping out on a daily basis because I am currently living with five of the oldest girls who have been transitioned from the safe home to a large apartment located in a nice, safe area of the city. The girls are re-integrating into society and working on fulfilling the dreams that God has given them to
accomplish. Each of the girls is either working or finishing school (elementary, junior high, or high school), or a combination of both! I have been helping and teaching them ways to care for their apartment: organizing, cleaning, buying supplies, decorating, creating chore charts, and making it feel more like a home for them. The girls call me “Mama Keila” and I am definitely going to miss their beautiful, joyous smiles; their strong bear hugs; and their constant laughs at all hours of the day.This past week, I also had the opportunity to learn about a different Christian organization that for security reasons is not published online, but is also doing wonderful work in Mexico City. I volunteered by helping to paint a new locale they are renting. This organization is directly working with the girls who some people in Mexico refer to as the “bad girls.” These girls may be found in a certain area of the city in broad daylight, along a street that the police know about but will not go into, and the girls stand around as if they were merchandise to be looked at, asked about, and offered a price. It broke my heart to see them from afar, while knowing that a lot of them are not there by choice. In fact, some girls are known to be minors and yet, the legal process in Mexico is not strong enough to protect them. In order for the girls to be rescued from the pimps, they must be willing to “denunciar” (denounce/report to the public minister) and unfortunately, out of fear of being caught and killed, many girls remain enslaved in this vicious cycle of abuse.
For all of you following the Center for Global Justice summer intern blog, thank you so much for your continued prayers and interest in what God is doing through each of us Regent Law students. Please keep on praying for Mexico, its children, and for God’s justice to be accomplished. God cares about “the least of these” and I know that He will continue providing the strength and wisdom needed to help and love others who are crying out to Him. I am very blessed to know that there are many people who have lifted me up in prayer during my time in Mexico and from my heart, I say, muchas gracias!