Dayton in the Fifties

Yesterday my parents returned to the United States after spending a few days with me here in Mexico. We had a great visit. Along with getting to see much of the city and the surrounding mountains, my parents helped me with many things around my apartment. We put up curtains, decorated the walls with flags and maps, and stocked up on things from Sam’s club. When we weren’t working, we went to a big waterfall, toured the Chipinque nature park, checked out the Tec campus, saw Macro Plaza and the downtown area and went to the Obispado, a giant hill in the middle of town that has a huge Mexican flag on top. Below is a picture of Mom and Dad at the Obispado, overlooking the city on the night before they left.



We had a great time catching up and I really enjoyed my parents getting to see where I live and work. Many funny things happened while they were here, such as hearing them attempt to communicate with the local kids when we went to work at Alianza on Saturday morning. Although the kids don’t know any English, Dad thought the kids might be able to understand him better if he spoke English with an Italian mafia accent. It was hilarious. Mom, on the other hand, thought that they could understand her if she spoke very slowly, clearly, and with emphasis. I still can’t decide who was funnier. Either way, they both did a great job connecting with the kids. Below is a picture of Dad doing one of his favorite things, handing out candy.



I have mentioned before that coming to Mexico is like stepping back in time. My Dad also noticed this, and soon after arriving remarked that things reminded him of growing up in Dayton, Kentucky in the 1950’s. When he first said this, Mom looked at him like he was crazy, considering Dayton had about 4,000 people and Monterrey has over 4 million. In some respects, though, he was right. As we drove around town and they began to see more of Monterrey and the surrounding areas, Dad began to compare everything here to Dayton in the 1950’s. It became the quote of the week, and by the time they left, Mom and I would look at everything and exclaim, “It’s just like Dayton in the 50’s!” Although there are many differences, having my parents here for a little while made this place feel that much more like home, and I am very thankful for the time we were able to spend together. I am also thankful that my parents got to see and experience a little of my life here, and now have a better understanding of what I do and why I do it. Also, we celebrated Mom’s birthday while they were here. Below is a picture of Mom and Dad at Italianni’s, which is by far their favorite restaurant in Monterrey.