Our new home in Mexico!

Walking to and from the apartment is always a pleasure!


Welcome home!

Last view of the living room and kitchen before

the bedroom...

and the bathroom.

It may be small, but it is lovely, and most of all...it's home!

a lil something to all my grandparents

Grandma and Grandpa, you have filled my life with love and memories before I ever knew how important they would become to me.






You have helped shape me into the person I am today and taught me lessons I never truly learned until...now. I am always surprised with how much you have learned from you both in life, and death.











I look at you Grandma and Grandpa, and I see an example of what I can and want to be.










Looking now, and looking back, I know I am a better person because of you being a part of my life.


Thank you for all that you are!

Wedding!

If you have made it to this page that means that you have gotten the invitation to our wedding!
I thought it would be best to put all of our extra wedding details here as well as tell you a little bit about Ruben and I since many of you reading this have not had the pleasure of meeting the fine young man by my side!

First the wedding details: We want all our United States family there, so bring the whole family! Parking is available in the Saint Cecilia parking lot, as well as along the street. All parking is free of charge to you. Immediately following the ceremony there will be an opportunity to take pictures (funny, cute, traditional, family etc.) with one of our photographers while Ruben and I leave to take some pictures together and while the caterers set up for the open house. Please have fun pictures taken to help us celebrate our day!

There will also be a videographer available at this time if anyone would like to say something to the camera…congratulations, advice, your favorite bible verse or quote, a joke, a poem, a story you wrote about us, we would LOVE to hear what you have to say!

When Ruben and I get back (or probably before) there will be appetizers available at a small open house. This open house will go from about 3-5pm where we will enjoy spending time with you, our family and friends! Although we are not asking for reservations, if you could let Mary De Wit (616.361.6065) or me (616.780.7883) know any REGRETS for NOT attending it would be greatly appreciated! (you could even just comment on this blog!)

As far as a bridal registry is concerned, please read the love story I have written below OR skip to the last few paragraphs for more information. (It’s a very long story I know, I don’t know how to keep things short…and hey, I’m in love!)

For any other questions or concerns relating to the day you can call the following numbers above or you can contact me via email at bethany.dewit@gmail.com


Now that all the business is out of the way…I encourage you to read further to learn the beautiful love story of Ruben and Bethany!!

A long time ago, back in 2005, I decided that I wanted to see a little more of the world than good ‘ol Michigan. So I decided to move to Mexico for a semester at school. It was a fantastic experience, but low and behold I got so much more than I had ever expected!

November 1st, 2005: The Day of the Dead. I met this boy named Rubén Sánchez Ibañez. I had seen him before, but on this night we talked and talked until the wee hours of the morning about everything under the sun (or moon rather). I REALLY liked him, and I called my friend and told her how I had fallen in love. She (like any sane person) told me to stop being so silly, but there was something about him, and something about the way I felt about him that was so special.

I knew I couldn't ignore the feeling, and the next weekend we made plans to hang out. True to my form, I got ready, felt pretty, and started walking gracefully down a spiral staircase only to fall at the bottom and break my foot!

I tried to act cool and tell everyone I was fine, but my ability to stand was lacking to say the least. Long story short, not only did Ruben take me to the hospital and translate everything for me and keep me calm through the whole experience, but also took care of me (even back then I didn’t have a car!). We spent so much time together it quickly became clear that my “silly” feelings of infatuation were true feelings. Ruben and I became inseparable in our hearts.

We tried to visit as much a possible, but college, jobs, money and life got in the way…and we separated. But we never stopped thinking about each other, never stopped loving each other. I even came to accept that I thought we would never be together again, even though I thought of him as my other half.

Then to my surprise (and what a happy surprise it was!!) God had a plan for us! He knew when we were ready to be back together again, and the paths were ready to meet. I was getting ready to graduate from Oakland University and I decided I wanted to leave the country again, but didn’t know where. I loved Spanish and really wanted to go to a country where I could teach English and learn Spanish. Ruben was spending some time in Europe and was deciding what his next step was. While he was in Europe, we started talking…a lot.

Not knowing what our relationship would or could be, we both decided the best way to start was all over again as friends. And for months we became best friends on Skype, and actually planned a trip to Ecuador and Peru together. He became my bodyguard, translator, Spanish teacher, and my best friend! He also was able to meet (and be taken care of) by Becky and Carlos Pinto, which now has become so important to me. Since he never had the chance to meet my Grandma and Grandpa Ellens in person, he was able to meet such wonderful people that were so positively affected by people I hold so dear and respect so much.

After our trip, I moved to Mexico and Ruben and took our relationship back to where it all started, except this time we lived in different cities, so Skype was still a vital part of our relationship, (we joke that we will Skype each other in separate rooms until we are comfortable talking face to face) but our friendship and love for each other grew deeper than I could have imagined.

We knew we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together. We just didn’t know how it was going to work out. Since Ruben is from Mexico and I am from the USA, it became clear very quickly that we could not be together unless I lived in Mexico.

That was until South Korea came into the picture! If you know anything about Ruben and I, it is that we LOVE adventures. We love to see new places, experience new things, and live life to the fullest! We didn’t want to stay in Mexico another year, and I had gotten a job offer in South Korea. So…why not?

We decided to go to Busan, South Korea and spend a year teaching our respective languages there. We weren’t sure how it would work, or if we could even make it happen. I was nervous to go to the other side of the world, but we both knew if we didn’t try it now, they there was a good chance we never would. So we each saved enough money for a ticket home, and packed our bags! It turned out to be one of the best experiences of my life (pretty sure I can say our lives) and I am so glad we stared our doubts and fears in the face and each had such an amazing experience. For sake of saving your eyes and not writing a novel here, I will leave it at that and we can talk about it at the open house!

But there is one important experience to tell you about…we were hiking one day in these amazing mountains in Soraksan, South Korea. It is incredible to see the beauty of this world and share it with someone you love. I had already woken up so happy with the sun shining and the warm August air energizing me for a hike. I had never expected it when Ruben asked me to be his wife. I OF COURSE SAID YES, still wondering if it really happened! But after I spent an amazing day of hiking and experiencing an incredible day surrounded by beauty with Ruben, it finally settled in that we were getting married!

I wanted to spend as much time as possible enjoying the engagement and celebrating our love together before I began to think about the daunting task of immigration. I like to think that Ruben and I are fighters when it comes to our love. We have committed ourselves to this relationship and have fought at every corner and every obstacle to be together. It is not easy at times, but with every challenge comes more confidence, admiration, and dedication to each other.

We are about to meet another great challenge since Ruben and I want to live in the USA. This is not an easy task. It began with spending our entire engagement separated while Ruben is living in Mexico. It continues with a lawyer and hours of complicated paperwork, waiting periods, appointments, travel etc. as well as our next year spent in Mexico so that we can spend the first year of our marriage together (As much as I love Skype, I would like to retire my computer!)

It will hopefully end with the light and the end of the tunnel being the color GREEN and in the shape of a CARD! Since we don’t know that part yet, and all we know is that we are leaving in March, 2012 for Guadalajara, Mexico, we do not have a bridal registry for any gifts. We will not be able to take them with us, and although we are confident the outcome will be what we want, there are no guarantees.

We ask and hope for your thoughts, prayers, and encouragement through this time because they are always needed! (Any day, any hour, any moment!) If you feel so inclined for the celebration of our special day, any financial support you offer will go towards the costs of the immigration process.

Thank you for reading our story and for taking the time to consider joining us February 11th! Our gift in this life is that we have so many wonderful people to share and celebrate with. God has blessed us with so many loved ones and we are thankful both to him and to all of you for being a part of it!

Los coreanos son como...

Basándome en la libertad y facilidad que otorga el prejuicio social y la crítica chismolera que todo mexicano lleva adentro, me di a la tarea de enlistar ciertos detalles físicos y psicológicos, así como comportamientos de la vida cotidiana del coreano común y corriente que los asemejan o alejan de la forma de actuar del clásico mexica, también, muy común y mas corriente; en pocas palabras, una especie de comparativo, por así decirlo.

Recuerde mi gente que esto no es un estudio antropológico, ni mucho menos, es simplemente lo que a esta Dirty Enchilada, prejuiciosamente, insisto, le ha llamado la atención sobre el comportamiento coreano en las calles durante un par de semanas viviendo en Busan.

¡DISFRUTEN!


Los coreanos son como los mexicanos porque…
- Son humanos (como todos)
- Son un chingo y los hay por donde quiera
- Todos se parecen entre ellos
- Son muy nacionalistas
- A simple vista, hay mas mujeres que hombres
- L@s hay bien chid@s, guap@s, pasables, fe@s y no me chingues
- Todos tienen el cabello negro (pocos son los que se salen de la regla)
- Comen un chingo y a todas horas
- Especialistas en comida de la calle, sin embargo, no es chatarra
- En su propio estilo, son muy buenos cocineros
- Escupen en la calle
- El de atrás pita cuando el de adelante no avanza con el verde
- Las calles son un caos vial total
- Los carros se pasan de la línea blanca peatonal en los altos
- El conductor se pasan los semáforos en rojo
- El peatón atraviesa la calle aun cuando el monito de caminar esta en rojo
- Los peatones cruzan la calle a media cuadra y no en las esquinas, como debería de ser, y corriendo porque ahí viene el carro
- Entre las 2-3 de la tarde y 7-8 de la noche, cualquier medio de transporte esta atascado de gente
- En el metro, nadie te pela
- En las calles, nadie te pela (pocos son los que se salen de la regla)
- En la casa, nadie me pela (no es cierto jajaja)
- Todos los niños de morritos practican algún tipo de arte marcial (la diferencia es que ellos si son buenos y pueden llegar a vivir de ello)
- Los niños a su corta edad ya son bien vivos
- Solo hablan su propio idioma (pocos son los que se salen de la regla)
- Muy amables con los extranjeros y hacen su mejor esfuerzo por ayudarte
- Son pocos o nulos los que leen en el metro o camión

Los coreanos NO son como los mexicanos porque…
- Viven del otro lado del mundo y por lo tanto su percepción de la realidad es totalmente diferente
- Tienen un increíble respeto hacia la naturaleza y el medio ambiente
- Cuentan con una envidiable cultura de reciclaje, ¡ENVIDIABLE!
- Si a un coreano se le cae una basura en la calle, no se hace pendejo, se regresa y, o la tira en un bote de basura, o la guarda hasta llegar a su casa
- Es raro cuando expresan afecto o cariño en publico (es decir, no cachondean en la calle)
- Los coreanos no saludan de beso
- Es raro cuando expresan odio y enojo en publico (es decir, no se agarran a golpes, insultan o mientan madres en la calle)
- Todos son lacios (pocos son los que se salen de la regla)
- Todos son flacos (pocos son los que se salen de la regla)
- Súper vanidosos y bien fashion
- Son bien honestos y respetuosos
- En las calles, es raro ver una patrulla de policía, y mas raro aún, verla con las torretas y sirena prendidas
- Todos practican algún tipo de deporte o hacen ejercicio en general (hasta los abuelitos)
- La tercera edad es evidentemente mas activa
- Todo mundo tiene celular y están obsesionados con el (hasta los niños de 4 o 5 años)
- Después de su horario normal de escuela, la mayoría de los niños cursan algún tipo de actividad física o cultural (como tae kwon do, béisbol, violin, guitarra, pintura, etc.) e incluso después, algunos otros asisten a la “after school”, para tomar (mas) clases de coreano, matemáticas e ingles; generalmente terminan como a las 8 o 9 de la noche para regresar a casa y hacer tarea
- Si accidentalmente te chocan o chocas con alguien en la calle, los coreanos no piden perdón o dicen “lo siento”; generalmente no prestan mucha atención a este tipo de incidentes
- Son muy escasos o nulos los indigentes y niños de la calle


Esta lista se actualizara constantemente.

¡Corran sus apuestas!

Adivina adivinador, ¿cual de los dos es el mejor? Así es gente, les venimos trayendo lo último en temas de adivinanza, un juego novedoso y peligroso, ahí de ti donde te equivoques.

Muy sencillo y fácil de jugar: Adivina cual de estas dos hermanitas botellas es el aceite y cual el vinagre. A verda, no esta tan fácil cuando todas las letras de la botella están en coreano. Píensele, píensele y… que corran las apuestas.

... y aqui vamos de nuevo!

Pues llegue con bien, sin prisas y con muchas pausas, en un viaje de 29 horas que fueron más o menos así como 3 días, literales; saliendo el 22 de México, el 23 de Los Ángeles y llegando el 24 a Busan, mi nueva casa.

Para toda mi gente (acento de puertorriqueño) que quiera saber más de la vida por acá en el lejano oriente de esta pareja de muchachos guapetones y carismáticos conformada por infame La Dirty Enchilada (un servidor), y nuestra corresponsal experta en letras gabachas Bethany Ann (necesitamos encontrarle un mejor nombre artístico), no duden en darse una vuelta por este su humilde, y para algunos, ya conocido blog de aventuras, donde con estas pocas pero sustanciosas letras, estaremos informando de lo ultimo en la vida de estos dos no famosos.

¡Bienvenidos pues sean una vez mas y muchas gracias por todo el apoyo y el cariño!

Happy Chuseok!

Chuseok is one of the three major holidays in Korea. Some may argue it is the most important holiday. As it was explained to me, Chuseok is like U.S. Thanksgiving for Koreans. It started as time when Koreans came together to thank their ancestors for the year’s harvest and shared their abundance with family and friends back when there were no dates like September 22.

Although the exact origin of Chuseok is unclear, the tradition can be traced back to ancient religious practices that centered around the significance of the moon. The sun’s presence was considered routine, but the full moon that came once a month, brightening the dark night, was considered a special and meaningful event. Therefore, festivities took place on the day of the largest full moon. On the lunar calender it is August 15th, which is why Chuseok is also known as Hangawi, which means the ides of August

I had the very unique experience of sharing that with a Korean family today. There were foods of all different kinds that I wouldn't even have the first clue how to explain...but I have some pictures!

It was very fun to try to eat with chopsticks and not get food all over myself (which I was successful...except for with the chicken) They had fish, octopus, chicken, pork, and beef, and yes, I ate them all. They also have soup, which is very similar to a miso style soup with bamboo and tofu, and well as a delicious rice filled with bean sprouts, green onion, mushroom, tofu and who knows what else. I was encouraged to try all the different vegetables on the table, which I did and liked. I unfortunately could not tell you what they were, and I dare say they were not vegetables at all but different types of seaweed (but I could be very wrong). There was a different dipping sauce to everything and as always, there was plenty of Gimchi (a national favorite) to compliment any part of the meal you desire. In the small glass there was a drink called Baek ju. It is like a popular rice liquor that is drunk especially in this holiday (again, so I am told).

I was given the vote of approval by the family because not only did I eat, I ate a lot. There for I was an ok Migu (it is the Korean name for a person from the states, because we have one in every country...I hope I "spelled" it correctly)

After this serious spread I enjoyed a "dessert" of a frozen plum tea made special for me followed pieces of apples, pears and another fruit I can not remember the name of (and also have never had before) alongside soaked peanuts with cup of coffee. All this while I watched the end of The Incredibles dubbed in Korean on the absolute largest television I have ever seen. Could one consider it the perfect blend of traditional meet technological, Old Korea and New Korea? Left to be decided...