Uncommon Grace

Saturday we spent the afternoon at Parque Fundadora in Monterrey. This is a beautiful park that was created on the grounds of a closed down steel foundry. Apparently the foundry had been closed for years and the decision was made to blend the very industrial aspects of the steel plant with many natural elements. The result is a beautiful contrasting experience where large rusted steel emerges from beautiful natural landscapes and creates a very unique feeling

As we strolled through the park we noticed that we were attracting a lot of attention from the natives. I assured the rest in the group that I was used to this kind of attention and as long as we didn't encourage them, I would lose my appeal and they would get back to their business. I was not surprised when a middle-aged man approached the group and started asking us questions in spanish and gesturing to his camera. I was surprised to learn that he was interested in getting pictures of our friends from Jamaica. I guess maybe my movie-star appeal doesn't translate south-of-the-border.

I realized that seeing a black man in Mexico is even more rare than seeing one in Davis County Utah. These guys were instant celebrities. Not only did they have darker skin, but Miguel had dreadlocks all the way down his back. I didn't know whether to feel good for these guys or feel bad for them. I'll be honest, these guys are all handsome guys and could have garnered attention no matter the color of their skin. But I think they knew and we all knew why they were so interesting to these people. I wanted to chalk it up to youthful curiosity except that it was the father of these young girls who approached us about the pictures. Later in the day we were playing some soccer waiting for our Ice Skating session to begin (that's a subject for another day - ice skating in Mexico), when another man approached with a camera and asked if his daughter and her friends could play soccer with us. Fantastic photo opportunity!

Hats off to my friends, they recognized it for what it was and were gracious through it all. I will never know what this experience felt like for them but I admired them for the way they reacted. It was entertaining for us, and they were amazing sports through the whole thing.

It was a great day at the park and for one day it was nice that all the attention and cameras were focused on someone else.