2025 Oaxaca
- Roca Blanca (Part 1)
Roca Blanca
In January 2025, we began our journey to learn the Spanish Language (for real), by enrolling in the Spanish School at the Roca Blanca Missionary Base (RBMB), located on coast of Mexico, in the state of Oaxaca (pronounced "Wa-Ha-Ka"). The base is located about 40 minutes north of Puerto Escondido. This experience took us through the middle of August 2025, and we gained a much needed "Foundational Knowledge" of the language. We still need a lot for practice to get anywhere close to "proficiency." :) Along with learning Spanish, this experience also included a handful of Missionary Outreaches to the Native Mexican Indian Tribes; and we will be sharing more about these trips in a second post.
ABOUT ROCA BLANCA- - As for the RBMB, their main focus is to train native young Mexican students in their Bible School (as teaching pastors) and in their Music School (as worship pastors); and then send them out in pairs to the unreached Native Mexican Indian Tribes. There are around 70 different dialects. Along side their Bible School learning, the students also spend time in the Roca Blanca Trade School. The Trade School gives training in 8 (or so) areas, including: Welding, Auto Mechanics, Cooking, Tailoring, Media, Beautician, etc. The idea is that these "sent ones" will not have a lot of financial support from home, and so they will need to ply a trade in their new town, as they work to grow their church. They will also have something tangible to share with their new communities. So far, RBMB has started over 200 churches. What an amazing program.
In addition to that, RBMB also has a Medical Mission, with a Clinic on site, that ministers to the local population. At times, a group of Nursing School students from the USA will come down to the base to conduct Medical Missions. The RBMB also has an Elementary School and a High School on the campus, as well as a weekly prayer ministry that ministers to the local population.
For our part, the Spanish school is really a side project for RBMB; but while not the main focus of RBMB, we are glad they are in operation. This program was put together by Dave Nelson, many years ago, and he is still serving the Spanish School Director today. The Spanish School serves mostly missionaries from the states (USA) who come down to learn Spanish as they get ready to minister to Latin American populations.
This post will give you a tour of the facilities, and our housing arrangements, and what life is like in Mexico.
Tour of Roca Blanca
This is the entrance gate to the RBMB base.
This is the headquarters offices.
This is the Medical Clinic.
And here is the Spanish School building, where we spent most of our days.
Here are some of the Spanish School students & teachers. This pic is from April 2025 (the second session of the year).
Life in the Mexican Village
Here is our house for the time we were at Roca Blanca, located in a village next the base, called El Cacalote. The house is constructed with cinder block walls, and a tin roof laid on top.
THE TEMPERATURE - - No a/c, and not a lot of windows (so no wind flow). The rooms were always about 88 to 98 degrees Fahrenheit (31 to 36 degrees Celsius). Every night we were thankful for the bedside fans... one on each side.
THE WATER - - Also, there was no running water, except for that little barrel of water on the roof that provided water and gravity-feed pressure for the shower and toilet. As it held only about 100 gallons, we had to refill it on an every other day basis. To do this, we had to connect the well pump that was in the yard, to run water up there. Unfortunately, the pump kept losing its prime, which required a lot of manual priming. Needless to say, the water situation was always an adventure. :)
THE CRITTERS - - Because the tin roof just sits on the top of the cinder block, each of the undulations creates a place for the "critters" to get in. We had a family of geckos that shared the abode. They are nice, because they eat other bugs. Not so nice, were the occasional scorpion (thankful for only one or two of those, and not the 40 that some other students experienced) and the random tarantulas. Tarantulas are harmless, and just need to be gently "re-homed"... way down the block.
THE YARD - - You might also notice the dirt yard. This is how they like it. I was amused at their approach to yard maintenance. They would water the dirt to keep the dust down, which helped the weeds grow. Then occasionally, after the yard was full of weeds, they would come along and chop all the weeds out by hand, which would leave a very lumpy and uneven dirt area. To fix this, they would come and rake it all smooth and level. Then they would water the dirt to keep the dust down..... and start the process all over again. They took great pride in have a smooth and cleanly raked dirt. This approach even applied to the street in front of their houses. Everyone would take care of their section of the street, to make sure there were not leaves laying around, and that it was always freshly raked.
Here is our Kitchen.
GETTING FRESH WATER - - Again, no running water. We had to purchase purified water to cook with. We ended up getting a total of four of those bottles, so that we only had to make the trip once a week.
WELL VS SEPTIC - - In addition, you cannot drink the water out of the well, as it only goes down about 10-12 feet. This is a problem, because the septic "vault" is only across the yard, and it is also only down about 10-12 feet. This means that there is cross-contamination.
WASHING DISHES - - To wash dishes in the well water, involved using a bleach rinse to sanitize the dishes.
SANITIZING PRODUCE - - Even the fresh fruits and veggies needed to be sanitized in a bleach-like solution for 20 minutes before eating.
Here is Rebecca on the porch of our casa. Big smile on day one. Kept smiling all the way through.
There is a lot that "goes on" even in a small Mexican Town (El Cacalote).
FIESTAS AND QUINCEANERAS - - Every weekend (and many week days in between) there is a party of some kind, which always involves a lot of really loud music until 1am (or even 4am) in the morning. When I say loud, I mean shake the house type of loud.
WEDDING PROCESSION - - During our first week there, we were surprised to see a wedding procession. In this video, the newly married couple is parading through the neighborhood with their family while music plays. Prior to the wedding, the bride and her family made the same tour around town, but in silence... except for the grandfather out front shooting off very loud fireworks.
COW PARADE - - Occasionally, we will see a herd of cows (Las Vacas) travelling down the street as well.
TURKEY PARADE - - Here, next to our house, these Turkeys (Los Guajolotes) get walked down the street from one property to another.
THE COCO FRIOS - - Here is a look inside a village store... pretty basic. But here, Rebecca can get her favorite thing: Coco Frio. This is a coconut that has be in the refrigerator so that the coconut water inside the coconut is super cold. So refreshing on a hot day. When you buy it, they hack of the top of the coconut and stick a straw in it. Note: As for the hair, you should know that it was a very windy day. :)
THE AGUA FRESCAS - - Agua Frescas ("refreshing waters") are a staple to the Oaxacan Culture. They have all kinds of amazing flavors: Watermelon, Starfruit, Horchata, Hibiscus, Pineapple, and even Peanut Butter. The Agua Fresca is basically three ingredients: water, sugar, and the fruit. It is then blended; but, it is more of a drink than a shake. You could easily drink it without a straw. In the Province of Oaxaca, you will find vendors everywhere selling Agua Frescas: In the stores, Along the roads, and In Restaurants.
Here is Rebecca buying me my favorite Agua Fresca: Peanut Butter (Cacahuate). On a hot day (actually all the days were hot), it was an amazing way to cool off. We would often take a break from studying Spanish, and walk up to the main highway road and visit our local vendor for a special Agua Fresca.
LOCAL CHURCHES - - Here is a local church. This one has a canopy roof, other churches have a roof made of palm fronds, BUT, none of the churches will have walls (or at least very few). This design allows for the breeze to help cool off the space, which would be too hot with walls.
THE BEACH NEARBY - - Here is the beach right by the base. Those fishing boats you see lined up are used by the village fishermen every day. They pull them up on the sand at the end of the day.
THE WAVES - - The waves here are pretty rough, with waves at 6-10 feet on average. This means that if you are not paying attention, or if you are slight of stature, you will be tumbled "head over heals." There is also the possibility of undertows. This means that most folks do not swim in these waves unless they are a strong & knowledgeable swimmer.
THE SAND - - The sand is really lovely, though.
THE LAGOON - - Here is the seasonal lagoon that sits between the base and the ocean. Sometimes it is dry, other times you have to get wet.
THE SUNSET - - Here is the obligatory sunset pic.
THE COVE DOWN THE WAY - - Here is a video of the waves at another beach located down the way from the base. In this little cove (named Roca Blanca Beach) you can see folks swimming as it is not "as rough".
THE WHITE ROCK - - In the video, you will also see the Roca Blanca ("White Rock"). I was disappointed to learn that it is white, only because of all of the bird poop on it. :) We would come down to this beach whenever we needed a break from studying Spanish.
Fruits in the Village
CACAO - - Here is a Cacao Plant ("Cah-Cow"), which is what chocolate is made of. The odd thing about Cacao is that it grows from the trunk of the tree.
JACK FRUIT - - Here is a Jack Fruit Tree. They are large. If you look closely, you can see some baby Jack Fruit.
NONI FRUIT - - Here are some Noni Fruit. They have a horrible smell, and a horrible taste. Sometimes called the Fruta de Diablo. :)
MANGOS - - This is a cluster of Mangos in a Mango Tree. I did not know they grew like that.
Here is a look at the height of a Mango Tree. Just Huge, maybe 80 ft tall. Also in this pic, you can see the coconut trees (palm trees).
STAR FRUIT - - Here is a Star Fruit. Lovely Flavor. When you slice it horizontally, each slice is shaped like a star.
Flowers in the Village
There are so many different varieties of flowers that we would see on our mile-walk each day, from our house (la casa) to the Spanish School. Here are five of our favorites:
Travelling Across Mexico
To get to Roca Blanca, on the coast of Oaxaca, we decided to drive instead of fly. This allowed us to bring a few more cooking items (air fryer, instantpot, etc.) and spices, along with other comforts from home. Having a car also allowed us the freedom to travel and see other sites while we were here at Roca Blanca. So, we entered Mexico at Eagle Pass, TX (Piedras Negras, Mex), and then drove south for 3 days to get to Roca Blanca.
THE PRECAUTIONS FOR DRIVING THROUGH MEXICO - - Some precautions we employed during this trip of driving in Mexico, included: (1) Drive only during the day, (2) Stay on Toll Roads as they travel faster/safer, (3) Follow a prescribed route that avoids the heavier crime spots, (4) Caravan with other folks who have made the trip before.
DRIVING LANES - - One thing we learned, is how to drive and pass cars when on Mexican roads. First of all, when driving on the many four-lane divided highways, everything is great, and it travels smooth. Buuuuut… once you get to the two lane roads, that’s where things get really interesting. In America, we think of our Traffic Lane as “our space”, and the other cars should stay out of it. But here in Mexico, the lanes are "shared" by all, in both directions. You are expected to drive ON or STRADDLING the white line to the right, so that the middle space (straddling the yellow line) can be doing the passing. The trick, of course, is to NOT be passing when someone else is passing in other direction. Here is video of how that works.
THE MOTOS - - Another thing we learned, is about the “Moto” (the motorcycle). They are everywhere. On the Highways and especially in the Cities. Which makes sense, as a Moto makes it easier to navigate traffic. It is not uncommon to see a whole family on a Moto: Husband, Wife, Toddler, & Nursing Child. Motos are so common that you can, in fact, buy one at the local Walmart… and even in the grocery store. They have them displayed right by the front door, right by the checkout station. Just run to the store for some eggs, milk, and a Moto. So, for between $1,000 to $2,000 USD (about 20,000 to 40,000 Mexican pesos) you too can buy yourself a brand new Moto. Here is the grocery store Motos for sale, right by the checkout.
Here is a line up of Motos in a Walmart, greeting you right as you enter.
THE TRAVEL BATHROOMS - - We have to talk about the restrooms (the "baños") at the Gas Stations & Stores when you are travelling. So, they do in fact charge you $5 pesos (25 cents) to use them. But for your $5 pesos, it is what you don't get, that was amazing.
The pay toilet DOES NOT INCLUDE the following:
(1) A TOILET SEAT (get good at hovering),
(2) ANY TOILET PAPER (bring your own, or pay additional per square),
(3) ANY HAND TOWELS (just shake them off),
(4) ANY CLEANLINESS (don’t touch nuth’n).
2025 Oaxaca
- Roca Blanca
THANKS FOR TAKING THIS JOURNEY WITH US!
- - To see the Blog for Oaxaca Part 2, CLICK HERE