Three Friends, One backpack, 4 sets of clothes, 7 days, 3 counries: Our adventures in Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala

Hey there everyone!
As I sit here typing this, I realize that this will most likely be my last post from Mexico! I can not believe how fast the semester went by and yet it seems as though I have been living here in Merida for way more than 4 months! In many ways, I feel as though I have emerged a changed person...Studying abroad does that to you I guess. There are so many things to share about this past week and I will do my best to relate all my stories to you here although I look forward to being able to tell all about my adventures face to face! (They are always better that way)
Tuesday morning I met up with Dez, Sarah, and Shannon to buy all the tickets for our trip. It was a little stressful trying to figure out how much money to take out and convert to dollars (we didn't want to carry too much with us) and exactly what tickets to buy but we eventually figured it out and grabbed some ice cream before heading home. That evening, we were invited to the home of our program director for pizza. She has one of the most gorgeous houses I have ever seen! It was so much fun to see all of the artwork and enjoy spending time talking with her and her husband who teaches at UADY. It was great to reminisce about all the adventures we had this semester together! We got home super late that night and went to bed.
The next morning, I woke up early to go to breakfast with my parents at the casino..they wanted to bring me there one last time before I left. When we got home, I headed to the ISFA-Butler office to watch the movie Elf with Sarah, Dez, D, and Pearl. It was fun to see a Christmas movie and made me realize just how fast Christmas will be here...it's hard to get into the Christmas mood without cold weather and snow but we're doing the best we can! That night, we all decided to go out to celebrate our last night together in Merida. It was fun to get out (we just went to a place that does Karaoke and danced) but we ended up getting back home around 3 in the morning! After saying goodbye to Pearl (it was the last time we would see her), we all headed back to our houses. Most of us decided not to sleep and got packed up and ready to go to Tulum.
By the time I arrived at the bus terminal, I was exhausted and ready for the 4 hour bus ride. D ended up sleeping in past her alarm so it was just Sarah and I. Dez and Shannon (and D) met us there later on in the day. We checked into our hostel and got our bikes that came along with the hostel and biked to a nearby grocery store to buy lunch. We then hung out at the beach until everyone else got there. That night, we all biked to the beach and watched the sunset and then biked to the grocery store to get food for the rest of our time there. I was really excited to use the bright orange reflective vest and helmet they gave us to wear :).
Friday, we all enjoyed a day at the beach and saw some ruins that are right on the beach in Tulum..it was pretty sweet. The best part of the hostel was being able to have bikes to get around to places. Tulum was my first hostel experience and I have to say it wasn't too bad. That night, we enjoyed our last night all together and got packed up and ready to head off on our adventures.
Saturday morning bright and early, we said goodbye to D and Sarah who were headed back to the States and boarded a bus to Chetumal, Mexico which is super close to the border with Belize. Our goal for the day was to get to San Ignacio. I had researched the trip as well as I could and had somewhat of an idea of how to get there but buses in Belize aren't as reliable as in Mexico so that that makes getting anywhere an adventure. We ended up waiting at a little restaurant until a man came and told us he was going to Belize City and we could catch a ride with him and then take a bus to San Ignacio. The bus ride through Belize was long but it was fun to be able to see a different county. Right at the end of the trip into Belize City, we got stopped by a Christmas parade and it took us an extra 2 hours to get there! We were pretty worried about catching the next bus to San Ignacio especially as it was now dark but everything worked out and we arrived in San Ignacio around 9 that night. We found a cheap hostel and ate food from a street vender close to where we were staying for supper and then headed to bed; we were exhausted from a long day of traveling!
Sunday, Dez and I explored San Ignacio and enjoyed hanging out at the hostel reading and relaxing. Shannon went on a tour of an archeological site inside a cave but it was pretty expensive and we didn't feel it was worth the money. It was nice to just have a day to relax and I almost finished Three Cups of Tea, the book I was reading.
Monday, we slept in and went to a market in San Ignacio to buy fruit and food for the day and then took a taxi to the Guatemalan border. After going through customs, we found a bus going to Flores where we were headed. On the bus, we met a couple from California who had just finished volunteering in Honduras and several girls from Australia. We arrived at our hostel around 3 and walked around and explored Flores for a little while. Flores is on an island and is a really sweet place with all sorts of cool shops and cobble stone streets. The big adventure of the day happened when we went to the nearby town of Santa Elena to get money from an ATM. For some reason, our cards didn't work at several of the ATMs we tried and we ended up trekking all over town trying to find some way to get money. Eventually, we found a machine inside a grocery store that worked but it was enough to make me thankful for all of the places that accept credit and debit cards in the US and the availability of ATMs! That night, we hung out at the hostel which was a sweet place. It reminded me a lot of a giant tree house and had an amazing restaurant in the middle of it where we ate supper.
The next morning, we woke up and went to explore a cave with the couple we met from California. It was a neat experience and we met a family from Guatemala city who wanted to take a million pictures with us..we got a kick out of it. That afternoon, Shannon and I decided to rent a canoe and go canoeing. She has been on multiple boundary water trips and with my rowing experience, we figured we were set for an easy afternoon on the lake. Not so. The canoe we were given was super hard to steer, especially going against the current. We eventually had to hug the weeds growing on the side of the lake to get back; after 6 hours of hard rowing, we were exhausted but pretty proud that we had managed to get back! That night, we relaxed at the hotel.
Wednesday morning, we woke up early and headed to the nearby city of el remate and went hiking in the jungle. It was about a 3 hour hike up a huge mountain but it the view from the top was worth it! On the way down we saw spider monkeys which were amazing! We returned to the hostel and Dez decided to relax there, Shannon stayed back to swim, and I took my journal, Bible, and book out a dock on the Lake and spent some time with Jesus. It was nice to take more than the time I usually set aside for my quiet time to just be with Him; I don't know why but for some reason, I always feel closer to God when I'm by a huge body of water like a lake or the ocean. Maybe that's why people would gather by the river in Bible times when there wasn't an established church! Watching the sunset from that dock and praising God for His faithfulness to me this semester was probably my favorite part of the whole trip! As I sat there, I was overwhelmed as I remembered all the times God met me here and sustained me when I thought I couldn't go on any longer. Eventually, I went back to the hostel and changed into running clothes and went on my last run with Shannon. We spent the rest of the night together saying goodbye and getting ready to leave early in the morning.
Thursday, we left and took a bus to Chetumal. The ride seemed like forever but eventually we arrived and got on another bus to Tulum. In Tulum, I said goodbye to the other gals who were headed to Cancun and then to the States, and went to the bus station. It was my understanding that I would be able to catch a bus back to Merida but it turns out the next one didn't leave until 1:40 am so I hung out at the station as I had no other choice. The bus eventually came and I slept the entire way back. We arrived in Merida around 5 am and i took a taxi to my house where I set my stuff down and crashed on my bed.
This morning I woke up around 10 and ate breakfast and swam for a little while and then took a shower. My parents then invited me to go out with them for lunch at a cute little spot with live music. We stayed there talking for about 4 hours and then headed home. I worked on getting unpacked and stuff around my house for a while and then went to see the new Chronicles of Narnia movie in Spanish which was great!
Tomorrow, I plan to spend my last day at the beach and then pack up on Sunday! Hope everyone is doing well! Thanks for all of your prayers and support while I have been here. I can't wait to be able to share my stories face to face with all of you!
Un abrazo,
Brenna

Last week of school, Hannah Montana, and Cockroaches

Hey there guys!
I am officially done with school here in Merida! Whoot whoot! My last class was on Friday and I have enjoyed relaxing and getting things done around here. It's hard to believe that I am on the final stretch of my semester here. I praying for endurance to "finish the race well" and looking forward to being home soon.
Monday began my last week of school. We had our last lecture for International Relations which made me a little sad because that was my favorite class and I really enjoyed our professor. The sadness didn't last too long though because after class, Dez and I headed to Progresso where we enjoyed spending the day together. I haven't spent a ton of one-on-one time with her and it was really fun to get to know her a little better. It was cruise day at Progresso which meant a lot of Americans. It was weird hearing so much English and I got a little annoyed when vendors would call out to me in English as I walked down the street...it was kind of a surreal feeling to not really want fit into your own culture (or at least be perceived as a tourist). We eventually headed home where I ran, ate supper and then watched Elf to try to get into the Christmas mood. It's so odd to hear Christmas music and see decorations when it's 100 degrees outside! It just doesn't feel the same.
Tuesday, we had our final exam in Spanish class and it was nice to get that done and out of the way. I was able to Skype with my parents that night and that was good. I can't wait to get home and be able to have conversations face to face!
Wednesday, we had a take home test in international relations so I worked on that and then we had our last underwater archeology where we turned in our final paper. After classes, Dez, Sarah and I headed to a coffee shop in El Centro to work more on our tests.
Thursday, our communications class was canceled so I spent the morning putting the finishing touches on my test and sent that in. I then was able to go for a run and headed out to Spanish class. After Spanish class, I had my last tutoring session and we proofread a final paper. It was sad to say goodbye to my tutor; she really helped me a lot and I feel like I am able to write better thanks to her help.
Friday morning was my last class: History of US-Mexico relations. I had a final presentation and that went well. I headed home after class for a little bit and then met up with Shannon. She volunteers at an orphanage on Mondays and Fridays and I asked if I could go along with her to see what it was like. When we got there, we were greeted by two little girls; one who obviously needed glasses because her eyes were crossed-she was adorable. They immediately grabbed our hands and pulled us in. We spent the first part of our time there working with them on homework. It was hard to see them struggling with simple addition and subtraction problems but I enjoyed working with them and was happy when several of them seemed to really understand by the time we were done. Those are the times I wish my Spanish was better so I could explain things in an easier way but they seem to get the concepts I was trying to get across. Afterwards, we played with the kids for a while. One of the little girls pretended to faint and I joked that she was dead and had a pretend "funeral" for her, "burying" her with things that were lying around and putting "flowers" (tissue paper in her hands). The kids thought it was hilarious and all wanted to be dead..they spent the rest of the time "dying" and having funerals. One of the girls grabbed my hand and told me she was going to call me Hannah Montana ( i guess that's easier than Brenna) because I look exactly like her. I got a kick out of that. They also all though Shannon and I were sisters because we both have blond hair and the same color eyes..it was fun trying to explain to them that we were just friends, not sisters. They didn't seem to quite understand how we could look so similar and not be related! It was really fun to spend an afternoon there and play with them but it also made me really sad thinking that they didn't have parents. While it was obvious the orphanage tried to provide the kids with everything they needed, it was pretty sparse and everything was old and had obviously been used before. It made me realize how lucky I am to have a family and a gorgeous home!
Saturday, I woke up bright and early and headed to el centro to go on a trip to Campeche, a city about 3 hours away from Merida. Some of the girls from our program are in a history of art class and the class was taking a trip at the end of the semester and the cost was only $30 pesos (about $3) so we were invited to come along. Shannon and I were the only ones who showed up as everyone else had gone out the night before to celebrate being done with classes and didn't want to wake up early. Our first stop was some ruins. It was fun climbing around on them and not having a guided tour so we could do what we wanted. After the ruins, we went to a Spanish fort built around the 1600s that had cannons that were used to shoot pirates..it doesn’t get much cooler than that! There was a great view to the ocean and a sweet draw string bridge. We then hopped back on the bus and headed to Campeche where we spent several hours looking around the city. Shannon and I explored a path along the beach and got into a really great conversation about faith based on works or belief. Eventually, we loaded back on the buses and headed back to Merida.
Sunday, I enjoyed a day around home where I swam in our pool and worked on organizing all of my pictures from the trip. After a run ( I am sure going to miss being able to run in such beautiful weather), I went to go see the movie "entangled" in Spanish. It was hilarious and probably one of the best movies I've seen in a while. Oh also there was another cockroach in my shower so I killed it with my tennis shoes. Man, I hate those things! They are so gross but I would rather know that they are dead than crawling around my room!
Today (Monday) I woke up and met Shannon and Sarah at the beach. A little bit after we got there it started getting really cloudy and cold and rainy so we went in a little store to wait it out. Eventually the rain stopped so we went for a walk on the beach but it was still cloudy so we decided to head back. Shannon and I went shopping at Gran Plaza where I helped hunt for a dress for her and then we headed home. I don't really have any exciting plans for the rest of the night; I’m just planning on hanging around home.
Hope everyone is having a great week! Nos vemos pronto (see you soon)!

Thanksgiving...Mexican Style

Hola a todos! (Hey everyone)
Hope everyone had a great week and a fantastic Thanksgiving! It was a little strange celebrating another Thanksgiving abroad. Last year, I didn't really feel that different celebrating in another country away from my family but this year, for some reason, it made me miss being home and all the Thanksgiving traditions we have.
Sunday, after finishing up my paper, I headed to Wal-Mart to hunt for supplies to make a thank you card for my mom ( we all decided to write notes for our moms to give to them during our Thanksgiving dinner to show them how appreciative we are of all that they have done for us). Unfortunately, Mexican Wal-Marts don't have a very good stock of card making supplies but I was able to get creative and find a few things I could use. After my run that night, I came home and listened to a sermon from Blackhawk church. It was about being a servant and really challenged me to serve those who I am here with even when it's tough and no one notices.
Monday after class, several of us decided to head to the fair that is being held in a city close to Merida. There were live animals, rides, food, and games (it reminded me a lot of  a state fair). Because we decided to go on Monday, there weren't too many people there..Mostly just kids on field trips with their schools...so it was a little boring but we enjoyed looking around. Eventually we headed back to el centro where Sarah, Dez, and I stayed to walk around and take pictures and do some shopping. That night, I went for a run and ate supper and then worked on making the card for my mom. It was fun to be able to do something creative. I really miss all my art supplies back home and being able to sit down and work on different art projects when I’m away from home.
Tuesday, I had my communications class where we were assigned our final reading assignment  and topic for our final paper. I had Spanish class that afternoon and then went for a run and worked on my reading.
Wednesday, my international relations class was canceled because my professor had a conference to attend so i had the morning off. I finished up my reading for communications and then headed out to my underwater archeology class that afternoon. I got there a little early so Dez and I decided to go explore a part of the school we have been dying to explore all semester. In the middle of our school, there is a circular ramp that leads to all the floors of our school (check out facebook for pictures) . On the top level there is this gate/door that we have nicknamed the "secret door" because we had no idea where it lead to and is usually locked but it was unlocked on Wednesday so we decided to see once and for all what it lead to. We discovered that it lead to the roof of our school here there are all sort of benches and sweet lookout spots. I was seriously one of the coolest things I have ever discovered and I’m bummed that we just discovered it now instead of earlier. That night, after class, I had a tutoring session where we worked on correcting my paper for underwater archeology and then I was able to Skype with my entire family for Thanksgiving which was awesome!
Thursday, it was a little weird waking up and going to school. After Spanish class, our host moms arrived at the ISFA butler office where we have our Spanish class and we had our Thanksgiving fiesta complete with guacamole. We shared a little about what Thanksgiving meant to us as Americans and some of the traditions we have as well as different foods we eat and then it was time to eat. The food was delicious and the moms love it! We even had homemade pumpkin and apple pie! Silvia started crying when she read my card and loved it which almost made me start crying. I am not looking forward to having to say goodbye. ..it's going to be waterworks central.  After dinner, 6 of us headed out to see the David Bisbol and Luis Fonsi concert which was amazing. Shannon and I rode the bus there to save money and it was fun talking and getting to know her a little better on the ride there. We arrived there about an hour early so we found our seats and then walked around for while. The concert was absolutely amazing. They opened up with Ave Maria and I just about died (family- I thought about all of you the entire song). The rest of the concert was incredible; I think my favorite part was when they sang the song from the World Cup this summer. The entire stadium when crazy and it was the coolest thing ever. We got home late that night which made it hard to want to wake up and go to class the next morning but it was worth it!
Friday, after class, I came home and swam hung out by my pool for a while. I then spent the rest of the night writing my paper for communications.
Saturday, I woke up and decided that I would put the watercolors I brought with me and spent the morning paining which was a blast. It was so nice to be done with all of my homework and spend an entire morning painting. After lunch, I headed to Wal-Mart to look around and then Sarah and I decided to head to el centro to eat at a cute pizza place we had seen there. After eating, we walked around for a while, looking at random shops and enjoying being outside on such a beautiful night. There was even a clown show in the zocolo and a kid's contest to see who the best dancer was. The kids were adorable!
This morning, I woke up and went for a run and then spent the morning getting things organized for our trip at the end of the semester. Later tonight, we are heading over to Shannon's house to finish planning everything.
I think that's about all the news from here in Mexico. Hope all of you are doing well! :)

One More Month!

Hey there everyone!
As of yesterday, I have only one month left here! Looking back, one hand, I can hardly believe how fast the time has gone by, and yet in other ways, I feel as though I have been here for way more than 3 months. It's strange to think that in 4 short weeks, I'll be making the adjustment to speaking completely in English, living again in the cold, and being back the States. I look forward to coming home (and surprisingly to the snow) but, I also know that there will be many things I'll miss about my life here....joking around with my host dad, sleeping in hammocks, seeing iguanas on my walks home from school, being honked at whenever I walk somewhere (ok,I actually probably won't miss that), conversations after super with my host mom, and so much more.
Last Sunday, my family took me out to eat at a Chinese buffet which was delicious. I don't care what people say about Chinese food in Mexico being made of dog meat..This stuff was delicious.  I got a kick out of how similar it was to Chinese restaurants back in the States..I never expected that going to a Chinese restaurant would remind me of home! After lunch, my mom, Silvia (my host sister) and I went shopping. We had fun just walking around and looking at everything and found this sweet jewelry store that we all loved. Later that night, I headed to the cheap movie theater close to my house to watch Sammy en el pasaje secreo (Sammy and the secret passage) all by myself. Originally, I had plans to go with two friends but stuff came up for them so I decided to still go. It was an animated movie but it was good practice for my Spanish and was cute. I got several strange looks from the other kids and parents who were there to see the film; they were probably wondering what in the world I was doing there! :)
Monday we didn't have school to celebrate the Mexican revolution (which was actually on Saturday but if the school wants to give us Monday off, I'm not complaining!). I spent the day working on homework and swimming in the pool. It was nice to have an extra day to get a head start on some stuff!
Tuesday, I had class in the morning and then had lunch and Spanish class. We played a Mayan trivia game and I was surprised at how much I knew about Mayan history....I guess we picked up quite a bit from just being here in the Yucatan! After class, Gaby, Sarah, and I headed to Gran Plaza to hang out for a while. We got ice cream (there is an awesome stand in Gran Plaza that sells really good ice cream) and then the best part: we went and saw puppies in the pet store there! They were adorable and it was really hard not to want to take one home with me.
Wednesday, my class in the morning ended up being canceled so I spent the morning at school working on my final paper for International Relations. I then had underwater archeology where I gave my final presentation on Mayan gods. It went pretty well and it feels good to have it done and over with. We got assigned another 6-7 page paper for that class which I was not too excited about but there wasn't anything I could do but accept and it try to get it done. That night, after my run, we ate supper, worked on some homework and went to bed.
Thursday, I skipped my morning class so that I could sign up in time for classes for next semester. I was happy to be able to get into pretty much every class that I had wanted and think I'll enjoy all of the my classes. I spent the rest of the morning finishing up my paper for International Relations. Thursday we celebrated a bunch of birthdays in Spanish class which was a nice break. After class, I met with my tutor and we corrected my paper. After that, I dropped my stuff off at the house and went out for a run which was absolutely gorgeous. I am going to miss the sunsets here so much!
Friday, I had my Mexico-US relations and we had a good discussion about some of the problems in Mexico right now which left me feeling a little depressed thinking about all the problems in the world. It makes me thankful that I serve a God who has all the answers and is bigger than all the problems plaguing the world today. After class, another gal and I went to go buy tickets for a concert that is coming here to Merida: David Bisbol and Louis Fonsi. I am super excited to go and can't believe that I will have the chance to see David Bisbol in concert! After eating lunch, I spent the rest of the afternoon catching up on some reading. That night, I met Pearl and Dez for pizza al pastor (which is right up there with tacos al pastor) and then we went to go see Harry Potter which was fun although I never have really been that into the movies or the books so it wasn't as exciting for me.
Saturday, I woke up and headed to the beach which turned out to be quite the adventure because Saturday was the celebration of the Mexican revolution so a bunch of the streets were blocked off but eventually I made it there and met up with Sarah, Gaby, Shannon, and Des who had gotten there before me. Eventually we had our fill of the beach and headed back to Merida. Later that night, Sarah, Des and I headed out to noche mexicana to check it out. It happens every Saturday night here and we figured that we should probably go at least one time while we are here. The city blocks off a section of a main street here and there are stands with all sorts of crafts, food, and there is a stage with different dances going on.  It was a fun place to walk around and just chill at.
This morning I woke up and decided to tackle my underwater archeology paper. I know that as school gets closer to the end (we only have 10 more days left), I will get busy with studying for finals and papers and stuff so I thought it would be smart to get it done. As for the rest of the day, I don't have any big plans. It will be nice to just have a day to get caught up on things and organized before the next week starts!
Hope you all are having a wonderful weekend and are looking forward to Thanksgiving!

la semana

Happy Sunday!! Another week has come and gone in Merida...I can hardly believe I only have 5 more weeks left. While a part of me is super excited to get back to the States and see my family and friends, another part of me never wants to leave Mexico (or the warm weather :) ). This week went well. We are in the midst of final projects, term papers, and exams so school is keeping me busy but I can see a light at the end of the tunnel and am excited to be done with classes in three weeks and travel!
Ironically, my host brother and dad (the one back in the States) have the same Birthday so Monday was a day of celebrations. My international relations class went well that morning and I got a kick out of the way our professor talked about the possession of fire arms in the United States and how we can pretty much just walk out of a store with a cart full of guns! ( he was exaggerating of course but I still found it hilarious). I came home from class and did some homework by the pool and swam for a while. We then ate enchiladas swisas for lunch which are incredible and I worked on more homework and figuring out classes for next semester.
That night around 8, the family and guests started arriving at our house for supper. It was fun to get to meet some more of the family and celebrate all together. Plus, I now am pretty good at the song that is sung for Birthdays here.
Tuesday, I had communications class in the morning and then came home for lunch and did some homework and headed out to Spanish class. After Spanish class, I got together with two other gals from my US-Mexico relations class and we did some hard core studying for our test the next day. When I couldn't think straight anymore, I headed home and ate supper and then went to bed.
Wednesday, I headed to school early to take my test which went ok. I'm a little worried about it but the fact that most people in my class are worried about it too makes me feel a little better. I know I did the best I could and now just have to wait to see how I did. After the test, I had class until 6:30 that night and then we had our program meeting. We have decided to have a Thanksgiving meal here with our program and invite our host moms so that should be fun. We did a little planning for that and then we had to fill out a bunch of evaluation forms which made me realize that we're going to be done soon and it hit me how much I am going to miss Mexico!
Thursday, I had communications class again and then I came home and finished a presentation I had for Spanish class that day. After Spanish class, I came home and went running and then worked on homework for the rest of the night.
Friday morning, I woke up and headed to the beach where I met up with Sarah, Dee, and Shannon. We just spent the day working on homework, talking ,and enjoying the sun. There was virtually no one there so it was fun to have the beach to ourselves. Dee and Shannon headed home mid afternoon and Sarah and I left a little while after them. We decided to go to gran plaza to hang out for a little bit. We got gorditas for lunch and then just walked around and looked at different stores. Around 4, we headed home and I headed to a planning meeting for our trip at the end of the semester. The meeting went well and I think we now all have somewhat of an idea of what we are going to do. After the meeting, I came home to shower and eat and then Sarah and I met up and went to el centro to hang out.
El centro was absolutely gorgeous! On weekend nights, they block off the streets and restaurants put tables out in the middle of the streets and there is music playing everywhere. Sarah and I had fun walking around seeing everything that was going on. After walking for a while, we decided to get ice-cream and headed to a park to eat it. As we were sitting on a bench talking, a guy covered in tattoos and piercings came over and started talking to us. It turned out that he just wanted us to smoke pot with him..no thank you! After that encounter, we decided that it was getting late and we should probably head home so we flagged down a taxi and headed back. Our taxi driver was really funny and chatted with us the entire way home. Fun fact we learned: Uh-huh is Mayan for "esta bien" or ok...I've been speaking Mayan and I didn't even know it! :)
Saturday, I woke up at 5:15 and headed to Hoy en tu Comunidad. The village we went to was 3.5 hours away so I spent the trip sleeping and working on homework. I worked with trabajo social and our job was to walk around the village and see if there was anyone who couldn't come to where we were providing free medical services because they were bed ridden. We eventually were led to a house of an elderly couple and their son who was handicapped. The woman had just had surgery on a tumor in her stomach but still was in a lot of pain. We talked with them for a while and promised to come back with a group of people to help them. We returned tot the site we were working at and gathered a team of doctors, nurses, lawyers, pharmacists and a couple others and headed off to the house. It was neat to see everyone working together to help them and using their skills. Eventually, we headed back and ate lunch and then headed home. On the way back we got a flat tire and had to stop to change that which was an unexpected adventure. Eventually I made it home and did some final planning for our trip to Guatemala, Belize, and other parts of Mexico and went to bed.
This morning, I woke up and worked on some homework and cleaned my room. Later on, I am planning on listening to a sermon online and having a date with Jesus and then heading to Altabrisa and walking around for while and later tonight, a group of friends and I are planning on getting together. It should be a pretty chill day and I'm looking forward to not having school tomorrow. Hope you all are doing well!

Settling back into the routine...

Hey there faithful blog followers!
Hope you all have had a great weekend and are looking forward to the coming week! This past week has been a good one for me and I’m just getting settled back into the routine of life here in Merida.
We returned home late Tuesday night from Chiapas but luckily, I didn't have class till 12 the next day so I was able to take some time to unpack and get caught up on a few things before class on Wednesday. Class attendance at UADY was suspiciously low-most likely due to the face that many students were still traveling. Both my international relations and Underwater Archeology class went well that day. We didn't have our program meeting that night so that allowed me for some extra time to get some homework done. I finished up a paper we have due soon for our Spanish class and worked on some reading for my International Relations class.
Thursday, I had communications class in the morning and then I came home to eat lunch, do my laundry, and head out to Spanish class. Our Spanish teacher was sick so we sat in on the other two Spanish classes which was fun to see what they are up to. Afterwards, I had my tutoring session and we just worked on correcting a paper I had written...I was pretty excited because I was able to correct a lot of my mistakes before my tutor even did. I am really trying to work hard to improve my written Spanish as I feel like I can speak and read better than I can write. I then headed to the gym where I rode bike and lifted weights. Back at home that night, we ordered pizza for dinner which is really different here but tastes great and I worked on some more homework.
Friday morning, it was up early for my US-Mexico Relations class which I always have a hard time staying awake in even though we talk about some really sweet stuff. This week we learned about frauds in the elections and the history of the PRI and PAN parties (the two main political parties) here in Mexico. After class, I met with some gals from my class to finish up our final project for that class and then I came home where I spent the rest of the night doing homework and figuring out classes for the next semester.
Saturday, our original plan was to go to the beach but it was too cold and cloudy. Ok, cold might not be exactly the right word as it was only 70 but it felt cold because it is usually around 100 here every day...I know, I'm going to die when I get home!
I was able to Skype with a few friends throughout the day and get quite a bit of homework done so that was good. Later that afternoon, I headed to a mall to do some shopping and eat supper. It was fun to get out of the house and take a break from homework and studying. I then returned home and watched some stuff from the Lausanne conference in Cape Town, Africa which was sweet. It's so neat to see the way that God is working all around the world and I especially enjoyed hearing some of the things that are happening here in Latin America!
Today, I woke up and ate breakfast with my family. At breakfast, my host mom asked me if I wanted to go to some ruins with her this morning. I agreed and after breakfast, we headed out. When we got there we found out that foreigners had to pay $107 pesos (about $10USD) and decided it wasn't worth it. I guess i'm still not tan enough to pass as Mexican...bummer :).
We decided to go shopping instead which was a lot of fun. After a few hours of shopping, we met my host dad and brother for lunch at the casino where they were at and then headed out to do some more shopping. It was a lot of fun to have some one-on-one time with Silvia.
 We got home around 6 and then I was able to Skype with my parents and ate supper. My plans for the rest of the night include finishing up some homework, studying, and having some time with Jesus.
Hope you all have a great night and great start to the week! Love to all!

Chiapas: One of the most amazing places I have ever visited!

Hey there everyone!
We just got back last night from Chiapas so I thought while everything is still fresh in my mind; I would tell you all how it went. Let me start off by saying San Cristobal de las casas ( the city we stayed at in Chiapas) is one of my favorite places I have ever visited! It's surrounded by gorgeous mountains and has cobble stone streets that are lined with beautiful buildings...there was a definite European feel to it and I fell in love with it from the moment we entered the city.
We left Thursday night at 12 midnight (It is a 12 hour bus ride so we needed to get started early). Thursday morning, I woke up feeling really sick so I just spent the day working on homework, packing up, and resting. Around 11:30 my family drove me to where we were to meet the van that would take us to Chiapas. The whole day they were so worried about me being sick and having to be on a bus...it was really cute and I felt really cared for. The ride was probably one of the most miserable ones in my life but I managed to fall asleep for a few hours on the floor of the bus. Around 8 in the morning, we arrived in Palenque which are some Mayan ruins about 6 hours away from San Cristobal. We spent a few hours there exploring the ruins and climbing up pyramids. Part of the ruins were in the jungle and there was even a waterfall which was pretty sweet. Even though I was feeling pretty crappy, I enjoyed seeing the ruins. We then hopped back on the bus and drove for about an hour to a waterfall. it was absolutely gorgeous and some people swan in it. Since I was sick, I decided that probably wouldn't be the best idea so I just went exploring with some other gals from the program. We found a sweet path behind the waterfall and explored that. After around 2 hours we headed back to the van for the 5 hour trip to San Cristobal.
It was quite the trip! Chiapas is in the mountains so we were whipping around curves and going up and down mountains for a straight 5 hours. It was pretty intense and there were a few times I thought we were going to end up going off the mountain but the gorgeous view made up for it! The pressure changes along with the bumpy ride and the fact I was sick made it pretty miserable but eventually we arrived in San Cristobal and I was able to go to sleep.
I slept until the next morning and woke up feeling a lot better. Shannon, Francia, and I decided that we wanted to spend the day biking around and exploring the area. After eating breakfast, we walked to a place where you could rent bikes that was close to our hotel. The Italian man working there was really friendly and helped us get bikes and showed us some places where we could go. While we were getting ready, a guy around our age walked into the shop and said he wanted to go biking too. He was all alone and didn't have anyone to go with so we invited him to come along with us. We had a really fun time getting to know him throughout the day! His name was Demetree and he was from Switzerland but is backpacking through Mexico and South America for the next 9 months. He had only been speaking Spanish for about a month so Shannon and I ended up doing a lot of translating between him and Francia who only speaks Spanish. After getting our bikes, we all decided to go check out a state park in the mountains about 10k from the city. The ride there was pretty intense and basically straight up the mountain with cars zooming by but the view was beautiful. Huffing and puffing, we finally arrived at the park and locked up our bikes. There were giant caves there so we decided to explore those first. They were pretty sweet and really long. Afterwards, Shannon and I were challenged to a race down these cement slides by some other students at the park. We quickly agreed and started talking smack to them in Spanish...they got a kick out of that. The way you slid down the slide was by using crushed coke bottles which I found rather comical but it worked great! (For those of you wondering, we lost the first two rounds and won the last one) After sliding, we took a break to eat some lunch and then went biking on some trails in the park and headed back to the bike shop to return our bikes. The ride back was way easier and it was fun to cruise down the mountain with cars speeding by...Defiantly an adrenaline rush. We returned our bike and returned to the hotel and then went exploring in the market and the city. It was really sweet and it was fun shopping in the market.
That night, we went out dancing with some other students we had met who were in San Cristobal with their university form Tabasco. They were all super nice and we had fun dancing the night away with them and didn't get back to the hotel till 3:30 in the morning!
After sleeping in the next day, we ate breakfast and then went to a little Pueblo close to San Cristobal to see what life there is like. We got a tour of the church and went to visit the house of a lady who sells beautiful textiles.  She invited us back to the little shack that is her kitchen and taught us how to make tortillas...they were delicious! Afterwards we were invited to a ceremony at another house. It was pretty neat that we were invited as foreigners usually aren't invited to stuff like that.
The ceremony was pretty long and we all didn't really know what was going on but it was interesting to see. The part that broke my heart was the fact that their religion is a mix of Catholicism and ancient traditions and involves a lot of idol worship. Many of the people believe that if they don't complete these ceremonies, bad things will happen and it made me sad to think that they are praying to empty things that have no power.
Afterwards, we returned to San Cristobal and I did some more shopping in the market and walked around and took pictures. I then went back to the hotel where I worked on some homework and had a quiet time.
That night, we just hung around the hotel and talked to our new friends and then went to bed.
The next day we got up and all ate breakfast and then we went to another pueblo to see Day of the Dead celebrations. People there were decorating the graves of loved ones with flowers and leaves and it was really pretty. We also visited the church there and then returned to Merida.
That afternoon, one of my friends here wanted to get a tattoo. Never having seen one done in real life, I decided to tag along and see what it was like. The place was pretty sweet and they did piercings as well. We decided to ask them how much it would cost for a nose piercing and they told us $15. I've been wanting to get my nose pierced for awhile but I didn't want to do it right away so I watched my friend get her tattoo and then we went out to eat tacos al pastor. By that time, I decided that yeah I really wanted to get my nose pierced and it wasn't going to get any cheaper so we went back. Another friend decided to get her ears pierced. The entire process was crazy! First, I had to pick out the stud I wanted and then I sat down in a chair and the man showed me the packaged needle he was going to use to pierce my nose so that I could see that everything was super clean and not opened. First, he put the needle through my nose and then he left it there while he turned around and grabbed the stud so for about 10 seconds I had a huge needle sticking though my nose..i felt pretty hard core. He then inserted the stud as he pulled the needle out and that was that. It barely even hurt!
After Sarah pierced her ears, we all walked back to the hotel and spent some time doing homework and I had a quiet time and then we went out for dinner at a really cool restaurant and came back to the hotel to go to bed.
The next morning, we woke up, packed up and headed back to Merida. It was another long 12 hour bus ride but it was defiantly more bearable than the trip there as I was feeling a lot better!
Today was back to school which felt weird after not going for about 10 days. The trip was amazing though and I would love to go back someday!
Hope you all are having a great week!

Yaxunah: The Adventure

Hey there everyone! Hope all of your weeks are off to a good start. I'm back in Merida for a day and a half and thought I would let you all know how my trip to Yaxunah went this past week. Let me just sum it all up by saying that it defiantly had a huge impact on me and will be something I will never forget!
Saturday morning, my host mom drove me to the bus station where I was to meet our group and head to Yaxunah for 4 days. Yaxunah is a little pueblo or village about 30 minutes away from the famous Chichen Izta ruins. We were told that we would be going there to do some community service projects and to get to know what life in a peublo is like. Other than that, we didn't know too much so I tried to have an open mind and see what the trip would bring.
Our bus took us to Chichen where we met our Coordinator/Director for the trip. His name was Elias and he was great. Let me just back up and say that our program director did not go on the trip with us so it was the 11 of us from the Butler Program (2 students stayed behind as they had conflicts with the dates) along with 2 students from UADY-a gal who is studying anthropology and came along as part of a project and another guy who was our paparazzi for the weekend and took video footage of just about everything.  After piling all of our stuff in a van (and by piling I mean shoving  everything including ourselves into the van and shutting the door super fast so that nothing would fall out), we drove 20 minutes to get to Yaxunah. As we drove along, there were less and less buildings until all that was around us were trees and grass. It was kind of like driving to the middle of nowhere.
Once we arrived, we got a quick introduction at the cultural center where we would be working for the next 4 days. The center was recently built and is really nice. By far the nicest building in the area and even had ac in one of the room and internet access. It is a source of pride for those who live in the village and they work really hard to keep it looking nice.
Our first order of business after the meeting was to go to our houses. I ended up rooming with a friend from the program, Sarah. Our house was owned by a single man and he met us at the door to welcome us. Our "house" was a cement block that had one light bulb, a bathroom with no running water, and a table with a stereo. Sarah and I got a kick out of the fact that the stereo was really nice and blasting mariachi music. It was pretty different than our houses in Merida but it was really interesting to see a different type of life here in Mexico. The man showed us where the water was ( a 5 gallon bucket in the bathroom), gave us a key, and left. We then hung up our hammocks, set our backpacks on the table and headed to eat lunch.
Lunch was served in a little hut and was made by a woman and her daughter. The food was some of the best I have ever had in my life! We ate soup with chicken, veggies, and rice and hand-made tortillas. After a quick siesta in our hammocks, it was time to get to work.
The first job we had was to clean up the cenote. We all grabbed life jackets and plastic bags and headed down to the cenote. After climbing a really freaky ladder to get down into the cenote, we swam around picking up trash and dead leaves that had fallen into the cenote..Defiantly easier said than done, especially while swimming but after 2 hours we had it pretty clean.
That night, we had a bonfire with the other volunteers from the village complete with marshmallows and stories. It was fun to interact with the other students and volunteers and get to know some of them. Some of us sang them the song One bottle Pop, Two Bottle pop, ect, and they got a kick out of that. We then returned to out house for our first night in a hammock. Sarah and I talked for a while before calling it a night and it was really fun to get to know her better. Surprisingly, sleeping in a hammock isn't too hard and is actually a lot of fun..once you get the hang of it. Unfortunately, we had some roosters living close to us who decided to crow all night so that made it a little hard to sleep.
I woke up the next morning and went for a run. It was fun to run on the only road that goes out from the town. It was so peaceful and quiet and I loved it. I can back, took a "shower" from the 5 gallon bucket and headed off to breakfast with Sarah.
After breakfast, we split up into groups to accomplish different tasks. One group made PIB, a type of meat that is slow cooked underground that we would eat for lunch, another group made a stone path, and our group raked up leaves and cleaned up the area. It was fun to work with the other volunteers and pick up on some Mayan words. Lunch was amazing and we had a break afterwards for a siesta. I had my quiet time, napped, and read a little.
We then went for another swim in the cenote and got a tour of the museum. That night was one of my favorites. We were all eating the dinners our host mom's had packed us (we brought our own food to eat for dinner) in the center of town when all of a sudden, kids started to show up. I decided to start a game with them and we ended up playing for hours and more kids joined us. We played tag, soccer (futbol), baseball, and just ran around. It was so much fun and the kids loved playing with us and wanted us to take pictures with them which was adorable.
That night, Sarah and I had some more late night pillow talk and then went to bed. After breakfast, we all set off to explore some ruins that are close to the village. These ruins were not very well kept up( they were pretty much in the middle of the forest) so we had to hike though lots of foliage to get to them but climbing them was pretty sweet. It was also cool to be able to see ruins that not a lot of other foreigners get a chance to see.
Back at the cultural center, we got to work sanding rust off of the fence surrounding the cenote and repainting it. It was a dirty job but fun. A group of us started singing Disney songs which made time go by a lot faster. We then ate another delicious lunch and went to our houses for siestas. Later, as Sarah and I were walking back to the cultural center, two little girls came running out of their house and gave us both huge hugs and asked us if we were going to play with them again. We told them of course and headed off to finish painting. It was adorable and made me feel so special.
After we finished painting, we went to the park to play with the kids which was super fun. Then Sarah and I headed home. As we were sitting in our hammocks talking, we discovered a huge spider on our wall that started moving. (There had been a few that were there that didn't move so we just left them alone) This one though, was giant and freaked us out. We both screamed and I jumped out of my hammock to grab my shoes to kill it. It ran behind the door though and just as I was about to try to throw my shoe at it, a little girl came into our house asking us what we were playing. Her parents followed behind explaining that the little girl heard us scream and though we were playing and was sad we didn't invite her...Hilarious! We quickly explained that there was a huge spider and that we were really scared and that's why we screamed. The dad took a broom that was in our room and brought the spider outside. He and the mom just gave each other a look that said, "wow!'. I imagine they thought we were pretty silly but in our defense it was a huge spider and we both weren't looking forward to sleeping in the dark with that thing crawling around. After thanking the family a million times, they left and Sarah and I collapsed into a fit of laughter. The whole chain of events was hilarious. We then went back to talking thankful that the adventure was over...or so we thought. About 15 minutes later, it came crawling back in and this time I decided that we had to kill it. Sarah was freaked out so she stayed in her hammock taking pictures (naturally) and I armed with my tennis shoes and a broom stick set out to kill the spider once and for all. It finally ran into the door separating the bathroom from where we slept and there I killed it. It was pretty discussing but at least it was dead and we could sleep.
The next morning, was out last day. After running, I found a tarantula in our toilet and decided that maybe I was glad we were leaving. After finishing up laying the rest of the stone path at the cultural center, we visited a school and then packed up our stuff and headed out. Some of the kids came and tackled us with hugs and begged us not to go..it was so precious and almost made me cry. They followed behind our van waving. We arrived back in Merida around 4. The first thing I did when I got back was take a nice, long shower which felt amazing. I feel so much more thankful for running water, a fan in my room, and a bed to sleep on.
Working in the village taught me a lot about a different lifestyle here in Mexico. I learned that the people of the pueblos are proud of their Mayan ancestry and are happy where they are at. While their lives are really different than mine, I learned that I could appreciate the simple way they lived. It was such a privilege to be able to spend 4 days there and I know that part of my heart was left with the kids there.
Today, I went to el centro and explored el mercado or huge market. You can literally find anything and everything there! Tonight, we have a Halloween party with our program so that should be fun. I'm not feeling the greatest-I’ve got a super sore throat and cough so you can be praying that that gets better so I can enjoy the next few days. Tomorrow, some of us are going to the beach and then I have homework and we head out at 12 that night to go to Chiapas. Love to all!

Carving My Name On Hearts...

The other day I came across the following quote by Charles Spurgeon and it stuck with me :
~ "A good character is the best tombstone. Those who loved you and were helped by you will remember you when forget-me-nots have withered. Carve your name on hearts, not on marble."~
It was a good reminder for me : I have been given so many amazing opportunities to "carve my name on the hearts" of people who cross my path here in Mexico. Whether it's though taking blood pressure at Hoy en Tu Comunidad, playing hide and go seek with my host family's grandson, engaging in classroom discussions, or just smiling at the random people I pass on the street, I have great opportunities to be a light for Jesus right where I am! I am realizing that the more I die to myself, surrender my "rights" and desires, let God take control and use me as He desires, the He is able to shine. I love 1 Corinthians 1:28 and the way that God uses the "lowly" things of this world to fulfill His purposes! There have been so many moments here when I have felt like I have absolutely nothing left to give and am at "the end of my rope" and then God has stepped in and worked in ways I never would have imagined.
I am really looking forward to this next week. We have a week off of school and are using the time to do some traveling with our program. Tomorrow morning, we are taking off at 9 to go to a village (yaxunah-pronounced ya-shoe-na) about 2 hours from here and will be there until Tuesday. While there, we will be living with different families, sleeping in hammocks, hopefully learning a little bit of Maya, helping out with different service projects, and having the opportunity to see what everyday village life is like here in Mexico.
After returning to Merida for a day and a half, we will hop back on buses and head to Chiapas, a Mexican State about 8 hours from here. I am super excited to see Chiapas and learn more about the Zapatista movement there.
As for this past week, things have been pretty normal. I had my fist test in International Relations and felt like it went well. My homework load is starting to pick up and I find myself more and more thankful that I have a tutor to help check over my papers and give advice. I still love living with my host family and enjoy sitting around the table with them talking about anything and everything under the sun-our topics this week ranged from the Yankees game, gossip about the queen and princesses of England and Spain, our favorite telanovela, Rubi, to Day of the Dead traditions, and running. The other day my host sister and mom showed me how to make these really sweet scarves using a loom and a hook. They love doing crafts just about as much as I do so I feel right at home! :)
I think that's about it for my update. I have quite a bit of homework to tackle before tomorrow so I'd better get going. Love to all!

Hola from Mexico

Hey there!
Another Sunday afternoon has rolled around and I realized it was time to update my blog!
Tuesday, we didn't have school, so several of us went to Progresso to enjoy the beach. It was a gorgeous day and so nice to have a break from the normal routine of school and classes!
Wednesday, I woke up and headed out for a run. It was already pretty warm as the sun had been out for a few hours and I was drenched in sweat by the time I came back..Thank God for cold showers! Wednesday is my long day of classes and my day goes from 12-9. International Relations went well and then we had a break to eat lunch and then headed to our underwater archeology class. I enjoy learning about ancient Mayan culture and how to identify important objects and themes from different time periods. It’s especially neat when our professor shows us pictures or videos of his own dives and the things he has found! After class, we headed to our weekly meeting that we have with our program director. When I walked into the room, I saw a package sitting there and realized it was for me...I was super excited to discover that it was from my family and was full of all sorts of goodies including almond m&ms and homemade granola!! At the meeting, we talked about our upcoming trip to a pueblo about 2 hours from here and Chiapas. We will be in Chiapas over Dia de los muertos (Day of the Dead) and so part of our meeting was spent talking about that and the ways that people here celebrate.
For those of you who don't know what Day of the Dead is, it's a celebration here in Mexico of family members and loved ones who have passed away. People make alters in honor of the deceased people and spend the night with family remembering the times they had with those who have passed away. While ever alter has some basic elements (water, photos, candles, etc) each is a little different and includes things that the person who passed away enjoyed-food, games, drinks, etc). It was really interesting learning how celebrating in the Yucatan is different than from that in the North. While I was in Cuernavaca, I saw how Day of the Dead was celebrated and it will be interesting to see how it compares with celebrations here.
Thursday, I dropped off my laundry at the lavandaria (the lady there now knows me by my name and is always excited to see me...I’m not really quite sure why but it’s cute) and then headed to class. Classes went well. After Spanish class that afternoon, I had my tutoring session with my tutor. We just worked on a paper I have to write for one of my classes summarizing a book called McMafia. Afterwards, I headed home and went for a run, ate supper, worked on some homework and went to bed.
Friday, we had US-Mexico relations class and then Andrea, Pearl and I went to cafe la Habana to work on a project we have for that class. We have to update a bunch of information about NAFTA and present it to the class. It’s a lot of looking up statistics and reading economic analysis reports which takes a bit of work and in my opinion, isn't that much fun. It was nice to all be able to work together though, and we spent almost the entire afternoon working on the project. We got a pretty big chunk done which was great. Then, Sarah, Des and Di showed up and we all studied for a test we have on Monday in International Relations. It was nice to be able to review with other people from class and make sure I'm understanding everything. By the time we called it a day, I had been doing homework for a straight 6 hours and was exhausted! I came home, went for a run, worked on a little more reading, and went to bed.
Saturday, I was able to sleep in which was so nice! I then went for a run and worked on homework until lunch time. For lunch we ate Arab food which is my favorite thing my family has made so far. It was sooo good! After lunch, Sarah and I went shopping in El Centro and then I came home, worked on more homework and went to bed.
This morning, I was able to sleep in again. I then got up, ate breakfast and worked on homework. Around 11:30, I headed to Plaza Fiestas to meet up with Sarah, Di, and Des to finish studying for our test. When we were done studying, I came home and we ate leftovers from yesterday for lunch which was just as delicious as yesterday. I then worked on some more readings and cleaned up my room. I don't really have too many plans for the rest of the night: I'm planning on watching a sermon online and having my own church service, making sure I have everything done before tomorrow and heading to bed. Hope you all have had a great week!

Cuentos (late night stories), Celestun, Ciruelas, and wet Cement

Wow! It has been quite an eventful week here in Merida. I'll try not to bore you all with an extremely long post but so much happened this week to tell you all about!
Monday, was a normal day with classes and homework. I was really excited when I was able to laugh at a joke the professor made in class because I actually understood it not just because everyone else was laughing..a lot of times, we, as Americans, don't get the jokes made in class because they are references to Mexican politics or some other aspect of the culture that we just don't quite get but it felt good to actually know why the joke was so funny. That night, I went out for a nice long run and saw one of the most gorgeous sunsets here. I'm not really sure why, but pretty much every sunset here is beautiful although Monday night was exceptionally gorgeous...it makes for some great runs and I can't help but praise God for His works of art.
Tuesday was another day of classes. After Spanish class that night, Gaby, Emma and I went to the salsa dancing class we normally go to and then I headed to the gym to bike and lift weights. The gym here is pretty different than gyms back home...all the equipment is super old and there is no air conditioning. I usually opt to go for a run as #1 it's free and #2 I like running more than biking #3 it's fun to explore new places but for some reason, my legs had been feeling kinda tight the past few days so I decided to bike to see if it would make them feel better. I'll appreciate the gym and modern equipment we have even more when I get back to the states!
Wednesday, my host mom and I went out for breakfast with another host mom and her daughter. Both of the host moms are a hoot and we had fun talking with them. Our underwater archeology class was canceled so we had the afternoon off. After our International Relations class, several of us met up and went to a mall about a 40 minute walk from my house and ate Chinese food for lunch which was incredible, shopped a little, and then went to a movie. It was nice to spend a day doing something other than homework. That night, I got to skype with some friends in Minnesota which was great and made my night and it was so good to get caught up on what was going on in their lives!
Thursday was another day of classes. After Spanish class that afternoon, I had met with my tutor and we studied for a test I have coming up. I just about died though because I had been in class for a straight 4 hours and then spent 2 hours going over my notes with her. It was good to review but my I thought my brain was going to explode! 6 hours of straight class in Spanish is pretty tough!! Hopefully, I will do well on the test! :)
Friday, I had my Mexico-US relations class in the morning and then came home and did some reading by our pool. My homework here consists of a lot of reading and studying my notes which is nice as I can bring them pretty much anywhere. I love being able to work on homework by our pool where I can enjoying being in the sun, hop in the pool when it gets hot, and do homework at the same time..life doesn't get much better than that!
Saturday, we had to be at Hoy en tu Comunidad an hour earlier than usual so that meant waking up at 4 in the morning and heading to the bus stop. The village we went to is 3 hours away from Merida so we needed to leave earlier in order to get there on time. It was an amazing day. The village is ranked as the 3rd poorest in Mexico and 90% of the population speaks Mayan. Most of the children can speak both Spanish and Mayan because school is in Spanish so they helped us translate quite a bit. I picked up on a few basic phrases like what is your name, my name is..., how are you feeling, where does it hurt, but it was quite the adventure trying to communicate with people there. I tried a new fruit there called Ciruelas. They are a small yellow fruit and taste a lot like mangos and were soo good! I spent the day working with the kids. We started the day talking about nutrition and hygiene and gave them free toothbrushes and toothpaste and had them practice brushing their teeth with us and then we played games for the rest of the day. I taught them how to play SPUD which I just called BASTA (stop) because I wan't quite sure what other name to call it. We also had a relay race, played tag, and jumped rope  They seemed to get a quick out of it and I enjoyed playing with them just as much as they did. It was fun to spend the day getting to love on a ton of children. They were all precious and it was really hard to be there knowing they needed so much more that we could give them in only one day. The toughest part of the day was after we had packed up. A few of us decided to go for a walk around the village while we were waiting for the doctors to finish up the last consultations of the day. On our walk, we got a chance to see more of the village. Most of the houses were just huts with thatched roofs and didn't have electricity. The only library in the entire municipality had only one wall of books. While it wasn't the poorest place I have ever been to in my life, it's one of the poorest I have seen so far here in Mexico. The part that broke my heart was that we were only able to be there for half a day and I know that there is so much more to be done than just give medical exams and play with kids! It was a really good reminder of how blessed I am and how much I have in comparison with so many others around the world. I wish I had the words to describe more of my experience there but I’m still sorting through everything and trying to figure it all out. Hoy en tu comunidad has been such a great way to get to know more about the culture here and to be able to see what the villages are like and how the majority of people in the country live.
That night when we got home, Shannon and I decided to go for a run. We were just going along, enjoying our run, and discussing whether hell exists (she wasn't quite sure that it did) when all of a sudden we hear this horrible noise followed by whining. We quickly realized that the car behind us had hit a stray dog! It was the saddest thing to hear. Several blocks later, I went to hurdle a cement block that was lying in the street (here in Mexico there are always things everywhere so I didn't even stop to think that it might actually be blocking something) and landed on a slab of wet cement. Talk about leaving my mark here in Mexico! The entire right side of my body was covered in cement. The hilarious part was that we were still pretty far out from my house so I had to finish our run in cement. It must have been quite the sight! I actually felt worse for messing up the freshly paved sidewalk than for myself. When I got home I had to try to wash everything off including my shoes which still have bits of cement attached to them because I couldn't get it off. It was a pretty exciting run.
When I told my host family what happed later at supper, they couldn't stop laughting.  First I can't figure out how to unlock their door and then I come home covered in cement...they are going to have some good stories to tell their other host students! :)
We had pizza for supper which made the night a little bit better and then my host mom and I stayed up talking about pretty much everything under the sun. One of the stories she told me was how the word gringo came to be used. According to the story, during the Mexican revolution, there was a famous castle in Mexico City known as Chapultepec Castle. During the revolution, it was a training academy for the Mexican army and was full of young cadets. One night, for some reason (I’m not sure why) all the officers were gone and only the cadets were inside the castle. Well wouldn't you know it, the American troops decided to attack Chapultepec that night. The poor cadets did all they could to fend of the soldiers but they didn't have enough training to really fight them off; the only thing they could do was shout "green go" (as the color of the uniforms of the American troops were green). Their shouts didn't do very much good though and most of them were killed trying to defend the castle. In Mexico City, there is a famous park called Chapultepec Park where there is a memorial to them and the name gringo has been used ever since to refer to Americans. I love hearing Silvia tell stories and I really enjoy our late night conversations. It's fun to have someone here to talk to and learn from!
Sunday morning, Shannon and I met up early to go to Celestun. It is a wildlife reserve/beach about 2.5 hours away from Merida. I really enjoyed it because there are virtually no tourists and the beach is pretty deserted. We took a boat tour and saw a flamingo sanctuary, a petrified forest, swam in a fresh water spring, and just enjoyed cruising around in a boat for 3 hours. After the tour, we came back and layed out on the beach, ate our picnic lunches that we had packed, and did homework. The water was beautiful and it was fun to spend a day exploring a new city. We got home around 8. I showed and ate supper and then headed to bed as I was exhausted from the long weekend.
Today, I had class in the morning and then came home and have been working on homework. I plan to take today easy and just stick around home to get some studying done. Tomorrow we don't have school so some of us are planning on heading to the beach to chill for the day.
I think that's about it from here. Hope that gave you all an idea of what my week was like. I wish I had more time to write more, but I should get working on some homework. I miss you all!

Another week here in Merida

Hello there guys!
Well another Sunday has arrived and I figured it was time to update my blog for the week. I just finished having my own church service and decided to procrastinate a little bit more before sitting down and tackling some more homework.
Monday was class, a random conversation with a man waiting for the bus about immigration, homework, a long run, more homework, part of the Packer game and sleep.
Tuesday, I had Communications class in the morning. We had to read an article by a French Philosopher and talk about the way that cartoons often times deliver subliminal messages about culture. It was an interesting discussion and I was surprised to realize how many American cartoons are popular here in Mexico...most of them go by different names though so I had to do a little work to figure out what was what. That afternoon, I had Spanish class. When I got to the office (where our classes our held), I was told that there was a package for me. My friend Amanda had sent me a package filled with all sorts of random stuff and it completely made my day! Getting mail is the best!! I then went to the salsa dancing class that I usually go to on Tuesdays. It was fun although I still have so much to learn! Sometimes I feel so lost and like a terrible dancer compared to my classmates but it's still a blast and a great workout. :) I then came back home, went for a run, worked on homework and went to bed.
Wednesday was another normal day of classes. Wednesdays are my long days as I have things going on from 12-9. At our program meeting that night, we all learned how to make guacamole, pico de gallo, and another traditional dish here called chec..It is made with hicama, oranges, chili, limes, and salt and is really good. I can't wait to make it when I get back to the states!
Thursday, I had communication class again in the morning then had a break to come home and eat lunch before heading out to Spanish class. After Spanish class, I had my first appointment with my tutor for this semester. Our program provides free tutors for us and I thought I might as well take advantage of all the help/practice with my Spanish I can get. My tutor is super nice and helped me make sure I was understanding what was going on in my classes and how to study for tests, etc. It will be nice to have someone who can check and see that I am really understanding what I am learning and help me make sure I so things correctly!
Friday, I had international relations in the morning and then several of us headed to Progresso (the beach) for the rest of the day....going to the beach after classes on Friday is becoming a tradition. We just sat on the beach and ate our lunches, layed out in the sun, worked on homework and swam a little in the water. I even made a sand castle when I got bored of doing homework. Some of the other people on the beach were curious about what I was doing and came over to watch..it was kind of funny because all I was doing was building a sand castle but they thought it was really cool. Around sunset, we all decided to head back to el centro. Back in Merida, Sarah and I decided that we wanted to stick around el centro and do some shopping so the two of us just went around looking at cheap clothing stores and discovering sweet places to do some shopping. We found this little hole in the wall pizza place and stopped there to eat pizza for supper. The pizza was amazing and super cheap! Afterwards, we decided to head home as I had to get up early for Hoy en tu Comuniad the next morning.
Saturday, I woke up at 5 to head to Hoy en tu Comunidad. The ride there took us about an hour and I slept pretty much the whole way there. I worked again with the medical school and was stationed at the table to take blood pressures. It was fun to get to know the other students I was working with and to practice taking blood pressures. I can pretty much do it in my sleep now :) Plus, it is always super fun to be able to speak Spanish the entire day and to see a different way of life in the "pueblos" (or smaller villages). Around the time we were finishing up, some students from the Anthropology school came up and asked us if we wanted to see some Mayan "ruinas" (ruins). Not wanting to miss an amazing opportunity, we told them yes and head down the street to where the ruins were. For those of you who don't know very much about Archeology, unexcavated ruins are pretty much just a pile of dirt and rocks. The ones in this city were completely covered in all sorts of plants and thorny bushes but everyone wanted to go to the top so we asked a local man whose job it was to take care of the ruins to guide us to the top. He walked in front of us with a huge knife to cut a path through all the foliage. It was pretty intense especially in flip-flops but we all made it up to the top. The view was defiantly worth it! You could see the tiny pueblo below and all the fields. After taking some pictures, we started our descent which was even tougher than climbing up. We all got pricked about a million times by thorn bushes but eventually we made it down. It was neat to be able to see ruins from thousands of years ago and to think about how life was back then.
Going out to see the ruins gave us a chance to walk through "town" and see where the people of the village lived. Seeing their homes made me realize how different life must be for them. Most of the houses were just one room huts with gates around them. While the poverty there wasn't as extreme as some places I have seen in my life, it was obvious that these people lead a way different life than me. It made me really thankful once again, for all the things that I have become accustomed to having-running water, indoor bathrooms, fans, tvs, computers, etc. We returned back to the main square where we were served tacos by some of the ladies from the village (every place we go, we are fed lunch by the people of the community we serve..it's their way of saying thank you for helping them) and then we hopped on the buses and headed home. When we got back to Merida, I headed to el centro to pick up some flowers for my host sister (it was her birthday) and went back to my house. For the rest of the night, I talked with my family, did homework and went to bed.
This morning, I had the chance to sleep in which felt great. Once I woke up, I worked on some homework, had my church service and took a shower. After lunch today, I am planning on heading to el centro to hang out for a little while and then I'll probably come home and do some more homework and go to bed.
Well, I think that gets you all caught up on my life here in Merida. Thanks so much for all of your prayers and support. I still have a strong sense that this is where God wants me this semester. He is teaching me so much and molding me in ways I never imagined! I just pray that I would be a willing servant that He could use to show His glory. Love you all!

Camiones y hamacas

Hello Faithful Blog Followers!
I had some extra time this evening and thought I would sit down and write about 2 interesting experiences I had in the past few days-and by interesting experiences I mean adventures..well sort of (you'll see).
Monday morning I woke up and headed to the bus stop to wait for the bus as I normally do.
 It was a beautiful morning as usual-the sun was shining, birds were singing, iguanas were running across the road, you get the picture. I saw the normal people I usually see on the way to school: The neighbor who is always walking her dog, kids waiting outside the Facultad for the bus, and the body guards. I don't remember if I mentioned this in another post or not but the presidente municipal (kind of like a mayor) lives really close to my house so her body guards are always outside guarding the house. While I don't know them on a first name basis, I like to think that we're friends ( we exchange the customary "buenos dias", "buenos tardes", or "buenas noches" depending on the time of the day) as I pass them at least 4 times a day..usually more. It always makes me feel a little safer knowing that they are around. Anyway, sorry for the tangent.
I arrived at the bus stop as normal and waited for the bus. Some other students from the ISFA-Butler program arrived to wait as well and we waited..and waited...and waited. The buses here (or camiones) are usually pretty regular and we were starting to get worried that one might not come and we would miss our class that morning.
Finally, one came chugging down the road (I should probably mention here that buses in Mexico are about a 100 years old and are all falling apart..you never are quite sure if you are going to make it to the place you are trying to go or not) and we flagged it down and got ready to get on. Only problem was, this bus was packed and by packed I mean that I literally was hanging out the door when the bus took off...Talk about a morning wake-up call! Eventually people squished together and I was able to step inside. At the next stop, I thought we would just keep going and not stop to pick up passengers but nope we somehow squished together even more and fit more people on. I have been on quite a few "crowded" buses in my life but nothing compared to this!
The part that almost made me laugh out loud was that even with people spilling out practically every corner of the bus, the bus driver still drove as crazy as ever. For anyone who has ever been to Mexico, you know that there are basically no rules when it comes to driving and everyone pretty much just does what he or she thinks. So there we are cruising down the highway on our way to class on a bus that is crowded with people hoping that we make it to school in one piece. It was quite the adventure and defiantly a new way to start the morning!
The other thing that happened to me this week wasn't quite as exciting but it's still pretty sweet. My host parents gave me my own hammock (hamaca) to sleep in! Here in Merida because it is so hot, people usually prefer to sleep (or at least take their siestas) in hammocks. I was pretty excited to get my own so I can try it out! My host mom showed me how to set it up and the most comfortable way to sleep in it. I have to admit it it's pretty comfy and a lot cooler than my bed but I think it's going to take some getting used to before I can spend the entire night in my hammock. I'm trying to get used to it though because in a few weeks we are going to visit a remote village where we will have to sleep in hammocks and I want to be an expert by then! :) Most people use hammocks here like we use sleeping bags in the US and just set them up pretty much wherever when they need a place to sleep.
Well, that's about it for my adventures here this week. I'll write more in a few days and let you know about the rest of the week. Hope you all have a great day!

Las Adventuras de la Semana (Adventures of the Week)

Whew! I cannot believe how fast this past week went by! It feels like just yesterday that it was Sunday and we were coming home from Playa del Carmen!! After the break, it was a little tough to go back to school and do homework again but hey that's what I'm here for :). I really can't complain though because all of my classes are interesting and I have so many amazing opportunities here to practice my Spanish and get to know the culture that I would never have in the States.
Tuesday was a pretty normal day. I just had my communications class in the morning and my Spanish class that afternoon. Every week, my host mom makes one traditional "yucatacean" dish for me to try. This week we ate a soup that literally had everything in it-beans, pork, hotdogs, potatoes, zucchini, squash, carrots, onions, some things I didn't recognize, and even bananas! It was pretty good although I wasn't a big fan of the cooked bananas. After our Spanish class, Emma and I headed to a salsa dancing class we've been going to after our Spanish classes on Tuesday and Thursdays. It's super fun because it's kind of a dance/exercise class and the teacher is super energetic. I like it because you don't dance with partners and instead learn how to dance the steps on your own. Compared to everyone else in the class well, let's just say that I have a lot to learn but I'm having a blast with it and I'm hoping that by the end of the semester, I'll at least know how to get by! We're hoping to get a group together in the next few weeks and put our practicing to the test by going to place where you can salsa dance...We’ll see how it goes when we actually have partners!
Wednesday morning, my host mom informed me that we were going to the casino to eat breakfast. Now, I don't know about you but a casino is not the first place I usually think of when I want to eat breakfast but being the good host daughter I am, I just went along. It turns out that there is a casino close to where we live that serves free breakfast every morning. We met up with the rest of the family (my 2 host brothers and their wives) and ate breakfast and sat around drinking coffee and talking. The atmosphere was really fun and my mom told me that they go there a lot just to eat and hang out because the food there is really good and cheap! Defiantly not what I was expecting but it was a lot of fun and a good way to start the day. Classes went well and we watched an interesting video in underwater archeology about how shipwrecks are located..I know it probably sounds lame but it was actually really interesting. That night, we had our program meeting where we had our first salsa dancing/cha-cha-cha dancing lesson. Our teacher just about had us all in tears laughing when he told us how to dance "sexy." He very calmly explained that if we had no idea what we were doing (he probably was watching me), all we simply had to do was touch our thumb to our middle finger, assuming the "sexy" hand position, and move our arms a lot..lol I'll try that one the next time we go out salsa dancing!
Thursday, I decided to get up early and bring my laundry to the lavandaria to be washed. I had learned about one that was a lot cheaper but was farther away from my house but I decided to go check it out anyways. So, there I was walking down the street, not really sure where I was going, carrying a trash bag full of my laundry. I got some pretty curious glances from people on the street but I found it eventually with the help of a man who was sitting on the street and dropped off my laundry. Classes went well and I picked up my laundry after they were over. I then went for a run in the rain which was fun until I got to the streets where the water was up to my knees and couldn't run anymore and had to turn around...just another thing to add to my list of interesting things I've done since being here in Mexico. Hurricane Mateo is supposed to hit close to Merida so we are expected to get a lot of rain over the next few days. My family enjoyed telling me all about hurricanes that night at supper. It was fun listening to their memories of times they had to wait out hurricanes as a family although I will be more than happy if I make it the whole semester without experiencing one!
Friday, I had class till 11 and then went to Plaza Fiestas to do some homework and headed home. I spent the afternoon doing homework and relaxing. That night, a group of us met up to go the casino to eat supper. We just ate and talked and then came home early because we had Hoy en tu Comunidad the next day.
Saturday morning, I woke up to my phone ringing with Sarah on the other end wondering where I was (we were supposed to meet up and walk to the bus station together). Turns out that my alarm never went off so I literally rolled out of bed, got dresses, grabbed an apple, and headed out the door. It was a pretty rushed start but we made it there with time to spare! Hoy en tu comunidad was a lot of fun. I started off working with the kids but then it looked as of we could be more helpful working to take blood pressures so that's where I worked the rest of the day. It's getting easier the more I practice and I really like learning from watching the other doctors work. We had a lot of time to just sit around as for some reason, not a ton of people from the town showed up. I don't know if it was because it was supposed to rain that afternoon or if there just weren't that many people or what, but we ended up with a lot of time to just sit around and talk. Emma and I struck up a conversation about what we believe and it was really interesting talking to her. We also got to talk and meet more of the students there. Some of our friends invited us to go with them to visit some ancient ruins and a cenote for a weekend(One of them has an aunt who lives close to a place with ancient ruins who we can stay with) so we are looking for a weekend where we can all do that together. I am still amazed at how generous and welcoming people here are. I love how my friends here constantly give us hugs and always are inviting us to do something. We have a lot of fun joking around together and they enjoy helping us practice our Spanish. After getting home on Saturday, I just worked on homework-I have a presentation for my Spanish class so I tried to get that done and then I went to bed.
Today, I woke up and decided to go on an adventure to find a church. I had looked online and found a church that I was interested in...The only problem was, it's pretty far away from my house. I got directions from the ISFA office on Thursday and set out this morning to find it. It was quite the adventure and test of my Spanish but after 2 hours, I made it! The church service was neat and it was such a blessing to worship with other believers in Spanish. I talked to the pastor after the service and he told me that there aren't a ton of churches like the ones I am looking for where I live. It sounds like this one was the closest and with it being 2 hours away, I'm thinking I probably won't be able to make it every Sunday. I was a little bummed but I'm thankful that I have internet here that I can use to stay plugged in and I'm still planning on looking around. I got back to my house around 2 and talked with my family and teased Carlitos (the grandson) and ate lunch. The rest of the day, I just plan on doing more homework and getting caught up in all of my classes.
Hope everyone who is reading this is doing well. I miss you guys and appreciate all your prayers and support!

Celebrating the Bicentenario and Playa del Carmen

Wow! What a week! This past week, we celebrated 200 years since the start of the Mexican Revolution against Spain. The best part? We didn't have school for three days! All of Mexico had been getting ready to celebrate this Wednesday and there were decorations, signs, and countdowns going on in almost every part of the country. When I was in Cuernavaca last fall, there was a clock already counting down the days and hours until the "Bicentenario," or two hundred year celebration and I heard a ton of people talking about how exciting it was. Naturally, I was excited and curious to see what it would be like and was looking forward to being a part of the celebration.

Monday, I woke up and went to go take a shower but there was no water! Silvia later came down and fixed it but by that time, I didn't have time to shower before I had to go to school. In the States, I usually don't think twice about not taking a shower before heading off to classes but here because it's so hot and you sweat so much, it feels pretty gross if you don't shower. Not showering for just one morning made me really thankful for all the times that the water does work!! Classes Monday went well and I came back and worked on homework, ate some lunch, talked to Carlos and Silvia a little and then headed to Plaza Fiestas to walk around and hang out in the AC for a while. I then came back home and went for a run and ate supper and then went to bed.
Tuesday was my last day of classes before the break. I woke up, got ready and had my quiet time and then headed out to my communications class. On bus ride home, I met a guy who was from Minneapolis but went to school in Green Bay and was studying here in Merida...it's a small world! I ate a quick lunch when I got home and then headed out to Spanish class where we worked on improving our pronunciation and then I went out for a run and ate supper and went to bed.
Wednesday, was Independence Day here in Mexico. In the morning, I met up with some friends and we went to the mall for the morning just to hang out. Our original plan was to go see a movie but we realized that there weren't any movies playing until later in the evening so some of the girls decided to get their hair cut and we watched. After a while, we headed home to eat lunch with our host families and rest before heading out that night. Around 8, we all met up at our favorite meeting spot...los arcos...and headed to the celebration. There were lights and noise makers everywhere! Part of the street had a bunch of street vendors so we grabbed some tacos for supper before heading into where "el grito" would be. Around 11, we followed the massive groups of people into the main square where the governor would give her speech and ring the bell. There were people everywhere!!! All of a sudden, all of the lights shut off and only the lights illuminating the stage were on. The governor gave her traditional speech and rang the bell and then the crowd shouted viva Mexico 3 times. It was pretty neat to see and to be a part of although we got some curious glances from several people. They were probably wondering what we were doing there. Afterwards there was a really sweet firework show. By the time all the festivities ended, it was pretty late so we decided to head home. It was such a neat thing to be a part of and in a lot of ways was similar to the way we celebrate Independence Day in the states.
Thursday, I slept in and then worked on some homework. I was then able to have some Skype dates with friends which was awesome!  That afternoon, I met up with some friends and we went to a movie and then returned home for supper (tacos al pasor ) and I packed up to head out the next morning.
Friday morning, I woke up early and met up with three other gals from the program to head to Playa Del Carmen for the weekend. We found a good deal at an all-inclusive resort there and decided it would be a fun way to spend a few of our days off. We arrived in Playa around 1 and headed straight to our hotel which was gorgeous! There was green everywhere and a million things to do and see. We all headed straight to our rooms to drop off our bags and then went to the ocean/pool to swim and enjoy being outside. There was a rifle shooting contest going on and we figured that we might as well give it a shot (pun intended). It was the first time I have ever shot a rifle but it was pretty sweet. Shannon-one of the gals I went with, and I decided that we wanted to work out before dinner so we headed to the gym to lift weights and run. It was a pretty neat place to run and it was great to be able to run around on actual paths and not having to worry about twisting my ankle or being run over by a car! That night, we got dressed up and went to eat dinner at one of the restraints at the hotel. Everything was included so we could eat wherever we wanted to-there was a Japanese, Mexican, French, and Italian restaurant. After dinner Gabbby and Kelsey (the other two gals I went with) headed out to a club close to our hotel and Shannon and I went to a Latin dance show that was at the hotel. It was awesome to see so many different types of dances. My favorite was defiantly the tango-I love all Latin dances but for some reason the tango holds a special place in my heart. Maybe it’s just because I know I could never dance that gracefully. After the show, Shannon and I went walking on the beach and had a good talk. There was no one else out there so it made it feel like we were the only ones on the beach. Eventually, we returned back to our hotel room and went to bed.
The next morning, Saturday, I woke up early to have my devotions on the beach and then we ate breakfast and then we all headed out to downtown Playa. Gabbby, Kelesy, and I had decided that we wanted to go to a place called xplor and Shannon had plans to go to Cozumel for the day and go biking around the island. We all rode the bus to the same place and then headed our separate ways from there. Xplor is this huge adventure park built into an already existing cave system and it was super neat. We started our day out with ziplining over the forest/jungle. You could look down and see all these animals and stuff beneath you and it was pretty awesome. The entire course took 2 hours and some of the routes brought you through waterfalls which were refreshing as it was hot out!  After the zip lines, we went on a river swim thorough these caves with staglites hanging down-we had fun looking at all the different ones. We then took these kayaks/canoes through another part of the cave. It was rather funny because no one knew how to paddle and kept running into the walls of the cave so we had to help them get turned around and explain how to paddle...all my rowing experience came in handy =).

We then dried off and went to a buffet that was included in the price of our ticket for lunch. The food was delicious and they even had broccoli and asparagus which was a treat. After lunch, we had about an hour until the place closed at 5 so we went on these 4-wheeler/ jeep things that we drove though the caves and on all these paths through the forest. They were really fun and a good way to wind down at the end of the day.

We then went back and met up with Shannon and headed back to the resort where I went for a run and worked out while the other gals caught up on some much needed sleep. Then we all got dressed up and went out for dinner and walked on the beach. Kelsey and I went for a late night swim and them we all headed to bed.

Sunday morning, I woke up before Sunrise and headed to the beach to have my own “church service.” Close to our hotel, there were these little lookout huts so I climbed up one of those and had a great view of the sunrise. There was no one else up or out on the beach so I was completely alone and it was really cool to spend a few hours alone with Jesus. I sang, prayed, read my Bible, and journaled. Afterwards, I went for a run on the beach which was awesome and then I met up with the gals and had breakfast. We spent the rest of the day swimming and laying out in the sun. Around 4:30 we headed out and back to the bus that would take us home to Merida. I got back to my house around 10:30 and unpacked and then went to bed.

This morning, I woke up and took a quick shower, had my quiet time, ate breakfast and headed out to school. I had a hard time staying awake in my international relations class but somehow I made it through the two hours and headed home where I worked on some homework and got caught up from being gone. After lunch, Sarah and I headed to el centro and just walked around and went exploring. We discovered the market here which is huge and a lot of fun. You can pretty much find everything under the sun there from nail clippers to kitchen knives to fresh flowers and raw meat. We shopped for a while and then we headed home and I went for a run and ate supper. Now I’m just planning on working on a little bit more homework and heading to bed. Hope you all had a great weekend and had a good start to your week!