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!