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! :)