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
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