One More Week!

So it's safe to say I've had my share of cultural experiences for the month here in Mexico. Never before in my life have I been in a situation where I almost died because my crazy bus driver almost killed a cow in the road, nor have I seen such a scarcity of toilet paper, hot water, and clean streets. The people in Mexico are some of the most hospitable you'll ever meet, but the atmosphere is what really gets to me. I miss my daily dose of CNN, my best friends and the amazing times we had back home, my family, but most of all I miss the simple pleasures that I have taken for granted for so long. I miss my independence; driving my car wherever I wanted to go whenever I wanted; having the luxury of speaking my mind without having to be conscious that my remarks and points of view are representative of something much larger than myself; not having a set of rules to abide by on a daily basis; not having a limit on how much of this or that I'm allowed to eat. I miss coming home at night or in the afternoon to an eager mom, dad, or brother, or maybe even a pair of dogs with their "Geez we've been waiting all day"expressions on their faces and an overabundance of saliva reserved especially for me (or whoever would have walked through the door at that specific moment). I miss school more than I ever though I would. I don't necessarily miss the concept of high school, but I do miss being forced to think because I'm quickly realizing now that in a herd of 100 people it's not always necessary to think for yourself, which of course means nobody does. Speaking to a group of predominately non-native English speakers almost mandates that you speak in watered down English otherwise you find yourself rephrasing and repeating all the time. It's by no means a bad thing, but it is of course a reality that I'm having to deal with.

I remember very distinctly when I was preparing for this trip, so many people told me so many times how incredibly fortunate I am to have such a great opportunity. I'm very grateful that I'm here now because I am learning so much, but it's not at all what I expected. I expected to learn about culture and global interactions and what it means for me to be a global citizen and I am, but I never anticipated learning life lessons such as how to bite my tongue, or how to modify my thoughts to satisfy the mindset of the program of which I am now a small part, or how incredibly depressing it is that you can never get back time that has long since passed. If I had to pick one thing that has had the most impact on me so far on this trip it would be very simple. Being away from home has allowed me ample time to reflect on the things that I very much appreciate in life and the fact that most of them aren't anywhere near me right now. Time is the one thing in life that I have no control over whatsoever. I can change my mind about things in life, I can even change the minds of others; I can change my look as well as my outlook; I can alter my personality with little to no effort; I can do anything I want to do, but I can never ever take back time or relive moments that have long since passed. Maybe my problem is that I live in the past and don't allow myself to enjoy the present. But, how in the world could I enjoy being so incredibly sad?

The side of Cabo you don't see on TV.

The side of Cabo you DO see on TV.

My host family in Cabo. I love them!

The sand is way bigger in Cabo and I'm not sure why.

Cabo beach = Awesome

Ferry from Cabo to Tepic

Coconut Milk! Yay!

Ryan & Laura Lynn from Nebraska

Laguna de Santa Maria del Oro

Sprite bottles are glass here.

Iguana? Lizard? I don't know...

Ryan & Kelly from North Carolina @ the Municipality of Culiacan Reception.

Ryan & Milou from The Netherlands

Yes...that's a $6.00 admission fee to go to the beach.

Viva Mexico! Independence day is 9/16