one week.

today was a 'lazy day' of sorts. i was so tired and exhausted from our week that i went to bed at 9 last night and turned off my alarm. 

emily and i decided to start doing laundry this morning due to our clothes getting full of sweat daily while we adjust to the heat. i learned that i do laundry in an odd way - whites, colors/delicates, blacks/greys, and jeans. i also learned that a load of wash takes about 2 hours in the washing machine here at this house. it took (im assuming, because i didnt stay to count) about 30 minutes for the washer to fill with water. yet another thing i really took advantage of at home (: we left to go to the market, and when we got back, our clothes still werent done. we went to lunch, and on our way back, checked and ta-da! we could switch our load (: got some clothes hanging to dry right now! 

(my view from the balcony where i do laundry)

we learned later last night that mass at the high school was switched this weekend and they did it yesterday afternoon versus today at 11. emily, haley , and i decided to venture to mass at the cathedral tonight at 5. we took one of the world's slowest busses today...took 5 min to move one block. we didnt understand much of what was going on, and we didnt have sweet books that translate and tell us what to say like the house does. the cathedral was SUPER beautiful, and i would definitely go again, and hopefully be able to participate more (: 

(inside the cathedral) 

we had a guy come up to us at the end and ask if he could explain what the symbol over the door signified. the angel on the right signifies death, on the left is life. the M in the circle is for maria, the A for assumption. the triangle for the holy spirit - 3 in 1. there are more, but i couldnt understand everything he said.

one large thing thats different between catholic mass in the states and here is that communion is a very big deal. if youve committed a sin and not confessed it, you cant receive communion. a lot of people dont go each week, so those that do just get up and go - you dont wait for the row in front of you. 

when we were walking back to our seats, we noticed people had taken our seats. i was unsure of what to do!! ive never had this problem! so what did we do? sat in a different row. we were so confused, and i felt even worse when i realized we'd sat in the seats of a boy with down syndrome. 

i felt so confused; out of place. i thought about how others feel whenever they are in a culture new to them, or just traveling and unsure of what to do. its very humbling to be the one who is out of place. to learn how to be more understanding of and helping to people who might be lost. 

ive been reminded of how nice the mexican people are. most of them go out  of their way to help people whenever they can. andrew, our coordinator, told us that if you ask someone for something, like directions, they will always give you an answer even if they dont know (so its best to ask a few people) (: 

im so excited to continue this journey! i cant believe a week has flown by so quickly! in one more week, ill hopefully have found a place to watch the superbowl because a lot of people are ready to see the seahawks win! (: gotta get our nails painted to support them! 

fun story of the day: yesterday, while we were hiking, we learned that we are all single. today, while we were getting ready for church, emily decided to showcase he belching talent. after i got over my initial disgust, i looked at her and said 'on a completely unrelated note, you said youre single, right?' we couldnt stop launghing (:

si se puede

our internet this week has been very hit or miss. i haven't been able to write a lot, due to minimal free time paired with no internet. 

this week, we were in our first week of language school. i am in the intermediate class, and it is a lot of review for what i've learned in the past. we spent the week learning/reviewing the preterite, imperfect, present perfect, past perfect, and even more fun things (: then in the afternoon we have a conversations class. we sit and just talk. kind of fun (: friday, our teacher gave us the prompt of "what's your stand on gay couples and should they be able to adopt?" i feel like i have a hard enough time explaining my views in english, let alone in another language with people i'm still learning about. we also got to learn a few mexican songs! de colores, la bamba (: got to sing with the teacher, and it was an absolute blast (:

(ready to write a bunch in my notebook!) 

(one of the walls in the school)

after school everyday we've been learning about either our jobs, or about the city of cuernavaca. most of the volunteers for mexico will be working in the city of miacatlán, where the younger kids are, which is only about 45 minuutes away. in cuernavaca, we have a 'bachillerato' for the older kids. their high school experience consists of the normal classes kids take, and then they choose an area of specialization - child care, tourism, computation, business, etc. to give them the skills they need to work right after they graduate if they'd like. otherwise, the children are given the opportunity to go to university by giving an extra year of service after they graduate high school. there is housing for volunteers in cuerna to visit on their weekends off from miacatlán, which is where we've been staying. we've got 5 girls in 2 rooms, with more on the weekends since there are ladies who have their weekend off right now.  its been so fun getting to know the people that will be my primary support system this year. 

(sorry i caught you guys off guard (; heres most of my group!)

this week we've learned the bus system, went out to eat with the current volunteers, learned some of the slang for the house/mexico, some safety, and other things pertaining to our jobs, as well as salsa dancing. i had SO much fun learning salsa, with one of the best partners ever. he was an older man i didnt know before getting there, but he was so kind and wanted to ensure i was getting all the moves correctly (: afterwards, we went to have a couple drinks on a patio bar (: to all the minnesotans - sorry im not sorry (; i ordered a hamburger, and it was notttt very good. kind of missing american food right now - so sick of beans (frijoles), and its only been one week. 

yesterday, a few of us decided to climb a mountain to an old pyramid about 45 minutes away. one of the other volunteers said he wasnt going to climb because he'd done it recently, and i was curious as to why he didnt want to go again if it wasnt that bad? after about 4 minutes i realized why. i had one of the best workouts ever, but man am i sore. i wish i could just have a bubble bath with epsom salt and wine (; the whole way up, id ask to stop every 3 minutes or less - id relate it to p90x. its great if you already work out. if you dont, its very difficult. our mantra the whole way up was 'si se puede', which means 'you can do it'. it helped a little more when we could see the end in sight (; 

for more info on the mountain, click the link: http://unvrso.hubpages.com/hub/Archeological-Sites

(before our hike) 

(at the top!!! we did it!!!)

(animals that just run around and eat your fruit. so interesting looking.)

(our view from the top)

weve all had emotional highs and lows this week while acclamating to this change in everything - our daily routine, communal living, school, etc. i feel that 'si se puede' really applies to a lot of whats going on, and its whats keeping me trekking right now (as i write my blog post in bed on a saturday night). 

purchased some things at the market to make guacamole with the avocados and limes that we have in our front yard (: time to see if im any good at cooking down here? ¡hasta luego!

quick post tonight. quite tired from language school and walking around the city of cuernavaca for the last few days (: im learning the bus system well!

as i was sitting with my friend tonight, who ive known for a few years, he asked what i was thinking about. i realized i had kind of zoned out, in a very content/happy state. i was finally spending a night here in cuerna just hanging out. being around these kids. this is my life right now. and that i havent just sat and relaxed for a longgg time. i always am running somewhere, or if i had free time, i would try to find work to make money to afford my expensive lifestyle. 

for the first time in years, i could honestly relax and not have something looming over my head. id even completed my tarea (homework) for tomorrow, so i literally just sat and enjoyed the wonderful weather with a close friend. i realized that i definitely take on too much (i mean, i already knew this) and i need to slow down. i am only 24. i need to think smarter, not harder. make time to relax, and be okay with relaxing even if i have other things to complete eventually. 

thanks again for your continued prayers.  i can constantly feel the love (:

very grateful.

to preface, i have started and come back to this post a few times over the last week, so it's a bit late to post, but thought id still post what happened (:

as i sit and finish writing my thank you cards for many things this season, i am feeling so blessed and grateful for the life i have been given and all the pieces that come along with it. my family is amazing. my friends are have exceeded my expectations of what friends should do/be. and the people i work with have been the best coworkers i could ever ask for. i have been seriously lucky that my first job out of college has been my job for 3 years. 

ive been very emotional lately, and its no surprise to anyone why. i have, though, done some serious thinking. contemplating why exactly i am SO emotional. i have concluded a few things. 

i have such a wonderful life. 

i have two parents, who are willing to bend over backwards to help me make my dream come true, even if its at an expense - of money, time, space, energy moving all the stuff i have. they own a house that has space to let me sort through my stuff, help me decide what to donate to better homes, and even take it for me after i leave so i dont have to stress about adding one more thing to do before i jet off to a nice warm country.  they are taking care of my car while im gone, and helping financially, since ill be making a whopping $50/month down there - i wish the student loan companies cared about that.

 

i have some of the best friends in the world. the only exception to that is id love to be friends with brett eldredge, ellen degeneres, and ed sheeran. (if anyone reading this has connections, hit me up!!!!!) my friends perfectly executed a surprise party recently, took me out for a very nice and fun dinner, and even made me gifts of a song and slideshow of pictures of our year together. ive had so many friends come and go in my life - people i thought id be close to forever, and ive kind of always been disappointed. not anymore. i know that these 5 are not going anywhere. (im the one that left...) 

i have (had) the best coworkers i could ever ask for - ones that make me never want to leave. i am so lucky to have found such a great organization early on, and grow along with the company, in so many ways. i have been given such great opportunities, from a company that has such high goals for the company, and each individual employee. i cannot begin to say thank you enough for all the wonderful connections ive made with everyone over the years - including the vendors and other real estate related connections. 

my mother always told us to follow our dreams; that we could do anything, and (within reeason), she'd support us. i don't know if she realized that that would lead one daughter to germany, and her other to mexico - overlapping for 8 months of the year. she texted me this morning and said she was doing fine until she watched me walk away to make my dream come true. i was that girl crying in the caribou coffee line. 

i am so excited for this place ive called my second home for years to finally become my first home for an extended period of time. this organization is life changing, and i can't wait to share my experience with whoever wants to listen (: 

what im doing this year (:

hey all! just recorded a quick video for what im doing with my year! thought id switch it up today (: let me know what else you want to know! im excited to share this journey with you this year!

http://youtu.be/BeXVJBytjZ0

my full heart

today i woke up with empty boxes and a very full heart. this weekend has been everything i needed. i spent time with close family and friends, got to pack for mexico, and it has finally sunk in that in 2 weeks from now, i will be anxiously trying to sleep in preparation for my spanish language school in cuernavaca for two weeks. 

i have been such a rollercoaster of emotions lately. packing up your life as you know it to begin one in a foreign country, is difficult. it is liberating to get rid of a lot of stuff that i really do not need, and having my destination a house where so many people just have the basics really makes me realize i have been so blessed here with my clothes, shoes, bottles of nail polish, scarves - the list goes on and on. 

when i woke up yesterday, i thought my day would be: target and brunch with my mom, followed by a longggg day of packing up coffee mugs, my souvenir shot glasses, etc. i had no idea that when i walked into my house that i would be greeted by 40 people yelling surprise at me! my emotions were so high - anxiety, sadness, exhaustion, excited, overwhelmed - i just started crying. i couldnt believe how many people were at my house for ME. how many people had taken their morning to be at my house getting ready for me to come home to a complete surprise. 

family and friends drove anywhere from one street over, to a couple hours away. i still am in awe, simply because im following a dream ive had for 7 years. i have no idea how to deal with whats going on in my head. i never knew my support system was as large and strong as it is. i hope that with time, words will actually be able to explain how i feel. my gratitude for everyone who has shaped my journey, in one way or another in the last 7 years, is larger than i could ever explain. i never thought id literally be speechless for something, but i also thought that a surprise party couldnt actually be fully carried out for me because i always figure something out/think too much. guess its a weekend of firsts. 

sitting at brunch this morning, i really just felt very calm and happy. thankful to the core. i get sad thinking that itll be a long time until i get to hang out and laugh with my friends until my abs and cheeks hurt, but then i just am thankful for the time ive had with them, and how much i really love them. i am excited to make new friends and memories in mexico, but i am very sad to be leaving such a wonderful life here.

ive told people that my decision to go to mexico was both a no brainer, and the hardest thing ive ever done rolled into one. i  cannot wait to see what 2015 has in store for me. i know a shortage of emotions will not be one of them (: ¡buena suerte a todos y tenga un año inolvidable! good luck to everyone and have an unforgettable year!

2015

i'm not one to think that a new number on the calendar signifies momentous change and great things.

i realize, however, that i will be experiencing just that in 2015. i am excited to be spending more than 90% of my 2015 in the city of miacatlan, mexico, spending time with the over 600 children that call casa san salvador "home". year after year, while other things in my life change - friends, education, employment, myself - nuestros pequenos hermanos (nph) has stayed a constant.  something about it keeps drawing me back.

i'm not one for cliches (okay, maybe i am..) but ever since the first time i set foot in the house, my world was changed. i found myself saying "you don't fully understand it until you experience it" to others, which i NEVER believed until the first time i was there. the atmosphere in this home is different. it doesn't matter how much money you came from, what year your car is, which iPhone you have. all the material things are SO trivial.

my first year, on the last night before i was coming back to america, we were sitting in the courtyard with some of the children. one child saw that my friend was sad to be leaving, and promptly left, leaving my friend more sad and confused. 2 minutes later, the child emerged with their only stuffed animal, as a gift to my friend so she wouldn't be sad (thus making her bawl harder..). these children have really got life down. they understand it's not about the material stuff - it's about the intangible things. the time, energy, love you exude, when all they know is abandonment and pain.

i am excited to be instrumental in these children's lives, but more excited to see how they will reshape my frame of thinking. there's nothing more fulfilling than being taught by a 6 year old. the simplicity, that life really is that easy. all we need to do is love, and be understanding.

i will be continuing to blog throughout the year, so let me know what you're curious about! open book over here (:

much love, many prayers.