Week Long Adventures.

Friday/ Saturday.

The WEEK long started with an over night bus to Oaxaca. We arrived in Oaxaca city at 7 am, bought our bus tickets and waited 2 hours for our bus that was 11 hours. So in total we traveled 16 hours on a bus. It wasn't completely miserable, but it wasn't very pleasant either.
When we finally got to Puerto Escondido it was 7 pm, and from the moment I got off the bus and until we left, I realized that Pachuca is cold! The first step off the bus I suddenly wanted to strip off every piece of clothing I had on, because I was suddenly drenched in sweat. Never before in my life have I ever been in such a hot, humid place- Definitely a first. When we had arrived at our hostel we were welcomed by lots of interesting people sitting around the table listening to one person tell stories. She was the hostel owner, and a well traveled lady who had a German/ New Zealand accent. She had no problem talking to people and we would all be amused for hours.

SUNDAY. On October 25, 2015, I crossed something off my Bucket List. Yes I Touched the OCEAN for the very First time in my life! Everyone says the Ocean is salty, but you really don't know just how salty it is until you inhale half the ocean as you are beached. Oh yeah and the Ocean is really strong, I was beached a couple of times and had sand EVERYWHERE. I also had the opportunity to learn how to surf, and dang it, I know how to surf and it was awesome! I surfed the first wave that came along, and the instructor in his broken English said this "You have good balance" just as he pulled me back into the water to do it again. It was great and I accidentally drank half the ocean. 

MONDAY. We decided that sitting on the beach would be an AMAZING idea, and it was. Then a guy came up to us and told us all about this cool boat ride and how we would see dolphins, whales, and turtles. And I lost it, I was like NO WAY, we have to go- So I made a deal with the man that if I didn't see

any Sea Turtles I wasn't going to pay him, the guy SHOOK my Hand and said deal "You see Sea Turtles, I promise". It seemed promising. In fact it was REAL promising when we were in the middle of the Ocean and the Guide JUMPS into the water and I remember thinking 'What the heck is this guy doing?' - we all turn to look to see where he was and in his arms was a SEA TURTLE. Never in my life would I have thought that is how you catch a sea turtle. In a few short moments the Turtle was on the boat and I touched it REAL QUICK. So after that cool boat ride I went right back up to that man and handed him his money. I will always love the culture here, people are just so different and its Great! Anyway, so after that short excursion we were beach bums for the rest of the day. Shortly after we got back from the beach we made Chilaquiles for us and our new friends at the Hostel. We made an oddly weird connection with the owner and it made the experience at the Hostel really cool.

TUESDAY. Tuesday was our last day in Puerto Escondido so we literally relaxed all day. In the morning we walked around the market and then wandered over to the beach. I sat and ate the 

BEST Guacamole I have ever had. I also had a coconut- the milk, the meat- The WHOLE thing- I knew I liked coconut before, but fresh Coconut, nothing beats that. Not only did I just sit on the beach and eat, but I did the whole beach experience! I wrote my name in the sand, searched for sea shells and swam in the Really Salty Ocean. It was all great! I LOVED every moment of the beach. We stayed for one more Sunset and headed back to the Hostel so we could gather our things and head to the night bus so we could arrive in Oaxaca city by morning. Our Crazy Hostel friend invited us to go to dinner with her and the rest of the gang. We all got pizza and had a moment of lots of talking and funny stories. It was definitely a night I want to remember for a long time. Hearing about everyone's story and why they were traveling really made me want to get out and travel!

After we ate we went straight to the bus station, got a little last minute Wifi and got on a combi. So when we purchased our tickets, we saw the cheaper price and decided it was a great idea! Worst. Decision. Ever. Instead of purchasing tickets for an actual bus, we purchased tickets for a combi. A COMBI. Not one of us slept that night, in fact at one point there was this old lady who put her feet on me! So I curled up into a little ball and fell asleep for a little bit- and woke up and couldn't feel my butt or legs. If I slept at all it wasn't restful in anyway. When we finally got to Oaxaca city it was 7 am- we took a taxi down a couple of blocks to our hostel. We couldn't check into our hostel until 1 pm so we crashed onto the couch until 10 and then went exploring the streets of Oaxaca. I had some really Really good quesadillas and some amazing Jamaica. By the time we wandered back we were finally able to check into the hostel. We set our stuff down and layed on the bed and crashed for 4 hours straight. When we finally woke up we all showered, got ready and went on a hunt for more food. We found these giant quesadilla things called
Tlayuda. Literally a giant quesadilla. We also found some amazing chocolate. Oaxaca is known for their food and for their chocolate- so really we couldn't have been in a better city. Valerie and I found a super tiny gelato shop and it was the BEST Ice Cream I have ever had. I got an ity bity cone and the Lady OVER filled the cone. The night had been made up from the previous night- it all canceled out. Later when we had wandered back to the hostel, we met a bunch of new friends from all over the place. They even invited us to go to a bar with them. They couldn't get over the fact that we don't drink, but we ended up going with them to just dance! We may have met some crazy people, but I think that was just part of the experience ;) It was all just really great.

THURSDAY.
We met up with some friends that Valerie knew through another friend back in the States- and they followed us where ever we wanted to go. We went exploring through some Ancient pyramids dating back to 100 AD. It was a cool little city, and we were able to climb all around them and walk all about the place. It was really hot and the stairs
were like lunges. So when we got to the top of the largest Pyramid I laid down- I mean it isn't everyday you get to lay down on the top of an Ancient Pyramid. After an hour or so we wandered back down to catch the bus, and on the way down there were SO many people stopping us, wanting us to buy their treasures. I mean they were cool, but it was like peer pressure, I felt like I had to buy everything. Anyway, after the Pyramids we walked all around El Centro, touring through some museums, and eating Ice Cream while slowly melting in the heat. Since we were in Oaxaca so close to the Day of the Dead, the

streets were decorated and filled with skeletons and alters. It was something that I was actually really excited to be part of! Later in the evening there were parades and Mariachi bands playing on Every Street. So if you just missed one parade, don't worry- Just walk down the next street and BAM! Another Parade and Mariachi Band! It was the most interesting thing I have ever seen. People were walking down the street dressed up like skeletons- it was the most fascinating thing I have ever seen. The whole city was a party and even though everyone was dressed up like the dead the city was very much alive.

FRIDAY. Friday was our last day in the City of Oaxaca. Our friends met back up with us and took us to see the FATTEST TREE in the world. It was 2000 years old, still alive, and REALLY fat. I had to take a panorama of the tree because it was so fat. We
honestly didn't do very much on the last day. We walked around a bunch of little shops and ate more quesadillas. Walking around, looking around- they are my favorite things to do and we did a lot of that in Oaxaca city, and it was great! At the end of the day we gathered our things and we went back to the bus station. There were Mariachi bands playing in the station and throwing "Prizes". I got nailed in the foot with a small container of hand sanitizer and I snatched a hat right out of the air- it was great. Shortly after all the excitement happened, we piled onto the bus. Six and a half hours later we arrive back home. Pachuca. I layer back on the layers and get in a taxi, walk inside our quiet home, and crawl into bed. The week long was INCREDIBLE and so tiring. I didn't realize how tired I was until I laid down in my bed.
Anyway Mexico is still great. The culture still surprises me. People are so generous. The food is Great in every way. And I will always love it here.

Teaching. Tacos. Tehuacan.

This week all starts off with a cold. I caught myself a cold- and it was miserable. Teaching was almost a nightmare- My ears were so plugged that I couldn't say anything over a whisper. My head was so clouded that I had snuggle time with my kids... I mean they were already immune to this weird sickness- They were the ones that gave it to me. Anyway that is how this wonderful week started. I stayed home lots from small adventures to try and recover. And the worst thing was, we were ALL sick. It was a great way to start a week. We discovered a really yummy dish, Chilaquiles, It is soggy chips in some really yummy sauce- It
sounds really gross, but trust me I'm getting really good at this food thing, so any replication of the delicious food must be documented for the proof that Mexican food can be replicated by some white girls. Anyway during the week it was very boring, I really didn't do anything but try and get over the miserable cold. I have never loved fresh orange juice so much, and never before have I ever missed Night Quill so much before in my life. By Thursday I was mostly better, I say mostly better because I had finally gone to Walmart and spent money on medicine so I could sleep at night. Also, Thursday was the night that we left for a little weekend trip to Tehuacan. So we took a bus to Puebla then to Tehuacan. The whole reason we were going to vacation in Tehuacan was because of our cute little Head Teacher. She had done ILP for the first time with a
host family in Tehuacan. So the adventure side came out and we all agreed we wanted to go see her host family with her. So we got off the bus really late, it was around 11 pm- late- but not that late. The host family came and picked us all up and took us to their home where we ate tacos- dinner at midnight. And in Mexico that is totally acceptable. The following day we went though a jean factory,
where the host mom works as a designer. So we got a little tour of how jeans are made: by a lot of sewing machines and hands. Hand made. Jeans are made by hand. So I have decided that I shouldn't be picky about my pants... even though I probably still will be. Anyway, I got myself a nice little pair of jogger jeans and they are awesome and super comfy and I am almost convinced to wear them
everyday. Later that day we headed over to the markets. Fresh fruits and vegetables EVERYWHERE. There was also a bunch of random pottery and random things. That is the best way to explain the market place. Everyone has different things, trying to sell you everything. It is in fact one of my very favorite things to do in Mexico- walk around the market place to see all the random things they are selling for only 10 pesos. I even got the BEST cup of fruit at the market- Pineapple- Coconut- Melon. Anyway Mexico is awesome and I've said it before but I will say it again: I might never come
home. Later that night we went to a big birthday party. There was lots of food and little kids. After we ate, all the little kids asked us to come play with us in their little broken English- it was adorable and I couldn't resist. The whole time I was in Tehuacan I never stopped eating- we were constantly going somewhere to eat something. So after the big party with lots of food and cake, we went to an Ice Cream place and had Ice Cream and Churros. So if we weren't eating tacos we were eating Ice Cream, and I was okay with that. The host family that we were staying with were amazing. The Mexican culture is so different and so kind- The family literally took us everywhere. So with the couple of days we were there we got to know their three,

sweet little girls. Their family reminded me of my brothers family and being around them made me miss his three little girls. I haven't really felt homesick until this trip, and even then I don't think I felt it to the full extent. It was just for the weekend. The very next day we went to El Centro. That is where I learned that every city in Mexico has a Centro with a little park, Church, and little restaurants or shops surrounding the area. It has been really interesting walking around everywhere in Mexico and realizing that everything is the same but different. The culture is amazing, I find more and more love for this country everyday.
Anyway, Sunday morning we went on a walk around the city and had breakfast at the host families grandparents house. We even walked all around El Centro and saw the "Story of Mexico". There were a bunch of murals painted on the walls and ceilings telling the story of how Mexico came to be. It was really interesting to see how they perceived the world. The adventures in Tehuacan were really laid back and it was more relaxing than anything. On the way back we barely caught our bus back to Pachuca- we purchased our tickets minutes before the bus was scheduled to leave. I had lots of time to think on the bus and I realized I am so grateful that I can spend time in Mexico and call Pachuca home. It is something I never really thought about before, until now- its not something I can really explain, but its a great feeling and Pachuca is definitely my second home. :)

Conchas. Fair. Conchas. Real de Monte. Chonchas. Fut Bool.

Alright. So this week starts way back to the beginning of last week. Monday morning we were briefly
informed to give a presentation for the Parents that had their kids in ILP. Tuesday morning was early and Super Great. and the Parent Presentations were awesome- we totally rocked it. Wednesday was another Big day, Our Super Awesome Program Director came to visit us and watched all of our lessons. So we had two REALLY big days in a row. To make things better, the kids were CRAZY and super wild. So really our week was good but full of craziness. So to end the week, we treated ourselves and went to the Fair! It was Awesome and it looked like a mini Lagoon. Street food, rides, and the people on the side trying to get
you to play their game to win a prize, There was even a mini concert. Needless to say it was Pretty Awesome.
Okay, so lately I have been obsessed with the delicious pastry, the Concha. Every day after school, after we eat lunch- we walk down the street right past the BEST cocina pan place here. All of the delicious pastries are freshly pulled out of the oven and the whole street smells Amazing! WE all can't help but pull out our three pesos and get a Fresh Pastry that your taste buds will never let you forget. Just as I got a doughnut every morning at work, I get a lovely Concha everyday in Mexico. SO with that little side note of Conchas, I will continue to tell you about the fair. THERE WERE GIANT CONCHAS AT THE FAIR. Also on every
corner of the fair, they had this corn, mayo, lime stuff and it is AMAZING. I will never be able to eat corn the same. I never thought I liked mayo, but when you put lime with it, it changes the whole thing. There is something about limes, they change the world, or at least my taste buds anyway.
Alright. So the very next morning I had the opportunity to listen to the prophets voice- Yes it was indeed General Conference weekend. I LOVE general conference. There is nothing better than Listening to the prophets voice on a Saturday morning. People might think otherwise, and that's fine. I make my religion a
 priority and love the spiritual uplift. After the first session of conference, I went with my lovely roommate, Laney, to Real De Monte to do a Home visit with one of our Students.  It was a really neat experience. They invited us into their home, we exchanged some of his work and in return they fed us Pastes and took us around el Centro. Real de Monte is beautiful city! I feel like the city is built on different hills, so if you want to go to one side of the city you have to go down the hill and up another one. Anyway our student's grandparents took us up to this one place, I honestly couldn't tell you where it was, we weaved in and out and up and down- but here we were at this one place and it was full all these shops that went down the street. As
we looked around the Grandma was like "Are you going to buy anything?". Laney and I just look at each other like Ohhh we are taking the time to do this okay. Okay. So as we looked around to buy something I saw the COOLEST turtle, but I didn't buy it I just held it in my hands, contemplating if I should actually buy it or not. And just as I was going to set it down, My Student grabbed it out of my hands, Bought it and then handed it to me saying "Teacher, this is for you!". I was speechless. I swear this kid hated me! He calls me teacher Ugly every day. This kid Never listens in class and suddenly he was my best friend, sticking by my side, totally interested in what I was buying, wanting to take a Selfie with me, you name it. This kid was suddenly the sweetest kid I had ever met. And maybe it was just because his grandparents were

there watching, or maybe it was just because he suddenly discovered that I wasn't scary. I will in fact never know, but I definitely connected with him on more of a personal level and I can only hope that he will be better in class now. This was definitely a moment to always remember.
Remember when I said it was conference weekend? Okay so Sunday I was planning on staying in my Pjs all day, eating snacks and listening to the Words of the Prophet. On the lovely Sunday morning the Wifi decided to cut out, so I had to get ready to go watch it at the church. One of the reasons I just wanted to stay home was because I wanted to watch conference in English- I knew I would get more out of it that way. So after getting to the church and finding out that they don't broadcast it in English, I just gave up and watched it in Spanish. It was fantastic, I caught words and sometimes phrases here and there, but I didn't catch a lot. But hey, what else should I expect,
I live in Mexico.
So that weekend was a great start to the Next week. We didn't do a whole lot and that is why I am combining two weeks into one post. Two for one! Anyway. This last week we seriously did 5 things. 1. Watched a movie in Spanish. IT WAS AWESOME. I will definitely be watching The Martian in English- it was So good. 2. We taught our daily lessons to the crazy children. 3. We went to this super awesome cafe. Our principal's son, who has two kids in the ILP program owns the little shop. So we got some really yummy treats. Anyway the whole trip was short and really fun- it was Great. :) 4. Saturday we went to Real de Monte and went to the crazy awesome Paste festival and ate lots of Pastes. We also

had the awesome opportunity to Tour through a Silver Mine! I have never before walked through a Mine, and now I can say I have, and it was AWESOME. 5. We went to our awesome friends house and watched the BIG Soccer game -Mexico against the United States. So our Saturday night was dedicated to watching Fut Bool and eating Hoot Doogs. It was a great day to an awfully boring week. :) Did I mention I caught a cold? It is the weirdest cold I have ever had, and I wish it was gone already- It makes teaching miserable. But its all good. Just like all colds it should pass... right? Right. Anyway I have discovered that time is passing WAY to quickly and I only have Nine Fridays left!!! NINE. I mean if you think about it, nine weeks is a long time, but when you're in Mexico that isn't very long at all! So basically I will have at least Nine more Awesome Adventures! YUSSS. P.S. Mexico won the big Game.

Mexico, one step at a time.

So this next week all starts with My class making Ninja Turtles for art projects. I had arts and crafts this week and since I love turtles, I thought hey why not make my kids craft them together. It was a genius idea and the kids LOVED them. I had them make all sorts of funny little crafts, and not one of them complained- it was a miracle!

That Friday we got home from school and immediately packed and left for our First REAL Vacation! I say the first real vacation, because we haven't gone farther than the outskirts of Pachuca the whole time we have been here. So for the first time we left the state of Hidalgo and wandered over to Puebla! The State of Puebla, the city Puebla. The Streets kind of look like Disneyland- everywhere you turn there is a new street full of shops. The buildings are all colorful and there are people playing music at every corner. Its quite the magical little town. In the Dark there are lights EVERYWHERE, just as if it was Christmas or something. I mean literally, it all kind of looks like Christmas because of the colors of the Mexican flag. Its glorious and the little town is filled with tiny shops and restaurants. As we wandered we found the BEST Churros EVER. They were fresh, hot, and they dipped it in sugar right in front of you. I could go on and on about the Churros, and I probably could have spent all my money on the delicious treat, but that didn't happen- that won't happen. They were just really good and that's all you really need to know. The very Next Day we spent the Whole day Touring the Cute Little Town of Puebla. We first visited the Old Historic

Cathedral, and it was SO amazing and it really made me appreciate art and design. Some of the artifacts and designers dated back to the 1600's- Life is literally a small moment and completely amazing. Also I got a glimpse of how dedicated the catholic people are- EVERYTHING we saw was hand crafted and hand carved- Literally the most amazing thing I have ever seen.
Second we walked town the street and into the open areas of little shops. Every where you turn there is someone sitting there just waiting for you to touch their stuff and buy it. It was also so incredibly easy to get lost in this place and never return, but eventually you run out of money and you have to find your way out. Story time: So I decided that I was going to get a turtle in Every city that I visited, that way I wouldn't buy 10 turtles in one city. So confession time, as we were passing through a shop I saw the COOLEST turtles, so just out of curiosity I asked how much they were and this guy clearly stated that he would give me all 7 of the turtles for 50 pesos. But I had already bought a turtle earlier, so I said no and walked away. For some odd reason we ended up passing this guys shop two more times. The more time we lingered there, the guy kept trying to convince me to buy the turtles for 10 pesos less. Long story short I
 indeed bought all 7 of the turtles for 30 pesos. So in the city of Puebla I got 9 turtles in total...
We spent two nights and one full day in Puebla and it couldn't have been better! One of the glorious nights we went to this GIANT Ferris Wheel! It was so BIG, and it went so Slow- It was so high in the air that we could see over the city of Puebla. It was simply amazing. That is all.

Our Adventure doesn't stop in Puebla! Out next stop was in Cuetzalan! The city is built on a hill, so literally every step you take is a NEW ADVENTURE. This place was so cute, it was filled with a lot of old women and lots of young men. There were very few in between and it was really weird. Anyway while I was there, I experienced some really good tacos, the BEST
 Fresh Orange juice, and the coolest water cave I will probably ever tour through. First of all we found this awesome tour guide, and he took us through the jungle, cave, and then he lead us right to a really cool water fall. Now again, the whole City is on a hill, so by the time we were done hiking, and done touring the jungle cave and waterfall, we were exhausted! But we weren't done yet- We had heard from our tour guide that there was going to be a little fair right in town. Something I've learned about the Mexican culture, any excuse they get to throw a party, they go all out and party HARD. Cuetzalan is a tiny little city, so the "fair" was three little taco stands and one little shop filled with homemade things. Then the WHOLE city was in this little building having a little Mariachi band competition. It was really cute. We left at 9 pm and went straight to bed in our lovely little Hostel. The very next morning we wandered around town a little bit and made it a thing to go see the Ancient Cuetzalan Pyramids, It was something to cross
off my Bucket list- I have ALWAYS wanted to see ancient ruins! They were Amazing, really tiny, and broken up. I mean yeah they were incredibly old, but they were so cool! It's crazy to think that little ancient people of Cuetzalan made a living and homes out of these pyramids. I can just imagine little ancient people wandering around this place. Yes I say LITTLE ancient people, because I was either the tallest person in town or some of the men were just as tall as me. So these little ancient people are adorable and I'm in love with the city of Cuetzalan. Shortly after we saw the Ruins, we caught a bus back to Puebla and then back to Home sweet home, Pachuca. The bus ride was long and a little miserable, and I discovered that I get really, REALLY car sick. Anyway, the whole trip was AMAZING! I loved every moment and I'm pretty certain I can call Mexico my second home. :)

Viva Mexico!

First of all-I have officially been in Mexico for a Month. Where the FLIP did all the time go? Its crazy how fast time flies. I still love living in Mexico! Second, WE went to a Dinosaur museum! As to the Selfie with the Dino. It was freaking awesome. I have a new love for Dino's, I mean I feel Like I just re-lived Jurassic Park! Every Dinosaur was life sized and it was super legit.

Enough about the Dinosaurs... I did other awesome things this last week. I discovered Chokis' and Emperador's- They are the BEST cookies and I am now determined to bring a whole suitcase of them home.

NEXT adventure took place in El Centro. Let me tell you- it was crazy, I mean I have never before seen so many different shops FULL of people. I thought I got lost in American shops, Nope. Mexico has tiny shops wherever they find space- so basically its possible to get lost every turn you take.

Its almost like Black Friday shopping- You have to Literally squeeze your way through people. Also, Everything is Super cheap here- So Unfortunately it makes it really easy to just buy EVERYTHING. Not that I would buy everything but its just factual that everything here is super incredibly cheap compared to what you see in the States.

We also had the awesome privilege to Celebrate Mananita Mexicana with all the kids at school. Its basically just a big Fiesta the day before the Day of Independence day. So we went to school early all dressed up like the Mexican flag, the Skirt, the Shirt, the cute little bow- We went the whole 9 yards of celebrating. The school then put on a cute little show, they danced and sang, they even had the kids act out parts of how they gained their independence. It was really interesting to celebrate and be part of a difference culture. After the cute little show, Everyone pulled out tables and all the sudden there was more food on those tables than I have ever seen on Thanksgiving. No Joke. These

people KNOW how to throw a Party. And the thing is, all the food was technically breakfast for them. Okay yeah cool- I'll take a taco for breakfast ANY DAY.

On September 15, the day before Mexico's Independence day, we all took another trip to El Centro that night to be part of the Grito. Which is basically just another way to celebrate their Independence. They have the governor come out and sway their their flag and he says "Viva Mexico! Viva This! Viva That!" and everyone repeats "VIVA!" Then after all that happens, the fireworks begin. I will tell you what- I have never seen a country so dedicated to celebrating their independence. Yes America has fireworks and everyone wears Red, White, and Blue, and then that night they watch fireworks and BAM its over. But in Mexico they Celebrate Two days before,

the night of, and even then some are still celebrating the next day. Basically the whole week is dedicated to celebrating their independence. It was a really neat experience to just be in that culture for a moment and be in Awe.

After all the fireworks there was this really famous Band that started playing, and EVERY person knew EVERY word to EVERY song that was played. So if you don't know all the words to EVERY song that is played you are not a true Mexican. Haha. It was a blast to just listen to EVERY one sing with the band. That and EVERYONE knows how to dance, Everyone but this white girl. But needless to say, some Mexican asked me to dance during one of the songs and it was a BLAST. I have never had so much fun just letting things go and dancing to my hearts content.

Also, did I mention I was on TV that night? Cool huh. Well we went to this cool Grito thing with some Native-Mexican friends. They were teaching all of us how to dance and how to act like a Mexican. It was pretty awesome. And literally out of no where came the TV reporter and he asked if he could record us saying "Viva Mexico". So we did. We all got in a line and we all said VIVA MEXICO!! That was the end.

There were also a million and a half people. Never before have I been surrounded by SO MANY people. To just walk out of the crowd we had to all hold hands so none of us would get lost as we had to squeeze through all the people. I swear the whole country of Mexico was there, just casually squished together. This was definitely a night to remember and I loved EVERY moment of it.

The very next day after all the crazy Fiesta's that took place, we had the day off from school, so we all took a little trip to Real de Monte- which is just the outskirts of Pachuca- And we explored the little town. This cute little town is known for mining, SO they sell a BUNCH of  REAL silver for really cheap. It is actually super awesome! ALSO they have really, really good Pastes. Actually anywhere you go, you will get really good food. But if you are in a mood for a really good Paste, you know where to go now.

The following Friday we all went to the Lovely Hot springs in Tephe. We camped out and everything. Now I don't know how it is everywhere else, but when you camp in Idaho you're usually surround by trees. Well in Mexico you are surrounded by grass, and it is the ONLY grass you will ever see. So we camped in a field. I also saw my first live armadillo! It was really cute and made me not want to use the bathroom (because that is where it was hiding.)
The water was like a warm bath- It was also really blue water. This place had the Coolest water Slides I have ever experienced- they were so big you had to be on an inner-tube! This place is also the biggest water park I have ever been to so there were so many things to do without getting bored. At one point we were just throwing a football, passing it to one another as we swam in the pool. By the end of the day our fingers were all prune-y and we were all crispy from the lovely sun. I was lucky, my burn turned into a lovely tan by the next day- I'm not sure how that happened but in no way am I complaining about it.

This last week was quite the Adventure. I loved EVERY moment of it and I can't wait for next week! #vivamexico #vivapastes #vivamexicanfood #vivatephe #vivaadventures #VIVAMEXICO

Culture Shock.

I think after 3 weeks of living in Mexico it finally hit me. I am not in the U.S. anymore. LET me insight you on the past week.

First of all I have the coolest tan line on my feet. Yes. On my feet. I like to wear my chacos everyday so instead of having a sock line and my feet being really white, they are really tan. So if anything I'll come home with Tan Feet. Cool right?

Recently we discover the roof of the little Mexican house we live in. I mean we finally figured out that there is a difference between the street view and the roof view. Both very beautiful but both very different. Its like a really big picture- When you step back you can see the whole picture, but you can't really see the detail. So the street view is when you step closer, the closer you get the more detail you will see. BTW. We aren't allowed up there anymore...

Another thing, Walmart. There is a Walmart in PACHUCA and unlike any other Walmart in the U.S., this Walmart has a WHOLE aisle dedicated to Rice and Beans. No Joke. I mean in the U.S. we have a whole aisle dedicated to Potato Chips, so I guess that's the same thing? Different countries just have different priorities?

Every day of my life I have done my hair down, its ALWAYS down, until I started teaching English in Mexico- So going back to the first day of class I wore my hair down- that was the first and probably last day that will ever happen. The little kids played with my hair, I mean I don't blame them, they probably have never seen blonde before. Anyway, after that first day I decided I would wear my hair up everyday. So with that really long introduction I will tell you the story I was actually trying to get at. The other day in class, the older kids asked if they could talk in English the whole class time instead of doing the activity. I'm kind of a sucker, If they ask me things in English I can't help but say yes, so for a solid 25 minutes they asked me questions and talked the whole time. One of the things they asked was to see a picture of me in the U.S. I pulled out my phone and showed them a picture and they couldn't believe the picture I showed them was me! They literally lost it! "Teacher that's not you!" Yes kids. I used to wear my hair down before I met you all. After 10 minutes of trying to convince them that,

they still didn't believe me. In fact I still don't think they actually believed me. Haha. Maybe I might have to wear my hair down just for that class.. Maybe. 

We adventured up to the Statue of Christ, IN MEXICO. Yes. Who knew there was an Awesome Statue right in Mexico. Yeah its no Rio de Janeiro, but it will do for now. The view was AMAZING. We were able to see the Big picture again, it is just so inspiring to be on the top and see everything below. The more of the City I see, the more I want to stay here forever. 

So I don't think there are actual car laws - I mean all 5 of us ride in a Taxi... I'm usually sitting on someones lap, yeah. Instead of using blinkers, they either have their hazards on the whole time or just honk. If someone wants to turn where someone else is turning, NO BIG DEAL, they just turn with them. It actually amazes me that I haven't seen one wreck since I've been here. I'm dead serious, people drive everywhere, wherever, and however. So I will forever be convinced that there are no laws in Mexico. 

FYI. If you ever get the chance to go to the Mexico City Temple, please do. It is by far the Largest Temple I have ever stepped foot into, and So Beautiful- inside and out. There are hand knit doilies and hand crafted pottery inside. Each Temple is so very special. Also, the Spirit speaks ALL languages. I don't understand a lot of Spanish, so I didn't think I was going to get much out of the trip, but the Gospel is True and the Spirit has the gift of tongues. I was blown away when I realized I understood everything that had the gospel incorporated into it. It inspired me to learn Spanish and read the Book of Mormon in Spanish. One day I will have the gift of tongues.

Speaking of Mexico City... That is one city I will never forget. It was the first time for a lot of things. lets just say I saw A LOT of Big City Culture. I saw my first Sky Scraper, and other things....ALSO I learned that people really know how to party here. The night we got back from Mexico City, the big House just down the Street was having a Fiesta until 6 am. Mexican Life= Party.

Fun Fact: Mexico City is the 2nd most populated city in the WORLD. You know China is the first, you don't need a fun fact for that one. 

So Teaching English? I LOVE IT. It was really rough at first, but look at these cute little faces! Instead of actually listening they just put a million of my stickers on their faces. If they get anything out of my lessons they know how to put stickers on their faces because the kid next to them went free style on the stickers instead of listening to the ABC song. Do I blame them? All I have to say is, Good things stickers are cheap. Now that I am the teacher, I finally understand why I was never put in the same group as my friends in school. But hey despite all the craziness, they really are learning the Language. Even in the past three weeks I have seen Impeccable Improvements from ALL of them. Its absolutely CRAZY to think about kids and their ability to soak everything in. 

Well. There you go. There are my ramblings from this last week and a half. One last Also, I have been writing this blog post for three days now... Its about time I post this already. #enjoy.