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. :)