- A while back my sister and a friend from college came down to visit. It was wonderful to show them around Mexico, but the coolest part of them visiting was showing them the home and introducing them to my kids. A lot of the kids were very excited to meet my friend and sister! Days leading up to it a few of them were counting down with me. "Katie, only two more days, are you excited?!" It was really nice to just show them what my daily life is like here, where I shop, and introduce them to my favorite part of living in Mexico-the tiangues (open air markets). We also were able to travel to Cholula/Puebla, Mexico City and Teotihuacan,where they have about 10 Aztec Pyramids including one of the world's largest.
- Our seniors had business presentations that were amazing. They had to come up with a business plan, do marketing research, create the project, and try to make a profit. Some of the tourism kids made food, another group made homemade candies and caramel sauce (that I wish I could have for the rest of my life), another made a house that runs on solar power, and another group made websites and business cards for all of the products. It was really impressive!
- My roommate, a fellow volunteer, my two bosses and I hiked Volcan La Malinche. It's a dormant volcano in Tlaxcala, Mexico, whose summit reaches 15,000 ft! It was the most challenging hike and probably work out of my life, especially the hike from the base of the summit to the summit. At points we had to be using our hands to prevent us from falling backwards because of the incline. But boy, once we reached the top it was all worth it! We were able to sit in the clouds and see three of Mexico's other volcanoes. The whole thing about 8 hours to climb up and back down and we spent about an hour at the top. I got a little altitude sick, not as much as I thought I would be-- nothing that a nap at the summit of a volcano couldn't fix. During our trip we also stopped in a cute city along the way from Cuernavaca named Atlixco in the state of Puebla. It had colorful buildings, a beautiful city center and beautiful churches and markets. This was one of my favorite trips and moments in Mexico so far.
- I went to Mexico City with our seniors a week before their graduation to buy their graduation clothes. It was awesome to be a part of. We bought a lot of dresses, shoes, make-up, suits and whatever else they needed to make their special day complete. The day ended perfectly with getting tacos and cokes and sitting around in our family room at the home and telling everyone what they got.
- The most exciting part of the summer so far is that our seniors graduated from high hchool! It was a day filled with so much pride and love. One of the girls asked me to be her Madrina (Godmother) for her ceremony. Being a godparent for a special event is a Mexican tradition, such as baptism, confirmation, quinceañera, graduation, etc. It was a huge honor to be asked! We had mass, the ceremony were one of our kids from was valedictorian and gave a speech, and then had a fancy dinner and dance at night. Two days after graduation they all moved to Miacatlan (the little kid home) to start their two years of service to give back to the home. The new kids that graduated from junior high school in our home in Miacatlan moved into our home as well the same day as the recently graduated moved. It's weird to see new faces around the home but I am very excited to get to know 60-some new kids!
- Finally, we recently welcomed the new generation of volunteers and the old generation left. I can't believe that I have been here for six months and that the new volunteers are already here! My two roommates left and I gained a new roommate. I am very excited to continue to build community with the eight new volunteers!
That is all the excitement that has happened in the house and in my life lately! I am going home for a little over a week in a few days. I am so, so excited to see my family, friends, go to a baseball game, eat a good Juicy Lucy and speak English 24/7. Then a few weeks after I return to Mexico my best friend is coming to visit! I have a lot to look forward to in the last six months in Mexico.
Till next time folks.
-Katie
