missing mexico

although i didn't write about this as soon as i got home, i had an amazing spring break in mexico! my college pretty much makes you study abroad in some way, and since i'm already an old married lady and would prefer not to spend a semester away from my husband...i chose this spring break trip for transfers and freshmen. 

and last night, i had a dream i was in mexico again, which is weird, because i only spent a week there and as awesome as it was, i was pretty psyched to be back home...but anyway, it got me thinking about the trip and what a great experience it was!

overall, the trip was a real learning experience (ew, academic terms for "super fun but learned alot"). we went sight-seeing in mexico city and cholula, stayed in puebla with UPAEP university, spent 3 days in the village of la preciosita, and then 1 day at the beach in vera cruz. besides really getting to use my spanish, this trip was perfect because it blended historical sights with service work. we weren't stupid tourists the whole time, even though we did get a guided tour around the mayan and aztec pyramids...we got to stay with families in the village and eat authentic, home-made from scratch mexican food, and play with kids, and help the women cook, and paint the village elementary school.

the whole group! beanpickin' in the fields
one of the things we did in mexico was try to help the local village we stayed in, la preciosita. so, we picked beans for a few hours in the local field...and let me tell you, i will NEVER throw a veggie away again. it was sweltering, dusty, and the bags were so heavy. but, even tho we were all pretty slow pickers, the 16 of us were able to get enough done that the regular laborers could go sell the beans at market earlier than they would have otherwise. 

me and my buddy jordyn with our bag o' beans.



in la preciosita, we also played with kids in the town square. and let me tell you--bubbles and a few crayons are like gold to kids who don't have much! 

me and the mexican jack sparrow, who i met in cholula


while we were staying in la preciosita, one of our activities was going on a hike (which was AWESOME!) this was me and my "house-sister" paloma at the top. she, in her little mary jane shoes, practically sprinted the 2 hour hike to the top, whereas me (and my other gringo friends) couldn't catch our breath in the 15,000 foot altitude!




saw some wild llamas after the hike

we also painted a school in la preciosita!



the whole group at our resort in vera cruz, the place we spent our last day in mexico.

our resort! see that far off sky-looking thing? that's the ocean. our villa was like 10 steps from the gulf of mexico!

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