Hi everyone! It's great to finally have some time to update my journal. I'm sorry it's taken so long to do so...I've had some busy but fun weeks! I'll start with Teban's visit to Monterrey during Mexico's independence days...
Teban got here Friday afternoon on September 12th. When we finally saw each other face to face again it was such a surreal moment. I could hardly believe he was standing there in front of me after more than two months of phone and Internet conversations about that moment. For the next couple of days, we went to Chipinque Ecological Park, downtown Monterrey, Founder's Park, Valle Oriente Mall, the Tec, and Plaza Silla. My host mom also cooked a traditional Mexican dish for us one day. We weren't able to do as much as we had planned because it rained everyday he was here! However, we enjoyed every moment together and are so thankful for the time we had to grow and learn more about each other. He likes to plan and organize things like me so we managed our time together very well! It was Mexico's Independence Day Monday the 15th, so the streets and city center were packed! We, however, did not join the crowd because it was raining and neither one of us really wanted to stand in the street for hours...the big finale of the celebration is the "grito." The grito (shout in English) is a tradition every Independence Day because it's the same grito that was uttered when Mexico finally defeated the Spaniards to gain their independence. Each year every pueblo and city in Mexico and Mexicans living in other countries gather at the same time to say: "Viva Hidalgo, Viva Morelos, Vivan los héroes de la independencia, Viva México." We watched the gritos on TV from all around the world, and it was definitely interesting to see the pride that Mexicans have for their country. The next day Teban had to leave for Costa Rica...it was so hard to part again. We were both crying and didn't want to let go, but we know that we'll be together again soon, which brings me to the next part of our story...Thanks to an error on the part of the airline (Mexicana overbooked Teban's flight from Mexico City to Costa Rica) we now have a $300 credit to buy another ticket with the airline! He had to spend the night in a super nice hotel in Mexico City and didn't get back to Costa Rica until Wednesday afternoon, but it was so worth it because now I'm planning fly to Costa Rica in November! We have one more vacation day in the middle of the month, so he and I are already planning the next time we can see each other! God is so good!
So after he left Tuesday, it was back to the real world of homework and projects for me. It was difficult to get back into the groove of things, but the Lord definitely gave me strength! This past weekend I worked on some projects and spent most of the day Saturday visiting Cola de Caballo (Horse Tail Waterfalls) and Villa de Santiago (a small town nearby). Both places were up in the mountains; it felt so good to get away from the city! I felt like I was back home in the Carolina mountains and thought back to the many camping trips we've taken over the years. We always looked for the spots next to the water because my cousins and I loved to play in the creeks and streams. For a moment, I missed home and family... Santiago was a cute little town with old buildings, cathedrals, and stone streets. We enjoyed the time we had to relax and walk around there and ended the trip with lunch at a buffet that only cost $6- including a drink! The food was great, and the most exciting part was that they had rice pudding for dessert!
So far this week, I've had a presentation and am getting ready for an exam on Friday. The presentation went very well...my group got a 98! It's been raining for the past couple of days and is finally starting to cool down. Yesterday night, Iara and I got soaked walking home from the Tec. It was like a scene in the movies- a bus drove by and slung water all over us! We had umbrellas, but it was really windy so the water was coming at us from all sides. Everytime it rains the streets are flooded here because they don't have a drainage system for the water. My host mom told me that in the past they've cancelled classes at the Tec because of heavy rain. It's so dangerous for all the people who drive here- nearly everytime it rains we hear news reports about accidents and deaths due to people driving in the rain on flooded streets. However, instead of building/installing a drainage system for the roads that would save lives, the city is planning to build a multi-million dollar soccer stadium. We have similar stories in the States, and each time I'm left wondering: What about the people? What are governments around the world doing to improve the lives of people?
Well, I'm going to wrap this up because it's almost time to go home for lunch. I'm thankful I was able to write and give you all an update after several weeks of not writing! I hope everyone's doing well. Special shoutout to Andy and Paige: Congratulations! I'm so happy for you guys and wish you the very best! I love you all. Be blessed!
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