El último día en la playa

*Phew*  Finally catching up with my blog posts.  Thus saying, this is my blog post for Monday, August 10th of the year 2015.  Now known as the Last Day on Earth.  I mean, the Last Day at the Beach.

Ahem.  *Looks at notes written on phone, then travels back in time*  (Humor me and pretend I actually wrote this on Monday).

Today I got up at 9ish AM.  Then, without further ado, I got ready for the beach (i.e. got my bathing suit on and my bag packed).  Following which, I ate some breakfast (eggs and ham).  After breakfast, I snuck out (ninja like) and headed to...the bank!  Because I was low on money.  Luckily, that didn't take too long, and I was back at the house in about ten minutes.  Upon my return, I finished packing up my bag (with peanut butter sandwiches from MM).  Cute quick story:  So, I had to wash and fill up my water bottles (I had two plastic ones I was taking with me to the beach).  On the way back, I found one of the kittens being all ninja like (must have seen my awesomeness and decided to copy).  So I picked him up, and went to find MM (wanted to make sure that it was okay for him to be indoors).  I discovered MM cutting the dogs' hair in the hallway by our door (which explained how the cat had gotten inside) and she told me it was okay if he stayed in, so I let him down, and he pattered over to his mamma and followed her round (kittens are SO CUTE).

Round that time, Ellora showed up (it was about 11 AM by this time) to go to the beach with us.  We left a few minutes after she arrived and headed for the Progresso bus stop (about a 10 minute walk from our house).  When we got on the bus, I'll admit, I was surprised at how full it was!  Luckily, I was able to get a seat (Ellora ended up sitting on Christina's lap, see?):

About 30 minutes later, we arrived at Progresso (i.e. the beach).  It was super busy, I was surprised. But I found out that it was the day before school started, or something like that, so a lot of people decided to come to the beach.  Anyway, we looked around for a little bit, at all the different shops.  And we even found a fruteria (fruit stand)!  

You can't see it in the picture, but there's a lot of bees and different bugs swarming round the fruit.  It was...nice?

Shortly after this, we found a leather shop owned by an American who is raising money for impoverished Mayans.  He had a lot to say about Merida and the Mayans.  He went on for about an hour about all the bad stuff that happens in the Yucatan, and I was like...yes, I realize bad things happen.  But do we have to dwell on it for so long?  I wish I could do something for those impoverished, and I can.  I can give them things, money, food.  But I can't give them opportunities, not now.  And opportunities is really the only way to help people.  I mean, truly help them.

Moving on.

Finally, after an hour-ish of looking around, we reached the beach!  We tanned (I didn't even burn!  Okay, my neck and face got kind of burned.  But for the most part, I just tanned).  For the first part, I did a little studying (had my little umbrella I used to shade me from the sun.  I had to move it to the side so I could get some of the ocean breeze on my face.  WAY too hot without the cool ocean breeze) and put my feet in the water.  Probably an hour later we left to go find food.  We found a cute little resteraunt.  I didn't order any food (I was SO tired at this point), but Ellora and Christina did.

Afterwards, we went back to the beach.  This time I got in the water (forget the studying!)  Stayed out there for about an hour, just chatting with Christina and enjoying the waves.  Eventually, got out and dried off (poor Ellora was so burned).  I took some pictures (I really didn't want to leave).

  

On our way back to the bus, we stopped to get a coconut.  My first one!  It was...all right.  Ellora's tasted better than the one Christina and I got.  Also, I was surprised at how heavy it was!

#awkwardselife

After that, we looked for ice cream!  I can't remember the name of the place we found, but it was all right.  Not the best ice cream place I've eaten at.  Along the way, I spotted the light house!  So I took a picture of it.

At about 4:30 PM we got on the bus and headed back home (I sat next to Ellora and we listened to some tunes).  By the time we arrived in Merida, it was raining. Luckily, not too heavily.  Ellora got off first, then some time later, Christina and I found our stop, then walked home.  We got slightly lost, but we found our way again!  

And it sure was fun walking in the rain and thunder.  We found this cool house:

A little while later, we reached the park by our house.  I took some pictures of it.

Being the mature ladies we are, Christina and I decided to stop in front of the church (right behind the park) and splash in the puddles.  It was SO fun.  I've never gone puddle splashing.  But with my bathing suit on and having found clean puddles to jump in (i.e. puddles not on the road), I couldn't resist.

 And for your daily science lesson:

After all that, we came home, showered, then I studied and stared at Facebook.  (Really was having a hard time studying.  I was just so exhausted).  Ate dinner (tried not to loose it.  I think I had four burritos.  They were yummy.  My stomach was just a little non-cooperative).  At some point, I began packing for my trip home.  (Mainly, I threw clothes into my suitcase).  Shortly after I headed to bed.

Random note:  I got cat called A LOT today.  Let's just say, that is one thing I will NOT miss from Mexico.  Why?  Because it's annoying.  NOT a fan.

*Ahem*

That's all.

'Til Tomorrow (or, ya know, when I write up the next blog).

R J Carr

 

They've Been Robbed!

Today started out well.  Got up at about 7:50 AM, took a shower, and then got ready and dressed for church.  We were running a tad late, so Christina and I just took some slices of bread with us to eat for breakfast.  (I had to be there early to practice with Ellora.  She sang in sacrament with me accompanying her).  We arrived at church at about 20 til, only to find the gates locked.  So, we had to wait a little (it was just a few minute) before going inside.

Ellora and I practiced for just a few minutes (she sang “Teach me to walk in the light”)  I must admit, I have never been grossed out by a piano before, but today, that piano seriously grossed me out.  It was just so…oily!  It was gross.  Nevertheless, I played (germ-xing my hands directly afterwards).  I’ll admit, with the practice, I was nervous.  Mainly because during practice, I played awfully. 

Following practice, I played the interlude music for sacrament meeting.  (Which also didn’t go to well.  But, ya know, it’s the thought that counts right?)  It wasn’t long until sacrament started.  Which, at the last minute, they realized they had put up the wrong musical number (it was originally the hymn “Praise to the Man” but then it was corrected to “Let us All Press On.”)  Kinda had to fake my way through that one.  (I have never been able to play Let us All Press On well.  I was fine with Praise to the Man, but obviously that was not the song we sang.  I couldn’t help but think to myself, “I’ve been tricked!” :P)  Then, for the second hymn, I’d looked at it previously and was like, that’s easy enough.  Needless to say, I ended up biting my tongue.  That song did not go over well, either.  However, I was so proud of myself because, I didn’t really get nervous.  I just told myself, “Hey, this is the last time you’ll be playing the piano, in Mexico, at church.  So just enjoy the experience.”  So I just kind of drunk it all in, not caring about all the mistakes I made. 

Luckily, though, Ellora’s song went without a hitch.  She sang it beautifully!  And I managed to play it with no mistakes.  #success

The final song of the meeting was a strictly Spanish song (i.e. a song only found in the Spanish hymn book).  In other words, I didn’t know it at all.  Luckily, it was just a simple 6/8 song.  And I guess I must have played the rhythms right because no one threw tomatoes at me.  (Not that they would.  They are, after all Mormons).

But enough with the piano playing.  I must do a quick shout out to Christina, who did a fabulous job today on her talk!  She spoke so well!  I enjoyed listening to it.  #yourock

After church, we got picked up by MM.  (Who took Brandon home as well).  On the drive back, MM stops the car (at the stop sign) to make a call.  I was confused (she’s never done this before), until I realized it was MM’s husband.  It didn’t take long for me to catch that MM’s husband was saying that someone had robbed her parent’s house, and that her husband was already in a taxi en route to the house.  Needless to say, MM dropped Brandon off right there (it was just a block from his house) then sped us home.  She asked us if we were hungry, and I said, “Oh no, we’re good!”  (A big fat lie.  We were starving, but I didn’t want her to worry about us.  It was much more important that she see to the needs of her parents first).  So she dropped us off at the house, waited until we made it inside, and then zoomed away. 

Needless to say, Christina and I headed to the kitchen and got a little snack (MM told us that she wasn’t sure when lunch would be because, ya know, that whole robbery thing).  I had some toast with PB and frosted flakes.  Following that, Christina and I laid down for a nap (I’m sure we talked a little before doing so.  In fact, I believe we talked about Days for Girls and about what it was like to be a woman back in the day.   

After the nap, we had lunch (we were awoken by MM’s husband on their return).  Which was exciting.  Most of the time was spent talking about the robbery. 

So, I guess the robber had tried to break the window, but that didn’t work.  So then he broke through the door.  Everything in the house had been ransacked, with things thrown all over the place.  Though not much was taken, I don’t believe.  The robber escaped through the back by climbing up the plants (or something like that).  Sounds like it was someone desperate for money (which, you know, with how poor some people are here, I wouldn’t doubt it).  So yeah.  It was frightening for the poor couple.  But by the end of the meal, the grandma seemed a lot calmer.

After lunch (and chatting with the family for a good hour), we headed back to our room and chatted about the Word of Wisdom (why you may ask?  Well, for desert today we were offered cake made with coffee.  Which, I didn’t realize till I’d taken a bite of it.  And even then, it took a moment to register.  The grandma felt bad that she’d brought a desert we couldn’t eat, but we were like, No worries!!  Anyway, of course, after that, a discussion ensued about caffeine versus coffee and tea and all that jazz.  So, Christina and I tried to do some research on why it’s okay for us to drink caffeine, but not coffee and tea.  Course, after all the research I did on caffeine today, I’m uh, probably not ever going to drink it again, sick or not.  That stuff is SO bad for you.  And yes, you can overdose on caffeine.  And yes, it can kill you.  Just something to think about).

About 5:30 PM Claire and Ellora showed up at our house to offer us a ride to FHE (we had FHE tonight because one of the students is leaving tomorrow).  They ended up staying for a while because FHE wasn’t until 7 PM.  We were shewed to our room by the adults, so we ended up just hanging out in our room talking until it was time to go.  (We picked up the rest of Claire’s house on the way over there.  It was pretty entertaining, fitting seven people into a honda.  Four in the back, three in front.  Claire ended up sitting on my lap.  Malena was super funny and did “brake tests” several times.  Luckily, we survived :P)

We made it to Raquel’s house in one piece.  We then talked and waited for everyone else to show up.  When they did, we had food!  Spaghetti and some type of Mexican food, planichas?  A pineapple drink.  And some carrot cake and ice cream to follow.  (I realized today that no, I really don’t like carrot cake.  So how have I grown up thinking all these years that it’s my favorite???  I think I get spice cake and carrot cake mixed up.  Because I do like spice cake). 

Following food, we had this nice little slide show of pictures from the trip, done by Raquel (she did a smashing job!)  Followed by a walk down memory lane (aka, everyone shared their favorite part from the trip.  Mine was basically thanking them for all the support they gave me as they helped me through my fears.  Kinda got choked up during it, which I was not expecting.  What can I say?  I hate goodbye activities).

After that, Christina and I walked home.  It was a lovely evening.  We had a good time talking about our favorite memories and things that we learned.  I think I’m going to compose a list of my favorite things and what I learned for the last blog.

As for now, we were working on homework (a presentation on google docs), but the internet went out.  So I ended up writing this blog in Word and posting it today.  (Dern internet)  So, yep.

Buuut, we have bomb plans for tomorrow!  (Well, today, now).  We are going to go to the beach and study!  For rizzles.  I’m super excited.

‘Til Later,

R J Carr