At the beginning of this journey I can remember my head felt like it was spinning because of all the new places, people, and adventures that I was meeting. The feeling of total exhaustion, pure uncertaintly, and a spinning world are now nothing but a memory. I know feel like my head is spinning as I think about the many places I've seen, the wonderful people I've met, and the great adventures I've conquered. I cannot believe I'm where I am right now. I was just telling my dad that I remember thinking in high school that one day I would like to study abroad, my first semester of college, the day after returning from Puerto Vallarta, made an appointment with the study abroad advisor at UW, my second semester in college I found a job to start saving, worked all summer, did enless amounts of paper work that next fall, and now am living something that at one time, in reality, only felt as though it would be a dream. How crazy time flies, and how lucky I am to have this life that I live.
My family got to come visit me during Semana Santa, which was seriously an incredible gift and a wonderful week for all of us to experience. The Friday before they got here was Dia de las Flores which was a celebration for Mary because it was at this time she knew her son was going to die. There was so many people and vendors in the streets you seriously couldn't walk though them and the colors and flowers that were there to help Mary were incredible. Then my family arrived on Tuesday afternoon and the things we did and saw were incredible. We did so much. They got to meet my host family here and I think for me that might have been one of the most incredible parts. My host family still tells me everyday what a wonderful family I have and my real family makes sure that I tell my host family hello for them. I was like two of my worlds that mean very much to me got to meet. We all went out to dinner, my Senora made Pozole, my very favorite dish, and had us all over, and we went to Easter Mass together. It was seriously a powerful and incredible experience not only for me, but I think for everybody.
After my family left I took a bus overnight to Puerto Vallarta and was there from Tuesday morning until Saturday afternoon. It was an incredible trip, but I'm not going to lie, being in Puerto Vallarta without all my family was a little bit hard for me as we've created so many wonderful memories there together. With that, it was still a great trip. I took a snorkeling tour where we got to snorkel and go to beaches where you can only get to by bus or hiking because they exist after the main road stops. It was so beautiful. We did some hiking to get from one beach to another and there were spots to jump of cliffs. I think the most incredible part was seeing all these beaches with no people and some had a really pretty simple house on them and that was all. One actually had an abandoned resort that just never worked out. It was pretty crazy. I feel really lucky to have gotten to see all that I did.
Tomorrow I start classes up again after having a two week vacation and what an incredible two weeks it was. I'm thinking it may be hard to get back to school after simply traveling around Mexico a bit.
I never thoughthat head spinning feeling of exhaustion and feeling of the world spinning around you would ever got away. Last night I realized when I pulled into Guanajuato after traveling back from Puerto Vallarta, that it feels like home. My head now spins because of all the I've done and honestly because of everything I once dreamed becoming a reality. It's flying by and I think it makes my head spin even more to think that in less than seven weeks I will be living in the US once again.
