Merida UBELONG

One day when I was a little girl, my parents asked me what I was doing to fulfill the full potential that I had within myself.  I often wondered what it was my parents meant by living my full potential with ambition. It wasn't until later on in life I found that limiting our potential to what others see of us is so limiting. We must be willing to sacrifice and go out of our comfort zone in order to truly find our potential. Since being here in Merida I have had to step out of my comfort zone and do things I never thought I would be doing. Teaching about 70 kids a day was not something I was expecting to do neither was it something I was ready for. But now that classes were starting I found myself thinking differently and processing things differently than I had before. I began to question and realize what I have liked and haven't liked doing. This week we had to prepare each day one lesson for all the kids and teach for five hours each day. At the end of two weeks, t...

I never thought that I would actually have the opportunity to go to TULUM. It was a moment in time where one of my dreams actually came true. It was an opportunity I can never forget. We were able to see the ruins which looked as if though they have never been touched and had been there since God created the world, and then we got to snorkeling, eat Mexican food and end the day at the Lake. It was the most wonderful day I could have ever experienced. After this day You truly begin to see the beauty in even the little things. They are all over around us. You can even begin to see the beauty within the people that are right beside you. Everyone needs someone to point out the beauty into their lives. I’m so grateful to see a part of the world with some of the greatest friends I will ever get to make.              On sunday we headed to church once again to attend a meeting with one of the seventy from the church, gi...

Today we had the opportunity to head to the zoo and see a lot more animals that are based more closely on Latin American countries. This was an interesting experience because while we were there the monkeys were not in cages, and not surrounded by big wired fences but instead, they were in a  wide open field with a bunch of trees and strings to hang from. It was so interesting to see them walk around and eat fruit so close to humans and not react. They also walked around like humans which made it incredible to see. My thought the whole time was how in the world is it that this world has evolved so much. Throughout the world, there are different religions, cultures, beliefs, and ideas of living. What I've learned while teaching English is the importance of learning all you can, and doing good in school so that opportunities may arise for future decisions. This is something I have taken for granted for so long that I didn't realize until now how impor...

If you know me at all.. you know that I love to watch those sappy movies that are all about sharing feelings and getting to know other places and cultures. One of my favorite movies and actresses is Julia Roberts in Eat, Pray, Love. Just a short summary she travels the world trying to find herself again after a really bad breakup. Now I haven't had to deal with a big heartache recently, but I have had to change a lot in the last couple years. The decisions I have made in the last couple years have impacted my life in ways I never thought possible. They are nothing similar to what Julia experiences in her story, but they are similar in the way I learn and appreciate things so much more. One of my favorite quotes from the story is " Ruin is a gift". This weekend after having to teach the kids in the community center a whole new curriculum of English to them without having nothing prepared beforehand, and then having to deal with the heat, and missing my family on a big holi...

WOW time does fly!!!! I can't believe I have finally reached the age of 22. Better yet I can't believe I have spent most of my birthdays recently out of the states, in my favorite place of Mexico. Since I was turning a year older. I reflected on the decisions that led me to have such great opportunities such as this one.  My decision to come here was based on the fact that I knew I wanted to take my career choice farther then what I imagined back home. I was also influenced by my great love for the Latin culture and all that this place has to offer. When I arrived here I came with a set expectation of what I wanted to be able to achieve, but once again I had to learn that giving away part of my time to serve others isn't about meeting expectations for myself but instead its about raising the expectations so that others may too have the opportunity to fulfill their dreams here. This past week I have been running around, trying to figure out what it was the commun...

This last week was overwhelmingly the best and yet hardest week we have had. As soon as my wonderful companion whom I'm working in the project with (JENNA) was able to arrive we were put right to work. We went straight to the community center to find all sorts of activities preparing for the upcoming week of performance. Thier performance and showcase of all the activities done during the school year premieres on JULY 4th (tomorrow) and they are so welcoming here that they wanted us to understand the culture right away. We worked all last week with all the different groups that are working on their activities. We even got to learn how to dance the regional dance named (I think so) Jarana. It is the cutest thing to see six-year-olds move feet like professional dance tappers. After observing for a couple days we were excited to find out that most of the work here will not be only teaching public health but helping with the necessities of the community. Which for now they ...

To answer the big question.. Yes it is very hot. Well. Here we are. 1 day down out of 45 quick days of volunteering in merida. To explain quickly what I'm really doing down here is a quick internship for public health. In all honesty, not in a million years did I think I would be here in Mexico teaching public health, but yet here we are and it is amazing.  The past two days have been a roller coaster of emotions. Getting to Merida I have felt nothing more than joy and curiosity of building a friendship with everyone here. Mexico has my heart and I love the smells, the people, and of course the food. Getting here made me more anxious than anything else. I was nervous to find myself in another country where once again I had to discover the daily routine of those who live here. But I found no greater joy in serving others and making the best of what we have. My goal for this trip was not only to find joy in serving and teaching others in a way that I can help but also ...