What's good about a goodbye?

Tiffany got a flight out of Mérida at 7:15am and we've heard that she made it safely to Raleigh. Our hearts remained heavy today as she was on our mind a lot throughout the day. As for Jessica, her host dad died from the result of the cancer he's battled throughout the semester. She is now staying at the Central House and they're busy filling out passport applications, etc. Hopefully her travel plans are not delayed. Continued prayers for these two girls, and our whole group as we work our way through this busy and alarming week would be appreciated. "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:27 is such a great reminder that the Lord will provide us with the peace that we need to face any situation, and the only true sense of peace is that from God Himself.

Many of us were exhausted today - after very little sleep. Most of the Spanish classes this morning were actually cut short to let us all rest and relax some more. This was okay to do since we're done learning new things and just have the tests this week. It was nice of them! I took a nap between Spanish and play practice (which took the place of Val's culture class today) and then took another siesta at home this afternoon! Feeling much better now!

Tomorrow I'll be back at Sol y Luna and La Academía for my last day of internship/volunteering. It's hard to believe I'll be saying some sad goodbyes to the friends I've made. I feel so blessed to have been able to be apart of their lives and help in the little ways that I have these last four months. It's David's birthday tomorrow, the boy in my first English class - so I went to the store today and bought a variety of cookies for us to celebrate, and enough for my second class as a goodbye treat! I hope to take a lot of pictures at Sol y Luna tomorrow - hopefully I'll have some to share!

This afternoon I studied for my Spanish tests that I have tomorrow and put together a PowerPoint for my oral presentation on Wednesday. It's a presentation based on the essay I wrote about my passions. I feel like I keep saying, "I can't believe..." or "It's hard to believe..." but it truly is crazy that I only have two more real Spanish classes left! Thursday will be a shorter class to receive grades, do evaluations, and say goodbyes. Time is slipping away!

I got to Skype with my mom, dad, Paul, and grandpa tonight - good to talk with them for maybe our last time via the Internet before I see them face to face on Sunday! We had some logistical things to talk through and then I got to wow them with my cave stories and chat a little about the sad events of yesterday. We discussed how I should probably start arranging my bags and figure out the best way to pack everything... After Val dropped Tiffany off at the airport this morning she sent us all an email... Continental now charges $200 for a suitcase that is over the 50 pound limit. That's absolutely insane - nearly a half of another plane ticket!! So we will definitely all be weighing and re-checking our bags before we head out!

Tomorrow Romi (Rachel's friend from Central Mexico who has been visiting) will head home - so tonight we had a little despedida (farewell) at La Parranda. I feel like we've been doing a lot of these despedidas lately - but I guess it's that time as things wind down! A good night out to just have fun, dance a little, and chat! We all sat and discussed life goals, and how none of us believe that we will be Juniors and Seniors in college next year - with about half the group looking for "real" jobs in a year's time. Sad to say goodbye to Romi - didn't even know her that long, but she was SUCH a fun and kind girl, who I meshed with so quickly and easily! She's also studying Psychology and wants to work with kids with developmental disabilities - so I told her we can open up a practice together :)

Now I really need to get some sleep!! Hopefully the test goes well tomorrow, and I have a fun time with all my kids and students as I say my goodbyes throughout the day! One last thing - my parents said it barely reached 40 degrees today in Minneapolis... We're supposed to maybe have "cooler" weather here this week, as in low 90s - so it's beginning to click how much shock my body will be in as I enter the tundra of Minnesota!

As a closing thought, Lib wrote this in her blog today and I think it's perfect:
"This week we in Mexico are saying some of the biggest goodbyes of our lives. I along with many others are working hard to remain in denial, knowing that four months of our lives will simply come to a close in less than a week is a hard concept to accept. Next week, I will no longer speak more Spanish than English, I will no longer kiss everyone on the cheek when saying hello and goodbye, no longer wake up to fresh tropical fruits or live only 20 minutes from the ocean, and no longer spend time with those people in which I have bonded with and depended on for the last 105 days."

Kayla & I

Katelynn, Rachel, Me, Romi, Kim - Despedida