El fin

Well, it's finally here: my very last day in Mexico. These past six weeks have absolutely flown by, and I have mixed feelings about leaving. While a big part of me is excited to get back to the States to see family and friends -- and to be in a country where I more or less know how everything works -- I also feel as if I'm leaving Mérida just when I'd begun to get the hang of so many things: the language, the bus system, the heat. While it sounded like a long time when I first signed up for this program,  I'm realizing now just how inadequate a month and a half is to get to know Mérida, or any new place. Before I get too caught up in my reflections, though, let me catch you up on how I spent my last week in Mexico:

The 4th of July. 

I have to say, this was one of the sadder Independence Days of my life. All of my final papers and projects were due on the 5th, so I spent my evening with two classmates at a Starbucks (America!) working on our paper for History of Mayan Civilization and Culture. My caramel frappucino was delicious and we went out to a yummy dinner afterwards, but it still wasn't quite the same. 

Last day of classes.

The workload for our classes had been a little heavier than expected, so I don't think anyone in my program felt truly sad about our last day of school. Still, it was bittersweet to know that we would never again catch the Route 2 bus to the facultad in the morning... 

La Facultad de Antropología, where we had our classes every day (School of Anthropology).

Final weekend in México. 

Since it would be our final one in México, our program didn't have any trips or excursions scheduled for this weekend. I used the free time to squeeze in a lot of "lasts": 

One last visit to el centro / downtown.

One last stroll through la plaza grande at Mérida en Domingo. Two clowns performed their routine to the delight of children and adults alike ;)

This one was actually a "first": a visit to the Museum of Contemporary Art.  (Free entrance for all visitors!)

One last movie at Altabrisa. We saw Despicable Me 2 (or Mi Villano Favorito 2, as it's called here), but I saw this poster outside of the theater and couldn't resist taking a picture. 

A Bonus Excursion

Since we had an entire week left with no classes, our program director and a few UADY professors organized one last "bonus excursion" for our group: a three-day road trip through the northern part of Yucatán, guided by three students of tourism at the university. Our guides -- Emir, Ana Laura, and Geraldine -- were fantastic; it was really nice to spend some quality time with Mexican students our own age outside of a classroom setting.

On Tuesday we swam in a cenote and visited the village of Ek Balam. We ate dinner in the home of a family there, sat around a bonfire and listened to a few stories, and then spent the night in these cabins.

Wednesday we visited the archeological site of Ek Balam (which the village is named after). 

Pyramid, restored with thatched roofs. 

View from the top of the pyramid.

I'm really going to miss the other students in my program!

We left Ek Balam and drove to the coastal town of San Felipe. On the way, we made a stop at a roadside crocodile farm...?

Once in San Felipe, we took a five minute boat ride...

...out to a teeny tiny (mosquito-infested) island where we camped out for the night. 

We arrived back in Mérida yesterday (Thursday) evening and now...here I am! My final day will be spent doing laundry, packing, eating a delicious mole lunch with my family, meeting up my classmates one last time in the afternoon, and then going to my host dad's pizzeria for my last dinner. Tomorrow I'll wake up early, early for my 7 a.m flight and my time in Mexico will officially be over. It's been a remarkable trip. I've seen the rugged mountains of Chiapas and the tranquil cenotes of Yucatán. I've met incredible, warm people from the U.S. and Mexico both. I've felt frustrated, exhilarated, uncomfortable, and welcome -- sometimes all within the same hour. And I've probably seen one too many movies at Altabrisa (you have to understand...air conditioning!...and such cheap tickets!). I'm already getting excited for my next experience abroad, hopefully in the very near future. Thanks for following along on this adventure and sticking with me hasta el final. :)