Interprepas
The UPAEP highschool tournament of their three sports: Volleyball, Basketball and Soccer. This was a week-long event and both playing and cheering was so much fun! 

Missions 
With UPAEP I went on a week long mission trip to a community in the Sierra Norte of Puebla. We went during Semana Santa (Easter Holy Week) so I got to learn about the Catholic traditions. We were a team of four, my team members being: Uri, Zaira and Carol

​After Semana Santa vacations, we had our third and final house change! I am now living with Memo, Monica, Juan Pablo, Guillo, and their daughter Moni is currently in Brazil. My parents are  dedicated to public service. I feel like I fit into this family well from the start and am delighted to be spending these last months with them.

District Conference
For our final outing as a district they took us to Orizaba, Veracruz, for the district conference. We spent 3 days having fun, being a little bored, and saying goodbye. It was the last time I would see many of these outstanding young people. The weekend's highlights would definitely be: representing the USA in a "model UN," the nights in the hotel, and the conference gala. 

 The first goodbyes...
Elle, my fellow Iowan here in Mexico invited me to spend the past weekend in Puebla. She was getting ready to leave and by the time I'm writing this-- she is already home. The first day we had to say goodbye to the first of our little family, Lauren. Albeit very sad I think we enjoyed ourselves a lot with the last bits of time we had. 

My brother Juanpa and friends, invited us to go to a waterfall area with them, so the day after a late party we loaded up a car and went driving for close to two hours to find the natural area commonly called el Aguacate (the avocado). I could have stayed in that day for years. The water was cold, and the sun hot, conversation flowed easily from Spanish to English and all kinds of topics. 

Sunday was a rather dreary melancholy day. I had the chance to go up in the Estrella de Puebla (a ferris wheel lookout) and thanks to my amazing friends, had the 35 pesos to get on the bus back to Atlixco.   

The countdown of days begins, and I feel so incredibly blessed to have this place I love, have a home that I will miss, family and friends that are looking out for me across the world. There's little time left in my 18th year, and this story is coming to it's close.

See you soon!
Isabel

Two weeks ago-- and the same day as my graduating class’ graduation photos--Robert, Dorothy and I were scheduled to meet in México City (CDMX) in the afternoon. In the morning I had the photos at the school and they took longer than anticipated. I did appear in the whole generation photo bur had to leave before our “casual” group photos. I arrived by bus in CDMX after both Dorothy and Robert had landed so we had no trouble meeting up outside the foreign arrivals and I did indeed hold in the tears! After settling into our hostel for the next few days we headed out on foot  in the historic center of CDMX. The VERY first thing Dorothy wanted to buy there was bread- and it became a very common theme of going to a panadería almost every day.

In CDMX we did all kinds of touristy stuff: we went to the Chapultepec Forest, the artisan markets in Coyoacán, checked out the Diego Rivera murals in the National Palace, used the Metro, and tried some vegan street tacos in Roma. I tried to get used to translating although often times I looked to my siblings expecting an answer but was received with a what-is-happening-face and in other cases google translate came through for an unusual word in a museum. The nights were calm as we were all rather tired from walking around all day, still, they formed some of my favorite parts of the CDMX part of the trip. On the rooftop lounges of the hostel we were able to talk into the night, play cards or simply watch the nighttime city movement.

Another new experience for me was staying in a hostel. The dynamic for me was such more enjoyable than a tradicional hotel. We were able to get recommendations from fellow travellers, were identified as from the USA by Dorothy´s and my Chacos, but above it all I met two rebound exchange students who were travelling in México several years after their own exchanges. Rotary is everywhere, if there was a group that would take over the world-- I would bet on us

We bused back to Puebla, and from Puebla, Atlixco. This was the moment I was anxious for: the combining of my two lives, and my two families. Turned out there was not a problem at all! It was really fun from the start. We went out that first night with my siblings, which was funny to see everyone trying to find a balance of the languages between English and Spanish-- both Dorothy and Robert exceeded my expectations of how much Spanish they remembered--and I stayed in the outskirts understanding everything and throwing in a couple words when there was a look of panic thrown my way.

Our days in Atlixco were calm. A few of our original plans or want-to-dos we were unable to achieve but I was happy to stay in my city and walk and explore all the places I have come to know.

At the end of the first week it came time to put Robert on the bus to the airport. This time I let a few tears slip through.

But life had to keep moving and Dorothy and I had cheddar cheese to find. Why cheddar cheese? Well, Mac and Cheese is a quintessential USA food and it had come the time for me to give my Rotary country presentation, and as a part of that I wanted to make a dish to share with the club. After walking around in Puebla for a bit, we went to Walmart thinking they would have the supplies we were looking for-- we were wrong (kinda). Our original plan was to make puppy chow and mac and cheese. We got there started in the cereal aisle and NO rice chex cereal, I had not even realized that it wasn't available here. With that option out of play I thought, well what about root beer floats for the dessert? NO root beer! So we settled on banana bread as a dessert. Next we started looking at the cheeses and NO cheddar cheese-- we did eventually find cheddar slices and a pizza-type blend of shredded cheeses that served the purpose well. As much as I think México offers a very similar range of products as good ´ol HyVee, having my siblings here and actively looking for typically American food made me realize that several item are missing from the selection.  

My presentation the next day went over smoothly and the mac and cheese and banana bread were a hit.

The end of Dorothy´s time here was topped off with a trip to the beach. We were also joined by Isadora on our few days in Acapulco, Guerrero. The time on the beach was the perfect way to soak up the sun and get to know another part of México.

In Atlixco the last night, Dorothy and I stopped once again at a panadería, bought some churros and climbed up the Cerro of San Miguel for sunset. We also had a ¨surprise¨ birthday celebration for Dorothy (I put the quotations because the surprise was broken before the cake came out and I for one am a rather bad liar when it comes to it). There was family, magic candles, and the Mexican tradition of taking the bite out of one´s birthday cake

We were out early this morning, and as I dropped Dorothy off at the bus station I again couldn't help but cry-- even knowing I would see her and be home soon enough.

So now we return to the normal. Or maybe I will shake it up a bit and return to the not normal and the daily adventure here in México. Until then,

See ya later,
Isabel

• This past month of January, something clicked with my Spanish and while there are times I question, I feel more and more confident responding and participating in day to day life
• I like tortillas and avocado a lot  
• Atlixco feels like my home, and every day I grow to adore the city more
• I think about leaving México and I get so very sad-- I am at the halfway mark and I know that everyday counts. México holds so many wonders: here I have friends, least favorite classes, frequented cafes, avocados(!!!), and tacos that I can not eat but I enjoy vicariously. Here I have family.

With Lily, Antonio, and Emi (and Fer), I have established, and started my life here in México. This family started supporting me from the moment I found out the city I would live in, it was Fernanda herself who sent me a 7 AM text welcoming me to Atlixco. I remember my first phone calls with bad connection and stuttering Spanish. Thanks to the five months here the Spanish has improved, although bad phone connection popped up from time-to-time. They gave me the opportunity to travel quite a bit-- and I hope they equally enjoyed playing the tourist in the different places we visited. I also absolutely loved having a cat as a pet, she has a place in my heart. We had a few rough patches as every family does, but equally as family those small slip-ups were nothing compared to the rest. Quiero decirles gracias por todo. Recuerden que son mi familia, tienen casa conmigo, y los quiero muchísimo.

I had come to love our trips to Libres as well. There we spent Christmas, New Years, and several weekend trips. From my first days in August, I was accepted into the extended family- and they have watched me grow just as much as Lily, Antonio, Emi and Fer. Thanks to them for welcoming me into their family, teaching me how to dance like a Mexican and letting me help in the kitchen! My final weekend there was whirlwind-- where we crashed a Quinceñaera with a party of 20 people, and of course went for pulque again.     

Today marks a week living in my new house! I was welcomed last Monday by: Lupita, Juan Esteban, Geovana, and Juan. Their youngest daughter, Ivana, is currently in Brazil for her exchange. My parents are the owners of an ice factory in Atlixco, and both Geo and Juan went on exchange in their own times. I am still adjusting to the house and the people-- their miniature poodle, Marley, is an angel and reminds me so much of Cocoa. I am really looking forward to getting to know another perspective of México and all the opportunities that come from a new family.

School is going well! I now am understanding everything and participate in class more. Giulia, Isadora and I continue making a fun mess of our lives and I love it.

Here´s to an amazing second half,
Isabel

While my heart will forever belong to the quesadilla....México has some pretty damn good food hiding away, down here in the volcanoes! Here are some of my favorites (so far:) Also enjoy this poem I wrote (it´s mandatory)!!!!

I started out from Puebla with my knitting needles in my hand and sitting next to Elle crocheting. The first long drive from Puebla to Oaxaca brought the usual loud Brazilian music as well as stretches of quiet. You could always tell when entering a new beautiful part of the countryside by the amount of camera phones pointing out the window and then you get to relive them later through the extensive coverage on Instagram stories.

My Poblano friends were a solid rock of sanity through the entire trip and of course I remembered many people from orientation in Veracruz. The amount of new exchange students was surprising (either they could not attend orientation or they arrived late) and I spent a lot more time talking to new faces the first days. In total we were 83 students from more than 20 countries. 

Anyone who works with students (or adults for that matter) knows that 83 people is a lot of people. There are times when it is really fun, or incredibly frustrating. Restaurants, hotels, ice cream shops, and Oxxo bathrooms alike were always flooded with people when our two charter buses rolled into town.  

The travel themes consisted of driving a lot, doing a city bus tour, eating at the same restaurants, staying at the hotel for two nights, taking a day trip to something nearby, going to bed late, waking up early, and driving a lot more. Our stops: Oaxaca, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Palenque, San Cristobál, Chetumal, Playa del Carmen, Cancún, Tulum, Uxmal, Chichen Itza, Mérida, Campeche, and Villa Hermosa.  (If you scroll down past my sign off there is more description of what we did in the specific places:)

The Mexican countryside is incredibly beautiful with mountains and jungles but that means it took a long time to get anywhere. If there’s a scheduled three hours of travel in the itinerary it almost most certainly doubles. I think the longest we spent in one day was ten to twelve hours, it was somewhat horrible. I feel like a third of the time I was standing in the aisle of the bus and trying not to fall during the sharp mountain curves. Nevertheless, time stuck on a bus together makes it easier to form a new connection with a different person. One interesting thing that happened on the way through Chiapas was that at one point the bus was stopped and some sellers came aboard. We were told not to buy anything but they wouldn’t let us pass the road if we didn’t let the seller come aboard for a time. 

The first four days through Oaxaca and Chiapas were the awkward stages of the trip. When we reached our resort in Playa del Carmen, things clicked in place. For me my group of best friends for the trip started to form. Shout out to the Chickens!!! We also found ourselves with a lot more free time in order to hang out, swim and play volleyball on the beaches. They had hammocks in every room, one night I fell asleep outside but unfortunately at 4 AM the adults in charge woke me up and told me to go to bed...in an actual bed inside. The nights were filled with shenanigans and games of probability. I lost the probability to enter the Ruta Maya Royalty contest by Romina (from Belgium), only to be beat by Romina herself after she was crowd nominated to enter. Johannas from Germany won king. 

I can not fail to mention Brazil. With close to twenty Brazilians on the trip there was so much Portuguese, it was so interesting to try and listen to see what I could understand. Isadora always saw me listening- laughed at me, gave me a hug and said ¨you are trying¨ which is true and I was also failing horribly. Still, times on the bus I requested lessons and some phrases we learned were constantly repeated in both suitable and unsuitable times. Brazilian reggaton and dances (mostly twerking), were learned and attempted every time there was opportunity for it. 

Through the whole trip the sun was shining and it was HOT. I am happy to say I only burned one time and it was not even that bad. At times we complained and compared the temperatures of our snowy homes with the blazing heat. Ice cream was a necessity every time we got to explore the city centers.

The inevitable final morning brought foresight to the eventual end of the year. Everyone felt it. Promises to visit were made, and it is sad to think about what will happen in June. here in Mexico there is chance to visit, when everyone goes home there will be continents separating us. This trip brought me so many amazing memories, and more importantly many amazing friendships. Nothing and nobody beats exchange students. The time we spend together in this year is so incredibly special because we will never have the opportunity to repeat it. Dear District 4185 I love all of you so much and can not wait to see you in May if not before!

Christmas is coming! See ya soon
Isabel

Oaxaca
Stops: Oaxaca City, Monte Albán archaeological site

•  I won a race up a pyramid between Meg, Elle, and I

• In the city there is a really old, thick Montezuma Cypress tree, measuring 119 feet in circumference 

Chiapas
Stops: Tuxtla Gutiérrez, the Canyon of Sumidero, Cascadas de Aguas Azules, Palenque archeaological site, San Cristobal

• Our restaurant for the two nights had live traditional dancing, then the dance floor opened and we got to shake our groceries for a bit
• The best part of the canyon was a feature called the Arbol de Navidad (or the Christmas Tree) a stunningly beautiful waterfall
• The worst part about the canyon was the amount of trash in the river, big sad 
• I absolutely failed at the rope swing at Aguas Azules  
• Palenque was incredibly well preserved and the history was unique compared to the other sites--  we were able to enter the palace and burial chambers of the residents 

Quitana Roo
Stops: Playa del Carmen, Xcaret, Tulum, Cancún

• BEACH RESORT WITH AMAZING FOOD AND A BEACH WOW
• in Xcaret we stayed for a show about the culture of México-- after I slept through the first half the second half showed all the dances and music style of the different states and periods of history and was super cool
• We only got 50 minutes at the beaches in Cancún-- the water was stunningly blue
• Cancún reminded me of a mix between Las Vegas and Los Angeles

Yucatan
Stops: Mérida, Chichen Itza, Uxmal

• Chichen Itza is fascinating due to the mathematical genius put into the synchronization between the pyramid and the astronomy
• We spent a morning relaxing at the Mérida hotel and I led ¨yoga¨ for  three people 
• Merida was one of the cleanest and organized cities, I liked it

Campeche
Stops: Campeche

• The first night in Campeche we had free time-- Greta, Aman, and I rented bicycles and road along the ocean boardwalk and to stop at an Oxxo. It was so nice to ride again
• The city has a lot of historical mixes with Mayan and Spanish influences

Tabasco
Stops: Villahermosa

• The last night, I was so tired I slept through dinner 

​This is the reason for exchange. This was a once in a lifetime experience.

8/11/18
I am excited. I am also nervous but in that opening-act type of way. This Sunday is the Peregrinación to the Basilica de Santa Maria de Guadalupe, located in México City. The low down is I will be walking for a day and change (total just under 50 kilometers)  from Puebla to México City with around 1400 students from the UPAEP system. I am feeling physically up to it. The only catch being I will be carrying my sleeping bag and warm clothes for the overnight camp out somewhere in the mountains. Today I walked for 21:35 minutes with a backpack carrying two 8 lb hand weights and it was slightly horrible so I will be packing less than 16 lbs (7.3 kilos). I keep hearing horror stories about how cold it is at night--I currently am aching to be in a slightly colder environment--so I hope my few warm clothes are enough to keep me sane. Overall I am really happy I am able to have this experience especially with several of my classmates.      

When I woke up Sunday I had a bit of extra time and I started writing my scrambled thoughts and continued with some ¨live updates¨ (I did not make changes to what I wrote so forgive grammar errors (@Dorothy) and nonsense sentences)

It’s 2:26 AM and I find myself in a position of being awake an hour before my alarm, wonderful right. My throat hurts and I think I’m going to eat some garlic and honey before hand. Maybe an extra hour is a blessing, less of a rush. But this has like not happened to me for a while so I’m not sure what that means. The bus leaves from Atlixco at 5.

Now it it 3:21 and I get to wait for an hour whooooo!!!!! I ate some bomb avocado black bean toast, which hopefully wasn’t a bad idea. While I have experience with hiking, lugging around bags for 40+ kilometers isn’t exactly the same thing. One of the cool things about exchange is there’s almost always someone awake at every hour (s/o Eva in France and Irina in México who should really go to bed).

10:30 pm
I feel so content and accomplished that I was able to walk 40 km. I truly feel this was an experience where I could bond so much with my classmates and I like campfires and it’s really cold. We walked from 9:20 until 7:40. Given with breaks for lunch and stops for oranges and water.

A los que fueron caminando: cuando me preguntan “estás disfrutando de aquí” , la primera razón son ustedes. Siento que tengo mucha suerte por estar en Atlixco y en UPAEP con todos ustedes. Por todo lo que han echo , estoy muy agradecida y los quiero mucho. Gracias por apoyarme en todo. No puedo esperar para los próximos meses

1:47 am
We woke up. It cold. Too many people in the tent. So Ruth and I went outside to the fires and I would like to stay here to sleep. The stars here are a blessing, I feel like I can’t see them at all from my house in Atlixco.

13/11/18
Never have I walked so much in my life. We started with an opening blessing in a little town (marked with red) and walked from 09:20 until 19:40 (our camping spot marked with blue). Along the way there was good conversation, complaining, singing, stops with oranges provided and miles of beautiful Mexican countryside. Some of the worst parts were the steep inclines and declines, as well as times we walked in single file lines. I loved it. I already would love doing it again. Fortunately I now do not miss the cold.

On Monday morning I did indeed stay at the fires sleeping on and off until our wake up call at 06:00. It was cold- around 8 degrees Celcius or 46 degrees Fahrenheit -but still a good time. I didn't really eat breakfast because I did not want to buy anything and only had a little extra food in my bag. We took down our tent, organized ourselves by school and walked a bit more along a highway to a pick up location. There we were met by several more classmates and welcomed into a comfortable charter bus. We drove into México City and we walked (yes more walking) down the Ruta de Peregrinación until we reached the Basilica.

After grabbing some chow it was time for the mass. The original Basilica is not used because it is slowly sinking into the ground. The ¨modern¨ basilica is truly beautiful. While I did not come into this as a religious experience, the exhaustion and feeling of everyone coming together after a struggle gave me such a sense of peace.

Finally came the return trip, sleeping on the bus and Cars 3.

Coming soon, Ruta Maya and more
Isabel

Best 
After the hardest and longest leg the forest opened up to this valley with a beautiful lake (of course I did not take photos) and I was happy and almost fell like 10 times because there were a ton of holes
Worst
My cold got worst, and my left foot got three really bad blisters
Funniest
​During the last leg we were walking and singing and I started singing the American national anthem and the Mexicans sang theirs- I was louder