We left our mark on Cozumel and Cozumel left its mark on us - Lydia McCollum

Where to begin, where to begin…fall break ’09 in Cozumel was definitely an unforgettable trip! It all started Thursday morning October 15 when we woke up at 6 am to meet the bus at Phyllis and Allison’s at 7am, according to Jose the bus waits for no one. My mom Irene insisted that she would drive me and Rachel to meet the bus so we did not have to take a taxi so early. However, Mama Irene is definitely on Mexican time and does not hurry very often. One thing I’ve noticed since day one in Mexico is that no one is in a hurry and that society moves at a much slower pace than in the United States. I think that expression that is often seen on T-shirts and used in the US “We’re on Island Time” should be changed to “We’re on Mexican Time”. I am enjoying the slow pace of society. It’s a nice change from what I’m use to and I’m adjusting quite well. So when 6:45 on Thursday rolled around and my mom was still not awake, I began to wonder if she really had said she would take us or if there was a minor miscommunication with the language and all. I decide to knock on her door and find out. She said we will leave in 10 minutes. I looked at Rachel saw the panic in her face because since we were going to be late, but there was nothing we could do. Nevertheless, we left at five minutes till 7 and made it just in time to hop on the bus before it took off. It was a four hour bus ride to Playa Del Carmen and by the time we arrived we were all bursting with excitement. In Playa Del Carmen we caught the ferry to Cozumel. After an hour ferry ride with traditional music and a 30 minute taxi ride with Sarah McLachlan “I will remember you” playing, we finally arrived at the resort Whyndam. By the time we arrived, we were so ready to take advantage of the all inclusiveness and hit up the buffet and bar. After a little lunch, Sam, Katie and I discovered that our room had a pretty sweet balcony with a Jacuzzi, which we put to great use. We spent our days in Cozumel doing everything from lying in the sun, swimming in the pools to playing beach and water volleyball and of course enjoying the foam fiestas in our hot tub. We also enjoyed doing a little swinging at the bar because they had swings instead of bar stools. They were my personal favorite! Throughout the four days we were all frequent visitors to the snack bar, where we ate our weight in hot dogs, hamburgers, French fries, quesadillas, and nachos. The best part of it all was that anytime you ordered a drink or food, no need to pull out your wallet to pay for it, the blue wristband was all you needed. Overall Cozumel was a complete success and our escapades were priceless. I do believe we left our mark on Cozumel and Cozumel left its mark on us!