Coming to a Close (Andy)

Well at this time one week from tomorrow I will be somwhere in the U.S. of A., maybe in Atlanta airport or some other place, who knows...it's very sad to think that this experience is coming to an end. Coming here, I only knew around four people out of about twenty, but now I feel like i've been hanging out with this group forever. The best part is that the majority of the people I've become friends with are people that, otherwise, I would have probably never met at Centre because of different social groups and greek (or non-greek) organizations and these types of things that sequester people within the campus. This is really has been one of the best things about the trip is becoming good friends with a wide array of folks. Since my last blog quite a bit has happened...we were able to go to the nature reserve at Celestun where I saw a couple of crocodiles and an uncountable number of flamingos which was neat. Also, a couple of hours ago today thirteen of us just got back home to Merida after Thanksgiving break, which we spent on Isla Mujeres, a small little island off the coast of Cancun. It was pretty touristy, but it was still a great time, all of us living in a house for four nights, cooking for ourselves and going to the beach (although food usually consisted of spaghetti, ramen noodles, baked beans, canned corn, etc. - food that was easy to cook). Tomorrow, final exams start which is a downer, but I suppose that since we ARE attending school down here, it's only just that we have tests...on one hand I'm looking forward to pushing through this week towards the going-away party on friday, and the final hooray on saturday and flying home on monday, but mirroring this is the fact that Merida has grown so much on me that I know that upon returning to Lexington, KY, it will only take a few days before I wish I was back in the heat of the Yucatan...Also, full-time english speaking will be a shocker. On Thanksgiving break, I was very confused when all of the locals on the island and the restaurant workers would only speak in english...they were talking in english and I was talking in spanish...very weird, but I'm sure that spanish phrases will slip out of my mouth back in the U.S. throughout winter break before I get truly comfortable again with full-time english. It's been a wild ride, but it's been amazing...incredible. Nos Vemos, Andres