Week #20 - Toluca, Mexico

           This week has been so amazing! I have been so happy and it may be the first week that I went without an actual low point. I was working on enjoying every moment and for the most part it has made things just wonderful!

            We started the week with a super fun regional learning travel day, where we got to enjoy the Sun and Moon Pyramids or Teotihuacan. It was gorgeous and very relaxing.  I simply loved being able to enjoy the sunshine with good company. When we arrived in Toluca we had a potluck dinner with all the host families. The evening included a mariachi band so it was a classic Mexican party! I was placed with two of my closest friends, Alicia (Belgium) and Larissa (New Hampshire USA) this week so when we went with our host family to their beautiful house I knew things were going to be good. All three of us decided to share one room with a huge bed to snuggle in so it was a week full of girl talk and sharing clothes as well!

            Throughout the week we got to know the host family through their daughter translating (Larissa their daughter could speak English very well) or through my broken attempt at Spanish. I was able to show them pictures and explain myself for the most part. They are so sweet and give so much. We went out to dinner a few times and  on Tuesday and Sunday we had dinner with another host family just down the road. Both our host family and the other one live in a gated community and are pretty wealthy so let’s just say the dinner party was full out catered and came with the entertainment from a mariachi band. We were sure treated well this week. Also on Sunday we all went to the vacation home of the friending host family and holy catfish it was incredible! A beautiful view, a swimming pool, horseback riding, relaxing in the sun, good food and a whole lot of laughter! They day was so amazing. We all came home thoroughly exhausted and a little more than sun kissed. What a great host family day to kick off our half way point of the Mexican tour.

            In UWP this week we had a very busy week, but lets’ be real, that statement could be said for every week in UWP. Tuesday I did classroom presentations and we had a very emotional, tear-jerking workshop on the  “ Stages of Loss”. It made us realize the short time left and how much has passed between us.  It also helped us to understand what stage we each may be in when it comes to losing someone or something. On Wednesday I had study abroad and we also had a really fun and well needed cast meeting. We played musical chairs (it got super intense of course considering the passionate people we have in our cast). We were asked to talk with someone we didn’t know well and then we all met and shared what we needed to share so we can all become closer as a group. Thursday we had our first shows in downtown Toluca at a huge, beautiful venue. I had an absolutely fabulous and successful day because I was finally able to jump over my wall and sing the solo for Shosholooza (an African song in the show) and perform it on stage! John (vocal in instructor for UWP) never gave up on me even when I was giving up on myself. Because of his support and persistence I was able to reach one of my goals for the semester. The show was a little crazy with power outage etc., but Cast A, 2013 is extremely talented and we did what we needed to do – make it good without sound?! Yes, challenge accepted!

            Friday I was on Super Crew (an early set up group of people) and we spent the day OUTSIDE setting up the stage in the huge square where we would perform outdoors the following day, for the first time this semester! It was a lot of fun and good learning on the tech side of UWP. Friday night a lot of us got to go out dancing for a bit and in UWP dancing with your friends is always a blast! Then came Saturday and we got to work right away. We rehearsed until late afternoon and then it began to rain a bit, but lucky for us it stopped for the show so we were able to perform in the great outdoors for over a thousand people!

Overall the week was wonderful and I enjoyed every second so much I rarely stopped smiling.  My emotions are so spiked right now because one second I am excited to be home for a bit and then the next second I want to cry when I imagine 2 weeks from now when I am giving my FINAL hug to friends who I love dearly. But hey that’s UWP and that’s what we bargained for! So a HOORAH to the last two weeks! We better live like we are dying!