Well what a
week. We were told of the utter beauty of Mazatlan before coming here, but none
of us really understood until the bus pulled up right across the street from
the incredible ocean view. J Instantly we realized why this is a
tourist destination for so many people. It is stunning day and night and the
view of the beach and ocean never gets old. We arrived on Monday like any
normal travel day and when we stepped off the bus we were smacked in the face
by the utter beauty and the intense humidity. We were all sweating almost
instantly. We got a tour of Mazatlan on the roof top tour buses. We also ended
the evening freeing baby sea turtles into the ocean at sunset. It was an
incredible experience as we released over 200 sea turtles onto the sand to scurry,
as if they were racing to their new home in the ocean waves. It was a very
special experience and one of those things that only happens when you are a part
of such an amazing organization like UWP. To top it all off we were all dressed
in white and looked as though we were taking photos for a wedding of some sort.
It was a night to remember full of awe, wonder and beauty.
This week I was hosted with my
really good friend Erin and so we knew right away we would have some good
times, which we did. It was super hot and our house was not air conditioned at
all so we spent a lot of time in front of the fan, after a cold shower, in our
bedroom, doing various tasks for our two different internships and then
laughing a lot, or at times talking about deeper stuff as well. J It was time we both needed I think to catch up on our
emotions and all that jazz. Our host family was sweet and we ate really good
fresh, pretty natural stuff all week, which made me super happy. We lived very
close to the ocean, but did not have a whole lot of time to spend there due to
our busy schedules. However, host family day was like a little piece of
paradise. We walked down the road a few blocks and pretty much had a mini resort
to ourselves. Pools that lead almost directly to the ocean, little cabanas all
over, all we wanted drinks and food throughout the day, hammocks swinging in
the wind and even a bar in the middle of the pool. I am fully serious when I
say this, we sat on bar stools in the water and had pina coladas. No wonder
people vacation at such places, it makes sense now. J We were there from around noon until past sunset and the
day just seemed to get more and more beautiful the more we really took in where
we were and how blessed we are.
As far as UWP this week, well it was
very busy to say the least. I felt a bit stressed for the first time this
semester and it was mainly because of everything that I had on my plate, not
just one thing. I had a lot of things going on, that I was planning and
organizing in regards to my internship, I also had a big homework week, I was
working on new things to perform in the show, applying for a job in UWP and to
top it all off a lot of my close friends were having a rough week too so I was
also an emotional support rock as well. Needless to say I was busy both
mentally, emotionally and physically this week and I am hoping to get some of
these “to do’s” off my list so I can get back to just enjoying. J
Tuesday we had an internal day and
it was a ton of fun! We had a chunk of time where many people in the cast
taught workshops such as self-defense, love languages, balloon making etc. It
was a very neat way to showcase everyone’s talents and also learn from them.
After lunch we had home team Olympics on the beach where we played and competed
in various games and events as home teams. It was epic as usual and a total
blast. We spent time in the sun and in the ocean together and just fell in love
with Mazatlan and our cast as a whole. On Wednesday I had study abroad and we
also had a very hot and fun mini show. Thursday we had our first show day in
Mazatlan and I don’t think I have sweat as much as I did that day. I was
drinking so much water, but never needed a “banos” break because I was sweating
it all out! The show went pretty well and after I began to plan the second
semester retreat with a few others and it got me very excited for the next leg
of our tour. Friday I had one of the best community service days I have ever
had in my whole 2 semesters with UWP. I went to this place called Casa Down, a
school with for people with Down Syndrome, and interacted with the people
there. We did a music therapy class with them after painting the roof-top and
then we prepared a meal all together, had a dance party and all ate together. I
really felt touched by all of their joy and I know I helped to change their
lives that day. That night we went out to eat down by the boat docks and it was
a gorgeous evening eating Mexican food outside as the sun went down. J On Saturday we had our outdoor show day where we may have
sweat even more than before, which no one thought possible! We performed
outside under the almost full moon and I realized just how lucky we are to be
traveling in such an amazing way.
Sadly as the sunset this evening I
said goodbye to the ocean, the last 3 weeks have been gorgeous beach cities and
I wish I could spend another month on the beach, but alas tomorrow we head
inland. So farewell Mazatlan, farewell ocean and farewell beach! Thank you for
treating us so well these last couple of weeks! I will definitely miss you
J Culiacan is the next city and supposedly it is even hotter
– so let’s hope we survive it Cast B!
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