20 Things I've Learned This Summer

Between my travels, communication with people, mission trip and vacations, I have learned a lot this summer about myself, my family, and the world, and it feels great. These lessons aren’t necessarily advice or factual, but just things I’ve learned personally. I compiled a top 20 list (because top 10s are overrated) of some lessons, inspiration and comedy summed up, in no particular order. Enjoy!

1. I love God, and love the fact that I was raised Greek Orthodox Christian! Being in Mexico with Orthodox people of such strong faith helps connect you so much more, and it’s nice to have designated time for morning and evening prayers and quiet time. I want to take up chanting now and as much as I love Spanish and Spanish-style hymns, it almost reminds me of what everything sounds like in Greek. In more exciting news, I just downloaded an iTouch app that I’d highly recommend, called Greek Orthodox Calendar. You can look up anyone’s Greek name/namesday, list of fasting periods and holidays and more, try it! A small way to be reminded of your faith when you are listening to music or browsing the internet!

2. I love my entire extended family. This summer, I’ve been to more family events with my dad’s side of the family with two 50^th wedding anniversary celebrations, and gotten to see all of my cousins and 2^nd cousins on my mom’s side this past week in New Jersey and Ohio. I hope my kids one day are just as close with their 2^nd cousins!

3. Which brings me to next, I love having two wonderful sisters (shoutout M & E!) who are so close to my age, and being the oldest cousin. I don’t know if everyone loves me more because I went away to college, but it’s fun being one of three sisters within three years and always having a cute child or pack of children to hang out with or babysit as the oldest cousin.

4. Children need unconditional love and attention. I mean everyone does, but especially them. Always love. This was reinforced not only by being around a plethora of young cousins, but the boys at St. Innocent Orphanage too.

5. As one of America’s prototypical type A, ambitious, and crazy people, I’ve learned to take time to enjoy the simple things in life like I did in Mexico. Whether it was spending an entire night playing Egyptian rat screw with a deck of cards, Monopoly or watching a sunset, it’s always nice to sit back, relax and have fun even when there’s one more tiny thing that can be done.

6. I did before, but I will always love scenic and beautiful areas…whether on a walk or just a gorgeous view. I spent an hour walking around a reservoir in New Jersey, spent countless hours staring at the view of the Pacific Ocean from the steps at the orphanage, and a lot of time photographing the mountains in Mexico, so hopefully I’ll always have opportunities to view such pretty places.

7. Get some calming music and put it on the background every once in awhile. As golden as silence can be, nice music (instrumental, songs that are inside jokes, someone playing guitar) is a nice asset to a perfect evening.

8. Cooking and baking are fun! I don’t know if I’m quite ready to rely on it for all of my food, but it’s fun to do every once in awhile : ). It’s an enjoyable leisure activity….except that baked goods are my weakness (prime example: the panaderias in Mexico). After making banana bread and prosphora in Mexico, brownies in Jersey, and meals with Kara in DC, I’ve also realized what a luxury dishwashers are…haha. But handwashing the dishes is peaceful/fun.

9. The west coast > east coast. Without question. I do like the proximity of all the major cities on the east coast (being able to get from DC to New York in about 3 hours if need be), and other big towns, but there’s something to the Pacific Ocean that just makes it 20 times better than the Atlantic Ocean. I made this realization while at the Jersey Shore with Kira & Sophia…something was just missing, hence, why I love California.

10. After a lot of reflective time to think about this, and because of the above discovery, I decided that sometime after I graduate (I’m not going to set any time parameters), I’m moving to San Diego. Crossing the border whenever I want, and living in my dream home with an in-ground pool in the backyard. And to complete my perfect home, my kitchen will have a natural frozen yogurt machine so I can have frozen yogurt, strawberries and granola whenever I want. :)

11. It’s 100% ALWAYS worth your time to take a trip and visit friends. And you don’t have to see the highlights of every town while you’re doing it….you went to see them and catch up, not to sightsee every aspect of America’s largest cities. Or you can kill two birds with stone, but the past week has been really great catching up with family and friends, sightseeing, but not getting totally burnt out in touristiness. I know that’s not a word, but whatever.

12. But before you travel somewhere, think about everyone you know in that area previous to arriving, and make plans with them if you want to see them! I learned this after getting to New Jersey and realizing how many people I could have seen but didn’t get to. Sad. Hope arrives when I realize…I’ll be back! And take advantage of public transportation!! I’ve been on and mastered the Metra, L/CTA in Chicago, Metro bus and train in DC, Circulator, Megabus and Southwest airlines in the past few weeks and never felt better! Who needs gas money when you have passes and tickets to these things!

13. I think this everyday but I learned it more and more each day this summer—I have the greatest friends in the world. Even if I wasn’t with everyone I wanted to see every day this summer, I loved days like my one day back in between Mexico and east coast trips where my all of my friends can just walk into my house and eat oreos and Fresca while laughing all night about absolutely nothing. None of you make fun of me for my insanity, or get aggravated at me for Skyping/texting/calling you for no reason. And even as I meet new people that become best friends, it hasn’t been hard to reconnect with the people I’ve been friends with forever and we will always understand everything about each other. I am spoiled to have such nice, kind, patient and hilarious people as friends. More in the next reason.

14. There were two days in Mexico where I get 6 letters each day. SIX. I felt like a spoiled brat!! But this is when I concluded…in addition to having the best friends in the world, people are SO MUCH FUNNIER (more funny, to those of you with pet peeves) in letters!! And these are people that are already funny in person, so imagine me crying in laughter at the most amusing stories/pieces of information that mean nothing to most people. Anna & Emily (my co-OBT-interns in Mexico) would just stare at me as I was cracking up at everything going on in Northbrook, thanks for the updates. Thank you to everyone who wrote me while I was in Mexico, and look forward to reading my list of favorite quotes from letters that were mailed to me, to come in a future blog post at the end of the summer.

15. And it was so fun to hand write everyone, but I can’t possibly imagine what the world would be like without the internet or Skype. They have kept me in touch with many of you throughout my past five weeks, and I have been blessed to even have access to them (at least these past two). We thought Facebook addictions were bad? I am now on Skype WAY TOO MUCH and it’s not even like I can convince myself that it’s a bad habit like Facebook stalking, because it’s video chatting people you can’t physically be with! And it’s sooo much fun! My Yiayia can’t even grasp the idea that you are talking to people who are also at their computer with their webcams, it’s great.

16. Another lesson I learned the hard way: get important things done ahead of time! Online classes, scrapbooking, birthday gifts, etc, and you won’t regret it! I have an entire online class to begin tomorrow and I’m so worried, I can’t even discuss it!

17. …But still appreciate everything else you did, whether it was taking a full day or a few hours to update this blog, traveling, spending time with people you rarely see, and more. :D. I don’t regret anything I did with my time this summer, and does that mean I cleared my to do list? No. But who cares! I’ll get it done!

18. You probably could have guessed this one, but I never realized that I get overwhelmed really easily (panic attacks, etc), but that’s okay. And I do this getting really simple things done, like running an errand or grabbing something for someone, so it’s odd. I think this is because I’m constantly around people who have high expectations, or I think they have high expectations because I do, so I’m always trying to kill a lot more than I probably should. Post-Mexico, I was able to calm down and not stress as much though, so yay!

19. #18 helped me realized this…especially because I’ve been called Patricia (my mother) about 10 times this past week and a lot by Christy in Mexico…but I am slowly becoming more and more like my parents. In a strictness sense, and just catching on to similar tendencies and more. Whether it’s being a clean freak, asking unnecessary rhetorical questions, or just being in a parental mindset while around my cousins. Some of my friends have a kid-type mindset intentionally, like letting kids they babysit have another scoop of ice cream, etc, which is what I always thought I’d be like. Now, I just think that’s crazy. So in an organized and cleanliness sense, I will always be Angelo and Patricia.

20. Last lesson: you cannot predict the future, and you can sure as heck try with planning events, goals, and more….but you have to be up for anything. Who cares if I didn’t see everyone I wanted to, I’ll come back! I can work out ways to get in-state tuition and work-related internships AND go back to Mexico if it’s what is meant to happen! Plans change, and if it’s really meant for you, you’ll figure out a way around it! So what if mine and my friends’ weddings are planned before the potential husbands even come…we just can’t be disappointed if the plans change. And those are the lessons I have learned this summer.

Where to live?

Upon arriving in DC after being in San Diego and Chicago in just a two-day span, I was definitely in awe at the different environment. Granted, I was in the Georgetown area of DC with a ton of cutesy little buildings and nice shops, but I started to think….where do I want to move after college? In what city do I aspire to get my dream job in? I never really saw myself as a die-heart New York City fan, so as Kara and I roamed DC, I would think and verbalize thoughts about the US cities I could see myself living in. I already decided that I want to be in a large city and not a rural area, or somewhere far from some necessary things (example: Columbia, MO and a good airport) so here are some of the pros and cons about towns I’ve desired to live in and if realistically, I’d like it there.

• San Diego- I could cross the border often and go to Mexico for whatever and whenever I want! Cheap groceries, nice beaches, mission work, visiting St. Innocent Orphanage, working at Project Mexico…the options are endless! And when you go into downtown San Diego by the harbor, it is beautiful. There really are no cons to San Diego. Except maybe proximity to family….but Hannah and Anna already want to move there with me so yay! This is a very realistic option :D.
• Washington DC- Roaming DC with Kara was one of the best things I’ve ever done. This exploration gave me a feel for what it is like to live in any major US city, and I could definitely live there some day. Everyone that you meet has bigger aspirations than you do, and there is no one shooting for less, so this determination is something I like. They also hold a work hard play harder kind of perspective sometimes…something you don’t realize when you go on that 8^th grade trip (DC nightlife=insane!). I’m very compatible with DC in terms of the attire…or at least the Georgetown attire….sundresses, business casual, and constant dressiness. I could sit down and rate people’s clothing ALL DAY…sad? Maybe. But the cutesy town in a big city area, adorable clothing, touristiness availability and night life options definitely make DC a viable option!
• New York City- I’ve always wanted to study in New York, especially with a business minor now and going Strategic communication, but I’d need to explore a little more before seeing if I’d want to live there again. There’s always plenty to do and see, a ton of events and people around, and it’s essentially the nation’s capital of everything media...so we’ll see if I study there.
• Los Angeles- Some aspects of San Diego remind me a lot of LA, but it doesn’t have the pro of being so close to the border. I would definitely move back to LA though after returning to California and realizing how much I loved it. And now that I’m pretty fluent in Spanish, I’d get by even better than I did in 1^st through 4^th grade!
• Boston- I visited Boston for the first real time senior year and being in DC reminded me a lot of it. The whole city with a cute town feel to it gave me flashbacks and I’ll hopefully get to go visit sometime in the next few years, because I really like that town-feel. Plus, there’s always a surplus of attractive Greek Orthodox men, and yes I did just say that. HA. But really, I like the idea of being in a big city that still feels town-like.
• Chicago- I always thought that I’d love to stay in the Midwest/Chicagoland suburbs area because it’s such a great place to raise family and still have nice schools, and this summer was the only time I started to reconsider that. Nonetheless, Chicago is always an option of a perfect place to live/work and has the benefit of being around childhood family and friends. I absolutely love the idea of living on the same street/in the same suburb as a ton of friends and having time to go out to dinner with them, and that will always be alive so we’ll see what happens : )

I know it can be daring to say this and I don’t know what’s ahead of me…but I’m never living in New Jersey, I can tell you that much. And hopefully, I’m never living anywhere that’s not on this list. The end!

Coast to Coast Part 4: Cincinnati-Style

Cincinnati was a short and sweet time with Yiayia, cousins, Theas and more. Saturday, Eleni and I slept until 1 pm after I got in at 3 am the morning before from the crazy drive and went to the Pipefitters Picnic! Basically, a day at a fairground with rides, one good roller coaster, free cotton candy/soft serve ice cream/snow cones/popcorn/soda all day, and Bingo inside when you get too overheated or dizzy outside from all the rides! After an enjoyable day taking cousins on rides and catching up with family, we ate at Skyline Chili (a Cincinnati tradition) where I can now happily order the “5-Way”—chili, spaghetti, red beans, shredded cheese and onions. When would I have ever ordered this before?!

Yiayia's smiling!! And Courtney kind of is too!

Most of the cousins (minus Maria and Jillian)

I took advantage of the knowing people around/the opportunity to be social and take a break at Graeters Ice cream and meeting up with Mere’s best friend from U of I, Jon! Him, his stepsister Anna and I chilled with our great-chipped ice cream flavors (black raspberry chip and banana chocolate chip!) and I basked in the comedy of hanging out with Jon even though we only met once at U of I. But connections in college/life don’t really matter anymore, why pass up the opportunity to hang out with people in a town you are visiting? It was fun!

Jon and I

After liturgy at Yiayia’s church the next morning, an older woman made my day when she said “Are you in Phi Mu?! I was a Phi Mu in college!!” My first thought was…how did she even know I was in a sorority, my Yiayia is 81, she probably doesn’t remember that fact, nonetheless, which one! She saw pictures of my mom and I from mothers weekend in the formal living room and the Phi Mu letters framed in the background, and put two and two together. So that made my day.

The weekend ended with UDF ice cream (a banana split! My favorite!), a fun day and cookout at the pool with the cousins and Theas, taking Yiayia to the doctor and getting on the Megabus! It was great to catch up with family and all my younger cousins and be able to relax and feel silly every once in awhile…while helping organize Yiayia’s condo and assure everything stays orderly. And that Yiayia isn’t too freezing in the 82 degree room….love Yiayia Sophie. I’ve realized this before, but she cracks me up.

I’ve never really felt homesick before in my life, but after being gone for so long, I’m definitely ready to go home. Can’t wait to see all my Northbrook-best friends and enjoy the next 12 days before returning to Mizzou!!

Coast to coast part 3: New Jersey/NY

Monday night I arrived in Newark after a 3 hour train ride which went surprisingly fast through Virginia/Maryland/Delaware, and with a pretty view! I got my first taste of New Jersey in awhile...driving down the highway with Thea Stephanie and mocking the lack of...anything.

The next day I got my Dunkin Donuts fix and took a walk around this reservoir, pretty!

Sherman and I met up and walked around Jersey Gardens mall and I passed a booth of comical religious t-shirts...this was one of them. HA.

Kira, Sophia and I at the Jersey Shore! Fun day at the beach. Here are some of Sophia's comical New Jersey quotes:

"The state of New Jersey is so boring...they make you pay to leave it!" (discussing the toll roads to PA and NY)

"I'm just going to move to somewhere where everything's perfect....I'll live in Virginia and go to UVA."

"I think nude beaches are the most disgusting thing in the entire world."

Ending with some Rita's much to Kathryn's liking....I now love italian ice. Especially mango and raspberry flavored. I'd say it was a successful trip and had some great time with Thea Stephanie, Kira and Sophia!! Off to our 10 hour drive to Ohio!

Coast to coast trip part 2: DC!

After my phenomenal Mexico trip, I had a day at home to sleep for a few hours (ha), do some laundry, share experiences with friends and family, eat American food (a huge pizza craving arose), and pack for my east coast adventure! I’m starting to love the days where all of my friends just stop by my house and hang out, laugh, and share funny stories with my family as if it was their family. Cool development to watch over the years.

Off to Midway I went, and slept the entire flight (front row again!) and woke up at Washington Dulles airport! Public transportation and I have become good friends thanks to my Chicagoland travels earlier in the summer, so I took a bus and shuttle to arrive at GEORGETOWN where I stayed with Kara!! I went from overcast but somewhat warm west coast weather, to hot, sticky, humid, and occasionally rainy east coast weather, what a contrast. Our itinerary was chill, but we did all of the following things!:

• Kayaked the Potomac river
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• Visited the mall and the Lincoln Memorial, World War II Memorial, Washington Monument, White House, Smithsonians and Capitol Building
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• Toured Georgetown
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• Did a LOT of walking, practically 12,000 steps (large strides) a day or more according to my pedometer! I’ve never realized how much heat can hold people back from their proposed plans. And how much business vendors can make selling cold flavored drinks or bottled water.
• Took the circulator, Metro bus, Metro train, Georgetown transportation, and went all across the city!
• Visited the Newseum: a journalism museum with excellent photojournalism displays, journalism history and more! It was really interesting to see the exhibits, including…an ethics interactive questionnaire, Pulitzer prize winning photos, Internet, TV & Radio history, Journalists memorial, 9/11 exhibit, First Amendment exhibit, and front pages of newspapers from all across the world clipped in front and on the 6th floor! Very cool to see this type of history, we were captivated the entire time.
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• Went to lunch with Torch alum Scott Breen at Chop’t!
• Saw Toy Story 3, great movie.
• Met Georgetown students and their friends at Kara’s boyfriend Eric’s apartment for the evening
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• Slept on the couches as a fellow subletter in Kara’s home brought bed bugs into the area…so we were very careful and the exterminator came on Monday. No one got bitten, thankfully!

So it’s been a fun-filled weekend and I am currently on an Amtrak train ride to New Jersey. Quick thought: I have been to DC, 7 states, and two countries in the past five days. RECORD! Mexico, California, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, New York, New Jersey and DC! Traveling is fun! And monetarily-consuming!

Overall, it was cool to get a view of DC on my own (with Kara, obviously) rather than with a tour group. Especially the Georgetown scene, not only the campus, but the area of DC is very cutesy, with uniform buildings in various colors, expensive shops that tempt me (White House Black Market, Cusp, etc.), and good food. Walking town and each major area of the city respectively (Dupont, Rosslyn, the Northwest, Georgetown Burleith community, campus, Foggy Bottom, the mall/Capitol area, etc) showed me what it's like to live in DC without the touristy-ness. It's a very cute area with well-dressed people walking around, with an urban yet suburban feeling kind of like Boston. Now off to explore New Jersey/New York!

A not so quick update of my trip to Mexico

I am officially back from Project Mexico and in the United States! I had one of the greatest months of my life at the ranch and have plenty of stories and photos to share about the boys at the orphanage, the 10 homes built around Tijuana and San Jose de la Zorra, and the amazing group of Orthodox Christians I met from across the country. Let's start with the basics!

Project Mexico is an organization started by Greg and Margaret Yova that builds homes for Mexico's poor, but also runs St. Innocent Orthodox Christian Orphanage in Tijuana. Various groups of Orthodox Christians visit the ranch throughout the year, and interact with the boys from the orphanage when they are not building homes around the area. During the summer, two sessions called Orthodox Basic Training (OBT) are held where about 150 people attend each week and build multiple homes simultaneously. During this year's OBTs, 10 homes were built. As an OBT intern, I went to the ranch on June 17 until July 14.

What kinds of things did the OBT interns do?

• Set up tool kits, deliver everything to the sites and prepare for the OBT groups to come in
• Assure that everything ran smoothly during the two sessions
• Daily duties at the ranch
• Entertain the boys from the orphanage
• Assist site leaders on the work sites

Here's what the ranch looks like:

St. Innocent Orphanage

A view from the top of the orphanage overlooking the basketball court/soccer field, barn, volleyball court and land where groups camp out. To the right, as you will see in future photos, is a gorgeous view of the Pacific Ocean :)

The four homes are Project Mexico-style homes where small groups stay on their visits and used as storage spaces/tiendas during OBT, and to the left is where the tents camp out. The single tent still there is where Anna and I slept our last two nights at the ranch, just for fun :P

The blue trailer where Anna, Emily and I lived for a month

Now here's how the ranch is set up during OBT:

There’s two large tents set up for eating the catered rice and beans (soy meals during first OBT because of the Apostles fast) and the other for brief morning and evening prayer services. In this picture, you can see some of the cows grazing during the day :)

So when I got to the ranch, I met the other interns, who were mainly from the East coast and also comically enough, predominantly Greek Orthodox. We all had mutual friends (surprise, surprise) and became friends quickly.

One of our first experiences together, and a highlight of the trip was our first journey to San Jose de la Zorra, a reservation/community for the indigenous Kumiai tribe of Mexico. OBT 1 took on the huge project of building for Mexico’s indigenous, so each day, we took a two hour trek to San Jose de la Zorra, which is about half an hour outside of Ensenada/not near a lot of civilization. The drive is absolutely GORGEOUS, along the Pacific Ocean down Baja California (MX) and into the mountains/valleys. Definitely one of the prettiest places I’ve ever seen.

But getting there the first time wasn’t as easy as just the two hour drive. We took on the challenge of taking six sites’ building supplies down in four trucks, a Chevy, Tacoma, and two rentals from Home Depot. They were loaded very tightly and weighed THOUSANDS of pounds. Just look!

So this two hour drive…took us 4½ hours. Great bonding time, right?! Here were just some of our concerns along the way that made it quite the amusing trip:

• The drive from the ranch to the highway (usually 5 minutes) took 45 minutes because the wood was falling off the side of the Home Depot truck
• The gas station ATM was broken so John Cosby ‘cut a deal’ with them where he got cash and paid them back later
• Our first time seeing the wineries, Jesus statue, area where Titanic was filmed, and La Mision
• Traveling incredibly slowly through the mountains on the one way road
• After we turned on dirt road for the final ~12 miles of the trip, the largest wood truck broke down because it runs on only propane gas and it was nowhere to be found. We ended up caravanning all the wood to the sites riding on top of trucks and it became an all day trip rather than a few hours of dropping off supplies.
• Just imagine, having no communication with the outside world (no service, of course, to reach Home Depot to get propane gas) being stuck in the most beautiful mountain range with your only concern being how to get the tools to the sites and everyone back home.

It was definitely a culturally different experience because nothing could have prepared us for it, but getting to know everyone in the car, seeing the six areas we would be building homes at, and preparing the Kumiai tribe was an awesome experience just a few days in :). The OBT groups arrived the next day and were from all over, but it was nice to see Sts. Peter & Paul GOC, my church! Along with St. Nicholas OCA Parish from Mentor, OH who my church was paired with last year, and groups from Seattle, Portland, Florida, Orange County, Arizona, Chicagoland suburbs and more!

For most of the week, I was with the Sts. Peter & Paul group, with the exception of one day at the site with 8 kids and a ton of animals.

The home building process is 4 days as follows:

• Day 1- Level and cement the ground
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• Day 2- Build the walls and frame the home
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• Day 3- Paint facia board for the top of the house, tar and put on the roof, chicken wire the entire house.
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• Day 4- Stucco the house and have a priest bless it with the family (A second coat of stucco is applied a couple of months later)
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So the week flew by through the numerous commutes to San Jose in random cars each morning and afternoon, fun evenings at the Tiendita (the boys’ candy shop at the orphanage) where we listened to music and hung out with friends, 5:20 am wakeup time, and just always being kept busy. OBT 1 ended successfully and it was break time!

The boys liked my touchscreen camera and LOVED drawing/stamping photos

The week in between the OBTs was busy but very fun-filled. It’s nice to be at the ranch with just the staff and the boys, so we watched a lot of movies, went on multiple adventures and I personally had a surplus of cool experiences. Let’s see:

• Photobooth with the boys (they are quite amused by the multiple screens)
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• When we returned to San Jose to pick up the tools, we figured we’d take a photo of a staff pyramid. Charity, another intern, broke her ankle falling off and had to go to Red Cross in the US : ( Of course right after my brace is off, someone else is casted.
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• There were a surplus of bananas around the ranch, so we baked banana bread! And had banana EVERYTHING for a week!
• Shopping the market in Rosarito: I learned I need to know what I’d like to buy before shopping or else I 1. Go crazy monetarily, and 2. Go crazy emotionally (it’s overwhelming!) But not with everyone’s favorite vendor..Betty!
• I truly experienced a miracle. Mary drove us to Walmart one day where I could act upon my obsession with pan (sweet bread) and go crazy at the panederia. As I was loading up my tray (pan literally costs about a quarter for a concha), a girl tapped me on the shoulder and I turned around and a 13 year old Mexican girl stood there. She looked familiar. She said- “Me recuerdas? Soy Pilar.” Pilar is the oldest daughter of the family Sts. Peter & Paul built for LAST YEAR during Project Mexico. And I was close with all the kids, but I love how close it was that she was comfortable enough to REMEMBER me, approach me in the store (without being sure it was someone who helped build her a home), and spark a conversation! I began to cry. She was with her grandmother, and I had a brain freeze. Pause: in a Walmart miles away from this girl’s home, we just happen to run into each other and have a conversation!! Miraculous to me. Pilar’s abuela said hi to me and we discussed what they had done with the house/how her family was doing. What a nice experience!
• Staff trip to the beach: Anna, Nikos, Sotiri and I went ocean kayaking until we were kicked out of the water, I spontaneously had my hair done in cornrows, and Anna & I rode horses along the ocean!
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• 4th of July: After liturgy, we took a 3 ½ hour border ride. It was full of sketchy food, phone calls home, puppies thrown in the window for only $20, and ended with me buing YogoLuv!! We walked the San Diego Harbor for a bit, met a clown in a hotel, and headed toward Greg and Margaret Yova’s home, the founders of Project Mexico, for a barbecue. Tons of connections were made and we had a lovely afternoon of relaxing, World Cup games, and fellowship as we enjoyed our first time in the US (Still missing Mexico), sitting in the massage chair, and watching five sets of fireworks from the roof. The view was gorgeous: you can see downtown Rosarito, Tijuana, San Diego and Chula Vista! It was an awesome 4th of July.

Preparing for OBT 2 began quickly as we dropped off tool kits at the sites around Tijuana, meeting the families, and made multiple taco/panederia runs. Here’s what taqueria’s are like:

I miss carne asada so much. And for the record, I now eat cheese, onions, and guacamole…three foods I NEVER ate before. This is a big deal.

OBT 2 arrived and seemed like a more chill group, but still familiar. St John’s GOC Des Plaines was in it, a group from Boston, another OH church from last year, a large group from Colorado that I was with, and plenty more people to meet and connect with. I heard a lot of stories about people converting to Orthodoxy through dinner conversations, random approaches and more, which was interesting.

• I worked with Nikos & Mary on their site for the week, and everything went so smoothly we had time to run to tiendas and the playa (excuse my Spanglish)! It was a fun group of teenagers and adults that worked well together.
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• Staff made “We’re grateful.” Shirts to see how long it took Madi to notice…success
• World Cup madness was the Sunday of OBT 2 as Spain played against the Netherlands/Holland, which to my surprise, are the same country! Don’t laugh. You didn’t know it either. The boys watched it in the clergy house as they celebrated the Yovas’ founding of Project Mexico and sabbatical, and the OBT participants watched in the biblioteca. Suddenly, a mariachi band appeared outside the biblioteca and Anna & I were confused. It was a surprise for Greg & Margaret so we were later serenaded by a mariachi band!! And I thought a cappella male group serenades were cool? I want a mariachi band at my wedding now!
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After the groups departed, we drove around Rosarito and visited Kenya and Jaime’s family from last year who were SO polite and kind and picked up tools at the other sites! It’s always cool seeing the completed houses after seeing the empty worksites at the beginning. We told groups that if they wanted to donate their tents…they didn’t need to take them down, so we spent a couple of hours taking down the tents but left one up to camp out in and watch the stars : ). A little loopy, I took a nap on a cardboard box in the dirt and had never felt so comfortable (happens when you sleep for two hours…).

We took an outing to El Yogurt place in Tijuana, and saw the border fence/a bullfighting stadium/ate REALLY good fruit and frozen yogurt!! MMMM! My last two nights at the ranch, I saw the most beautiful sunsets I had ever seen. These photos can barely capture it! It was emotional saying goodbye to the various groups and boys, because although you want to, it’s hard to pinpoint when you will return/see those people again/keep in touch. We stayed positive!

The morning I left, the border line was crazy long so Geoff drove through with his Sentri pass and I crossed on foot…by myself! The border patrol gave me a tough time because my hair apparently got a lot blonder than it is in my passport photo…I had to tell myself not to talk back to the ‘authority’ figure. My Southwest bording pass in the A group was exciting as I sat in the front row of the plane, with two awesome people I met and kept in touch with, Rosa & Gabriela! I love nice conversations in unexpected places.

AND THAT WAS MY MEXICO TRIP! IF YOU ACTUALLY READ THIS ENTIRE THING, I COMMEND YOU! TELL ME…SERIOUSLY!

Here are some comical after-effects I’ve experienced since my return to the US:

• As I took my 1^st shower, I looked up and in all seriousness, questioned, “Why is the water going SO fast?! It’s SUCH a waste!”
• toilet paper going in the toilet instead of garbage cans..I’ve never felt so guilty.
• An obsession with Fresca, Fanta, and any soda in a glass bottle. It’s just 10 times better that way.
• Spanglish in normal conversation
• Eating cheese!!
• Expecting to see this on the road...then not!
• 
• Just kidding. But I do miss riding in the back of trucks like that.

I hope you enjoyed reading about my experiences as much as I did recalling them, and look forward to returning in the future! If you ever want to learn more about Project Mexico, fund my next trip, or come with me, contact me!!