"The mountains have always been here, and in them, the bears."

What an amazing weekend. Definitely one the best I have had in a long time!

At the beginning of the semester, a retired professor came into my Biology 100 class and told us he was going to take some of us into the mountains to see black bear cubs. Sadly, he said he would only be able to take a couple, meaning the majority of my class wouldn't be able to go. Those who wanted to go wrote their name on a piece of paper, crossing our fingers that we would be chosen. A couple weeks later when they announced the lucky dogs, my name was not called. You can imagine how upset I was, whining and complaining to my poor roommates and family on how I wasn't chosen. After a couple of days those, I was starting to get over it.

Then last Monday happened.

There I was, 2:00 PM in Biology, frantically writing down notes as our professor started his lecture on DNA replication. An hour and several hand cramps later, in walked the retired professor, Professor Black. As the names of the students going on the trip were called to remind them of the trip that weekend, I slumped in my seat and started to put again. Then he said these magical words, "We have a couple of spots open. Who would like to go?" My hand was in the air the second after he opened his mouth. "There. You. You get to go."

And so, that Saturday, I left my apartment on bike at 4:30 in the morning and biked to the Denny's right off of campus, the designated meeting spot. By 5:00 we were on our way, though it took a couple of tries before we found the highway we were supposed to take. {The professor expected us to make the four hour trip by ourselves, you see. Not really a good idea, especially when we're all freshman, still trying to find our way around Provo.} By 9:00, our group had reached the exit off the highway that would take us to the bears. It's a miracle we found it because we were seriously in the middle of nowhere-Utah. The desert. . We started to get really excited; an adventure was about to begin! We eventually ran into this little broken-down "bed and breakfast" and decided to check it out just for fun, since we had time to kill. Low and behold, Professor Black and his family were staying there! The next couple hours we drove 12 miles into this canyon, ate our brown bag lunches, and learned about the bears while we waited for a team to find and tranquilize them. Then we began our steep hike up the side of a mountain to the bear den! Unfortunately, we only saw and touched one bear. A black bear yearling about 50 pounds, sedated. Poor thing. But what a cutie! It was quite the experience though, to the be that near to a bear. I seriously only got to see it for less than 5 minutes, but that was enough. {There's really nothing else I can think to describe it, so I'll insert a picture!} The hike down was super fun with the people from my class, and way easier than the hike up. We also got to ride in the back of one of our peers truck on an empty, bumpy, muddy 12-mile dirt road. So. Much. Fun.

{adorable bear cub paws}

So that was my bear adventure this week! It was great fun, and I wish I could have said more about it. Nothing really new on Mèxico; I'm in the process of getting my passport and figure some other things out. More to come later. Thanks so much for reading! Have a fabulous Tuesday!

Isn't she or he beautiful?!

"I like being near the top of a mountain. One can't get lost here."

Rock Canyon, or as my roommates and I like to call it, Pride Rock

Monday has always been my least favorite day of the week; however, this week was a rare exception. For some time now, Provo hasn’t been able to make up its mind about whether {pun!} it’s still winter or finally spring. Monday was a beautiful spring day at 60 degrees, all the students lounging on the dead brown grass wishing the sun would never go away. It was the perfect day for a bike ride. As soon as I got done with my classes, I decided I would go explore Provo, something I haven’t done since I first moved here. With my Trek as my trusty steed, I left the BYU campus {finally} and decided to go wherever the road took me. That day, it happened to be Rock Canyon. I have always wanted to go there, especially because it is only about 20 minutes from where I live. But let me tell you, that was no easy bike ride. Since almost the entire bike route was uphill, I ended up walking my bike half the way there {I know, I should be ashamed}. Once there, I locked up my bike to a bench and headed up the smooth, gravel trail right behind the families and couples. It was such a beautiful day! The farther I walked, the more I could see of the crowded valley sandwiched between Rock Canyon and Utah Lake. I decided I wanted to be able to see the whole valley, so I left the trail and headed up the rocky surface of my mountain.

Best. Decision. Ever.

I haven’t felt that free for a long time! With so much homework, this was the first time this semester that I’ve been able to do something just for me. Who cared that I had a paper due the next day or two tests the following week? It was so exhilarating, climbing higher and higher until finally I turned around. Below me, busy Provo and Orem; up there with me, a gentle quiet breeze. It was my chance to clear my mind, enjoy the here-and-now, and muster the motivation I needed to go home and do everything on my to-do list. I wish I could have stayed up there longer but it was started to get late, so I began my descendent. That only took forever. But it was fun, surfboarding down on the loose rocks and dead weeds. The best part was looking back up the mountain side from the gravel trail and finding the pile of rocks I had sat on, pretty darn close to the top. Now, I know you’re not supposed to hike alone, and I’ll never do it again, but I am so happy I did this past Monday. I have finally conquered my first mountain.

View of the valley and Utah Lake

And in other news, today I received my travel guide to the Yucatán! {When I excitedly showed my co-worker, she laughed at me.} Now I won't be behind on the readings for my culture survey this coming Friday. I still can’t believe this is happening! I don’t think I’ve mentioned this in my previous post, but there’s a specific reason I am spending almost five grand on this study abroad. I am Mexican American. A Mexican American that can’t speak Spanish. I’m somewhat close, but when it comes to having a full-on conversation, I really struggle. That is why I’m going to México. Maybe when I come back I’ll be able to speak to my Spanish-speaking grandparents without the help of Google Translate. J

Thanks for reading. I really do appreciate it. More to come this weekend because I’m going to go pet some wild black bear cubs! In the mountains! {cliff hanger…}

And so it begins...

Well hello there! Here we are: Post #1. To be honest, I have no idea how I am supposed to start this. Should I introduce myself, or do you just read that later in the "About Me" section? Who knows?

How about starting out my reason for starting a blog? I never thought I would, but lately the idea has been stuck somewhere in the back of my head, like an itch you just can't reach. So here I am. And here you are! I wanted to start this blog to track the adventure I am about to embark on, and I wanted others to join me for the ride. This summer, June 25th to August 13th, I have the amazing opportunity of studying abroad in Mérida, Yucatán, México! Doesn't that sound incredible?! I am mainly going to study Spanish at la Universidad Modelo {and hopefully fulfill my dream of becoming fluent...ish}, but I will also travel to some amazing sites like Uxmal, Chichén-Itzá, and la Ruta de los Cenotes. When I found out I was accepted into the program, I cried. Yeah so, pretty excited.

Going to be my home for 50 days!

In preparation for México, I have to take a pre-departure class for the last block of the semester, and Friday was my first class. There were about twenty other people in the classroom, varying in age, major, and Spanish-speaking ability. I really am looking forward to getting to know all of them and hope I don't keep to myself too much. I have a bad tendency of doing that if I feel uncomfortable. The program is being lead by a professor of Spanish, Dr. Alvord. He seems really cool. We spent the majority of the class introducing ourselves and then had a short presentation on Mérida.
Next week we're going to start diving into the Mayan history and culture of the Yucatán.

I guess another reason I started this blog is that I'm hoping to keep it going, even after Mérida. As a Geography major, I hope to travel the world and share my experiences. I want to influence lives for the better; to leave my mark on the world. I'm starting to become obsessed with reading travel creative non-fiction; the people in them have so much spunk! You know, people that decide one day to quit their job, pack their bags, and spend 6 months in Papua New Guinea. Spunk. I'm in the middle of Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. Maybe a bit cliché, but I like it. No worries though; I have an entire Pinterest board dedicated to more books I want to read {another bad habit-Pinterest addiction}. I also recently discovered this blog of a British girl who just travels the world by herself. She is the epitome of spunk. You should check it out! {Pommie Travels}

Anyway, if you're reading this, I thank you first of all, and hope that you'll help me keep this up by reading it when you can. :) T minus 83 days until México!