Laura vs. the World: It won't be adios; it will just be hasta luego.

Can you believe that just five blog posts ago was my first week in Mérida? I can't. My time is running out, as is my money. I am not sure I'm ready to leave; maybe I'll just miss my plane on purpose. Fair warning, the first part of this post is going to be incredibly sentimental. And of course there will be some rocking pictures of Yucatán at the end!

This was never the plan, coming the México after only one year of college. I always wanted to go on a study abroad, but to me it was just wishful thinking. I don't exactly have money trees growing in my backyard, so traveling seemed way out of my league. But, here I am! Now, I feel like my options are endless. The possibilities for life and the path I could take are numberless. And that used to terrify me. Now, I say, ¨Bring it!¨ I hope to anyone who has read my blog or is reading it now can feel the same excitement I feel for life. There are so many good people in this world and so many things to experience. There are so many lives being lived, so many things to taste, feel, and touch. Every person is extraordinary. I hope I can utilize this vigor I have developed for life and use it to serve and love everyone I meet. Everyone deserves to feel special.

Never settle for less than what you are capable of achieving.

As for Mérida, I hope someday I can come back. Mostly to visit my mamá and papá. I am going to miss them so much! They have just been the best host parents anyone could ask for. And I am going to miss being around everyone in my study abroad. I learned so much from them and their examples. Granted we go to the same school, so this really isn't goodbye to them. I am going to miss the hustle and bustle of Mérida, the burning sun in México, and especially la comida de los yucatecos!

Okay, now let me tell you what we did this past week! Friday, our excursion took us to las Grutas de Loltún, basically caves. We had a tour guide who took us through and explained how the Mayans used las grutas. Afterwards, we explored las ruinas de Mayapán, some Mayan ruins about 40 minutes outside of Mérida. Because these are smaller, lesser known ruins, we were able to climb and explore to our hearts' content. It was so fun. The biggest building there is called El Castillo and looks exactly like El Templo de Kukulcán at Chichén Itzá. The only bad part about the excursion was getting stung by three angry wasps. I was just trying to pick an avocado from a tree, but little did I know the branch I was tugging on also housed their hive. Moral of the story is don't steal avocados that once belonged to Mayans...they will get their revenge.

Saturday we drove three hours to the beautiful city of Campeche, Campeche. Apparently, it is one of the cleanest cities in México {it really was!} We first visited Fort San Miguel, a Spanish fortification that was used to protect the city against pirates in the 17th and 18th centuries. The view of the gulf was absolutely stunning; we even saw a pirate ship! After the fort, we had four hours to do whatever we wanted. Unfortunately, we had to walk everywhere, limiting what we were able to do. However, my friend Kaitlin and I did buy eyepatches; that was pretty legit.

And we have reached the end of today's post. Because I am on a school computer right now and not my laptop, I can't upload any pictures. But I will later on today, since we can't really do anything because of Hurricane Ernesto. Oh yeah, a hurricanes passing through Yucatán today, but Mérida is only going to get some extra wind and rain. Have a stupendous day!

August 14th: Sorry! Here's the pictures I promised to put up! {four days ago...)