Day 5: Yard Work and Downtown Merida

Jessie cleans some of the toys at the church

Kana and her machetes

The group rakes leaves around the fence line of the church

Thursday was our last day with our host families. In the morning, we packed up our belongings, ate breakfast, and said our farewells. We then headed to the church for another day of work. When we arrived, we saw we had very little left to do, or so we thought. Some of us were tasked with raking up the debris by the fence line of the church, which proved to be a daunting task as the fence line was laced with rocks. We finished the task, though, in time to eat a delicious lunch prepared for us by the ladies of the church. After that, we all piled into the van and headed to the hotel where we would be staying for the rest of the trip.

Trevor and Calvin go for a drive

Tori and Lydia bag leaves around the church property

When we arrived, we were thoroughly impressed by the aesthetic of the hotel. Everyone scattered to their own rooms and changed out of their work clothes to go out for dinner, at which we had tacos al pastor (REAL tacos) and quesos fundidos. The meal, like every other meal we have experienced in Mexico, was delicious. After that, we attended a exhibition of Mexican music and dance, which was very entertaining; plus, there was a gelato stand nearby, and eating gelato made the whole experience wonderful. At around 9:30, the juniors and seniors split off into two separate groups  to explore downtown Merida and window shop. By eleven o'clock, we had all retired to our bedrooms and collapsed after another great day.

Lezlie and some of the dancers from the exhibition