This past week seemed to fly by so quickly I'm not even sure how to adequately write about it! However, I'll start at the beginning and try to include as much as possible.
Friday-Monday (March 7th-10th)
Havasupai was such an amazing experience! It was a "I can do this, I will do this, I'm not sure if I'll repeat anytime soon," type of deal. I'm sure if I had my own backpack and not one as big as myself it would have made it a bit easier, haha. Anyway... The 13mi hike in the middle of the night by headlamp, now that was interesting...was completed in 4hrs, I was the first girl! I'll never forget my "parting the red sea" moment with Kent, or when we thought we were lost, haha. Camping near the 200ft waterfall (Mooney-pictured) was so worth it! It was interesting to wake up that first morning and realize I had thrown my sleeping bag down not more than 20ft from the edge of the waterfall... The first day was spent sleeping in to about 11am, even though I had to leave my warm cozy bag around 8am then return thanks to all the water I drank on the way in. We ate brunch, then Kent and I decided we wanted to explore the other side of the waterfall, so we trekked through some crazy planks posing as bridges. We also attempted to go squirreling...we wanted to catch one and throw it into the river to see if it could swim. The second day we spent hiking down to the falls, and exploring around. A small group of us bouldered up to a cave, we managed to fit five people into it at one time. We encountered a rope swing, which I went on twice. Once I hit the water, my breathe was definitely gone, it was so cold. On the way out we managed to hike up a waterfall with significantly warmer water. My two days time spent there, the trekking adventures had, and the friendships grown (and made) were great! The 13mi hike out was a bit more painful thanks to my ankle (I forgot my brace) but I finished in 5hrs...I was proud of myself despite the tears of pain coming from my eyes.Havasupai Photo Album
Wednesday (March 12th)
This was a night of firsts & lasts. Erik is really leaving... it's just weird. No longer will I drive to the Alta Springs Apartment Complex. No longer will he be at Sunday School, Church, go out to lunch with the family, just a phone call away, or right down the street. He's going home, and rightly so... he's been here much longer than expected, not to say that I didn't enjoy the company. There are many memories that will stay with me forever. This was one.
"Nickelback, Starbucks, Las Sendas, and the Desert at Night." One last night with one great friend! I'm going to miss you buddy, good luck with the rest of your flight training and your future career. Keep in touch, and I'll see you soon. =]
(Dropped him off at the airport at 8:30am today...)
Thursday-Sunday (March 13th-16th)
Hmmm... if I were to summarize this trip in words alone these would be them: no flushing. no showers. kids. poop. paint. ice cream. dirty feet. baby wipes. deodorant. broken glass. tranquilizer. crazy church service. GOD.
Anyway... after sitting in the ASU parking lot and leaving 3 hours later than expected we were finally on the road. Eric and I worked well together as driver/navigator. Our last taste of America was ironically...not. Panda Express baby! We were awarded the green light while crossing the border, and despite navigating dirt roads, many without street signs, and poor lighting, we arrived at Bethel Orphanage. The kids were already sleeping, so we unloaded, hung outside for awhile, then headed to bed. We had these rules: 1) If it's yellow let it mellow. 2) if it's brown flush it down. 3) all toilet paper goes in the trash can. 4) no showers. Fun, no?
My first day was spent helping clear out a dirt lot full of broken glass, trash, and unfortunately for Rachael and I... human waste. Gahhh...that was gross. We did take a small break to visit the local candy store, and after buying tons of goodies for cheap we had a mental lapse and bought popsicles. We ended up sneaking them to the children because we didn't want to get sick. A small group of us were given the duty of cleaning bird poop off the side of the church, we were excited because we got to use the hose! It was refreshing, until we realized we were getting wet and covered in bird poo... That evening a group of us wandered around the city to find helado(ice cream) we could eat, we found the OXXO store, and it was like heaven. I bought a Spanish Futbol revista to add to my collection of foreign magazines. The second day we all changed colors, the school I painted at was seafoam green, dark green, and beige. Let's just say we came back a bit dirty. That night we had an amazing worship service with all 100 Chialphians. Afterwards we all (and I mean like 100 of us) headed to the Taco Stand, I ran to the Botica accross the street and returned with galletas(cookies), which created a large group to visit there as well. The last morning was spent packing, then getting ready for church. It was interesting considering the no shower rule, so we did our best with baby wipes, lotion, and deodorant. I pretty much lived with french braids the last two days. We did learn that our beloved Embry-Riddle boy (Kyle) "accidently" shot Michael in the leg with a Mountain Lion Tranquilizer while the boys were camping out by our cars... he slept a looooong time. At the time it was scary, now it's definitely one of those "What happens in Mexico..." laughing moments! Our church service was intense, the music was loud, the pastor was louder, and the people were so full of passion. They also served lunch, sopas $1 each... I had two! Once we left we were stuck at the border for 3hrs... shopping and other mayhem occured.
Needless to say this trip made a definite impact on my life. It is so crazy to see how some people live so poorly yet are so happy! I think Americans are insane about "luxury" myself included. I can't believe how much I took for granted.
Mexico Photo Album
So my spring break was jam-packed... I think I need another one just for sleep. God blessed me in so many ways I couldn't even begin to describe them. Thanks to all my friends who shared these experiences with me, the memories will last forever! I still laugh at the fact I only took 3 showers in the entire 9 days...
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