The Mexico Trip:

            This week long trip changed my life and opened my eyes to the world and showed me why I needed to be more grateful for everything, there are many incredible things that I experienced on the trip. I’ll start at the beginning:

            On day one, we flew to Mexico on an 11 hour or so plane trip. It was very long… I was looking desperately for differences between here and Mexico because it was my first time being out of the country. When we arrived I began seeing the difference but not until we dared the roads of Mexico City did I fully understand. It is a mad house!! Aside from the speed bumps laid out every 200 feet and the natural bumpiness of the roads I thought I was going to die because of the recklessness and the daring initiative of their drivers. I was horrified, but I trusted my driver, a fellow Mexican who knew the roads, to get our group through safely.

            Later on at the Campus of Benemerito I immediately began to see cultural changes. One funny difference was the food. While we do have an influence of their food in our culture a little it was fun to try their cuisine. The rule of thumb was “Spicy!” I wasn't used to eating beans and Jalapeños for every meal of the day. The rumors were true; American-Mexican restaurants serve slightly different food than authentic Mexican ones, however I like the taste of both pretty evenly.

            One of my highlights was visiting the ruins of Teotihuacan. I was in for the hike of my life! It was well worth it though to see the sights. I stood on the tallest one, the Pyramid of the Sun, just envisioning the Book of Mormon taking place before my eyes with the Title of Liberty whipping in the breeze atop every other pyramid. One student in our group hiked atop all the pyramids while they were crippled, but aided fellow AHS students and Benemerito Students. It was wonderful to see such unity to get together and allow her to see and do what few people have the opportunity to experience.

            The pinnacle of my trip was the visit to the homeless shelter. Earlier in the week we prepared blankets to give to the elderly men at the home. I distinctly remember the terrible smell and the oh so poor living conditions. The real treat was to reach out to these lonely men, ejected from society, and wrap them in a new warm blanket and just chat with them. I didn’t know what they were saying because it was in Spanish, but I remember the wonderful feeling of just being there. As the scriptures say, “Stand in holy places”. That was one for me that day.