This past weekend was technically our second and final “free” weekend, but all 13 of us students decided to take a trip to the nearest beach state, Veracruz! One of the program coordinators hooked us up with a nice hotel at decent rates, so it was as easy as a bus ride to get there.

To be honest, most of the weekend was spent just relaxing on the various beaches, but that was just fine. After having to wake up early and follow semi-strict schedules, it was relaxing to just take our time, not having to be anywhere in particular. It felt good to know that, at this point, we can survive independently on our own here.

The water was absolutely lovely; you could walk right in without having to even do a toe test. We invested in a volleyball, which was a great decision, and we had a lot of fun playing on the beach! There may have even been sandcastles involved… Oh, and for a mere 40 pesos per person, we got to go out on a crazy fun Banana Boat! There also was a really awesome aquarium nearby, and Sunday, I woke up early with my friend, Jess, to see the sunrise (totally worth it). It was a blast.

The only major problem was sunburn. All of us got QUITE crispy, even in spite of re-applying sunscreen throughout the day, and the communal bottles of aloe ran low rather fast…

Now, we’re back at home base aka Puebla again, and we’ve entered our last full week of classes (which really isn’t a full week since we never have classes on Friday). I can’t believe there’s only a week and a half left! I feel like I mention the time flying every entry I write, but it is just cruising along too fast. I’m going to miss being here so much; the places, the people, the culture. But we have one last weekend traveling together to enjoy, and, of course, a bit of work/ final projects to get through. Here’s to making it all last!

Location: Boca del Rio, Veracruz, Mexico