Time to pack up and head on home… to the US that is. I never thought I would feel the need to clarify the US as my home after only six weeks here in Mexico. However, I truly feel that tomorrow, as I board the airplane back to Philly, I will be leaving my newfound home here in Puebla. Although I am leaving today, I would still like to include one or two additional entries summarizing a few of the fun things we did while here… they deserve attention!

However, right now, I want to say how much I will miss my life here in Puebla. I saw Teotihaucan, the largest pyramid in the Western hemisphere, watched La Lucha Libre (Yup! It’s real!), and experience the nightlife of Cholula with fellow college students both from Penn State, and Mexico. I hiked a mountain and swam under a waterfall, played soccer with school kids, and truly experienced the world cup. I learned how to salsa, how to take the bus (and how not to fall off the bus!), and how to bargain. I learned that forgetting to say goodbye can really offend a person here, but also that trying your best to communicate is 100x better than not speaking at all.

I learned that Mexicans are amazingly expressive, interesting, and compassionate people. I feel that I will always be welcome here in Puebla, and I never would have wanted to study abroad anywhere else. I will be leaving my house here tomorrow at 9:00am, and it still has not registered for me that this experience is just about over. I feel that it has motivated me to study the Spanish language more in appreciation of the value of communication, and also, to come back and visit again! I would love to visit my host family again, as well as some of the places I may not have had time to see.

This was quite the sappy love story. But what can I say? Puebla was awesome! I will certainly miss it until I return again.

Location: Puebla, Mexico