Milestone Reached: SIX WHOLE MONTHS!

Has your body ever been so sore that you wish you never had to move again? You just wish you could lay down and stay there the rest of your life?

You know, like this:

Well, I have.

My sister and I had this goal to work out a bunch together before I left for BYU. So we did a couple work out classes at the athletic club she works at. We did one called Body Combat and one called Body Pump. 

The day after Body Combat I was sore, and although it was pretty bad, it was livable. But Body Pump? That class required weight lifting with a bar and squats and stuff. I've never really done training with weights, and my arms are SO weak. So after an hour of doing what felt like 1000 squats, 800 bicep curls, and 400 tricep-dips ALL with weights... I literally could not lift my arms and I couldn't walk. 

My legs were jelly, and I know that if I fell over I'd end up like this:

To get to my sister's apartment, we have to go down a few stairs. So after our workout, I did my best to go down the stairs without falling over. But at the very last stair I started to lose control of my legs and they were moving so fast... And this happened:

Yeah, I ran into a wall. It was actually pretty funny... Hahaha. But the soreness that ensued for the next 5 days from that class was AWFUL. 

Suffice to say, my sister and I stuck to walks for the next couple days... But really, up until yesterday I was waddling around and doing my best not to use my arms at all. It was quite comical hahaha.

Okay, okay. Now for the important part of this post ;)

ELDER GIBBY HAS BEEN OUT ON HIS MISSION FOR SIX MONTHS!!!!!!!

SIX WHOLE MONTHS.

OH. MY. FLAMING. CHEETOS.

One of his companions was heading home and since Elder Gibby's been out for 6 months, they had a little celebration!

So now with one of his companions gone, it's just Elder Gibby and his other companion. This companion is his first Mexican companion, so he's been forced to speak pure Spanish for the last few days, which is really good!! That's how you get the hang of a new language, lots of practice! He told me that his Spanish is coming along, which is fantastic to hear! I really hope we can have Spanish conversations when we get back! That'd be so fun :)

This past week was pretty good for him! They have 8 baptism dates and recieved 12 new investigators. He's taking charge and wants to serve the best he can! I'm so glad he's working so hard! Good man.

And while on the topic of missionaries... My stake president should be turning in my papers any day now! EEP! My call is getting sent to home here in Oregon since my address in Utah isn't for sure yet, so I don't want anything to happen... So once it gets here, my parents will send it off to me in Utah. So I have about a month til I find out where I'm going! YAYAYAY :)

If I go Spanish-speaking, I'll be lucky because since coming back I've been able to keep practicing my Spanish with Emilio! We Skype every few days for a couple hours so that I can practice my Spanish with a native speaker. It's so great! A lot of what we talk about is gospel-related. He decided that he wants to help me prepare for my mission, so he's teaching me different principles and scriptures and whatnot. It's really great and I feel like it's going to help a lot!

Oh! I also gave a talk in Sacrament Meeting yesterday. My topic was talking about the past year of my life (at BYU and on the study abroad) and how my testimony has been affected by it. It's incredible how much my testimony has actually grown in these past 12 months... So it was a perfect topic! I decided to talk about how my testimony has developed because of things that I've learned and gained a greater appreciation for in the past year. For example, the importance of the people we surround ourselves with, gratitude, and the power of the Spirit to teach.

I also bore my testimony in Spanish, and got quite a few compliments on my Spanish from native speakers in our ward! YESS! I was so excited. Compliments from native speakers are the best you can get!!

Since it was talking about my life, it was super easy to just talk to the congregation! When I'm given assignments on things that I'm not so familiar with, I always have to read straight off the paper… And it's never too great. But this time I really got to express myself and it was fantastic!

I'm assuming it's the best talk I've ever given, because I got a decent amount of compliments. I'm just glad people listened and got something out of it! hahaha. I'm happy as long as it was successful and it invited the Spirit! WOOHOO :)

Way to go Chanel!

Anyway, I leave for Provo on Wednesday night! I'm flying this time, so I'll be all alone moving in and grocery shopping without a car… That'll be an interesting process! Hahaha. I'm ready to head back to BYU though. I have lots of friends I can't wait to see!

...

HOLY COW SIX MONTHS!!!!! :D

721 Days Left! :)

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It's So Hard to Say Goodbye...

Alrighty, a catch-up on my final days in Mérida!

On Monday, Kelsey and I didn’t have class since we did double-duty on Thursday. So we got to sleep in! It felt sooo good! That night we went to FHE and had a wonderful final lesson given by Emilio. We then all shared a reflection of our experience. And then we all headed off to the beach to go see THE METEOR SHOWER!!!!!

When they announced we were going to do that a couple weeks ago, I was so excited. I was kicking and dancing around in my chair!!

The people around me were telling me to CALM MYSELF DOWN. But they didn't understand!!!

Stargazing is one of my favorite things! (Okay, I have a lot of favorite things…. But activity-wise). Add shooting stars to it, and I’m a happy camper! Falling stars are the greatest. They’re beautiful AND you get to make a wish on them. SO COOL!

It was a perfect night because the sky was so clear, we were in a dark area so we could see so many stars, and we were on the beach! There was a sea storm in the horizon, so we saw flashes of reddish lightning off in the horizon while there were MILLIONS of stars up the sky and occasional shooting stars... Gorgeous. 

Too bad cameras can't capture stuff like that. But here's a shot of us!

You wouldn't believe how bad that flash hurt...

A little bit later, Kevin, Emilio, Kate, and I decided to take a swim into the ocean. You could never do that at night in Oregon, cuz you'd freeze! We didn't stay in the water too long, but now I can say I've swam in the ocean at night! In total that night I saw 11 shooting stars, and it was dang awesome! YESSS :)

Tuesday, Daniel, Sam, Mario, Kate, Gabi, and I went to one last cenote. It was a ton of fun, SUPER COLD, and of course pretty! 

Here's a little peek:

Mario had an underwater camera too, so we used that a bunch! Unfortunately we aren't very good at getting pictures taken of us...

But in general, we're a pretty good-looking group, huh? :)

That night we had a final fiesta with our entire group since nearly everyone was leaving in the morning, and most people were leaving through Cancún. Only 4 of us left through Mérida :( 

In all honesty I didn't do much since I was feeling so down about the program ending. I just talked for the most part... 
Okay, I'm not that lame. I ended up doing a little experimenting to amuse myself :)

While we were at the table talking, Kelsey told me that when you lick people's elbows without them knowing, they don't feel it. I had heard that before, but thought that it was just a lie. But, to satisfy my desire to know, while Emilio was distracted, I licked his elbow. AND HE DIDN'T NOTICE. 

As you can imagine, Kelsey giving this newfound knowledge to me was like giving candy to a baby. I WANTED MORE. So, of course, being mischievous and to prove to Emilio that YES, I did lick his elbow, I did it a few more times. He was so surprised every time I told him that I did it! It was super entertaining and I was giggling so much!

In total, all within about 20 minutes, I licked Emilio's elbow 8 times, Gabi's once, and Eric's once. And they had no clue. It was so funny! A little strange of me, I'll admit… But totally worth it! My entertainment for the night!

When it came time to say goodbye to everyone it was absolutely awful. The hardest goodbyes of my life, since it's not certain we'll all see each other again. Hermana Stallings, the director's wife, was the one who first got me to break and shed a few tears. She's such a sweetheart and I'm going to miss her so much!

The next morning we left bright and early at 6:30 to head to the airport. While we were waiting in line to check our luggage, Emilio showed up! He said he'd come to see us off, but I honestly wasn't expecting him to show since we stayed up late the night before. 

He stuck around with us until it came time for us to go through security, and then we said our goodbyes.

It was hard to say "see you later" to him since he was really sad and taking it pretty hard. He and I had gotten pretty close and I got a little attached to him because he reminded me so much of my older brother, Adam. He mentioned maybe coming to visit us this Fall... That'd be so awesome!!! Luckily for now we can keep in touch with Skype!

My travel back to Oregon was a bit of an adventure. While I was getting a smoothie during my layover in Houston, I had been chanting what I was going to say in my head so that I wouldn't mess up and slip Spanish in. After I ordered, I started to say "por favor", but I shut it down at "por f-" because I realized what I was doing. 

The barista totally noticed. I tried to recover and say "please", but it took a good 3 seconds of "uh um" to get the dang word out of my mouth! 

Also, you know how on flights they give you a complimentary drink? When the stewardess was confirming with me, I responded, "sí". Instantly I apologized and explained I had just spent 2 months in Mexico and it was habit. Then the ride home with my parents I couldn't think of SO many English words. It was so frustrating!

I never thought that I would have trouble speaking English like that... I got a little taste of how missionaries feel after their missions. Yeah, imagine what I'd be like after my mission if I go foreign...

... Speaking of my mission! I had my mission interview with the bishop yesterday, and I passed! My interview with the stake president is on Thursday. Then my papers can be turned in this coming Monday, the 26th since that'll be exactly 120 days before my availability date. SO CRAZY! So I should get my mission call in just a bit over a month. I'm really nervous, but really excited!! EEP :)

And on the topic of missionaries... I have a favorite one of mine to talk about! :)

He's been a bit annoyed with his companion. He's a bit of a slob, so Elder Gibby cleans up after him. Then for four days this past week him and his companions were without water! His companion forgot to pay the water bill, so it was shut off. He was making due by showering with his neighbor’s hose. Hahaha. I must congratulate him on being innovative though!

One of the days this past week he went on splits with an Elder that has been out the same amount of time as him. Elder Gibby mentioned that they had finished 6 months of their missions, and the other Elder replied, “Sad, isn’t it?”

That response changed Elder Gibby’s view of the time he has left. Rather than being excited because he’s closer to coming back and being with his family, he realized that he should love every day and enjoy it while it lasts.

I can already tell that Elder Gibby has grown since going out. I’m so happy and proud of him! It's a little touching...

"My little baby's all grown up and saving China... Do you have a tissue?" 
Well, in this case, he's saving souls! :)

Anyway, rewinding back to earlier in this post... This study abroad has been the best experience of my life so far. I also got to experience the Church in another language, and that was just incredible. Doing baptisms for the dead in spanish three times?!? AWESOME. I also got to experience and enjoy another culture and bond with some really amazing people. I learned so, so much. Not just about Spanish, but about life in general. 

I learned that need to go outside my comfort zone and take everything life offers me. Each person in the program taught me a lot and helped me realize things about myself. It was a real eye-opening experience, and I'm going to miss it so, so much.  I'm so grateful that Heavenly Father gave me the opportunity to have the experience that I did. I'm such a lucky girl!

I'm not going to lie, it's been hard for me to be back in the United States. Don't get me wrong. I am LOVING this constant, strong wi-fi, refrigerated milk, carpet, smaller bugs, and whatnot... But this pretty much sums up my feelings:

I miss Mérida so much. And after every day being such an adventure, now I'm just... Here. Being boring. I don't know how I'll keep you guys entertained anymore... Oh boy.

PS - Sorry about the video from last week of the juego de pelota. Now it works! :)

728 Days Left! :)

Week 7: Todavía, después de México, no puedo bailar

So I'm nearing the end of my journey here, so I made sure this weekend was chock-full of fun!

Thursday we had a talent show for our group. Our directors invited the whole ward, and I guess they all invited their friends… Because the chapel was over-full and a good amount of people were standing! I don’t really have any talents that are show-able, and some other girls felt the same, so we got together and did a yoga skit… But people laughed, so that was a success!

Friday we went as a group to a Henequen factory. We saw how they make Henequen out of the plant. The best part was this Mayan man that was just adorable! He told us about Henequen and how to plant it and whatnot. Then he did this awesome secret handshake with a few of us and said a couple salutations in different languages! IT WAS SO CUTE! I wanted to just take him home with me…

We went to the cenote there and swam for a bit. It was so much fun! There weren’t very many people and it was super cool!

That night we finally made it to the juego de pelota! IT WAS SO COOL! It wasn’t exactly what I thought, but I got this really cool video of them playing hockey with a ball on fire:

And us with the players!

Afterward, Kate and I went out for dinner with Kevin and Emilio. We got sushi! I got California rolls with salmon in them… But the salmon was raw. It was gonna be my first time eating raw fish… I just tried not to think about it, and it wasn’t terrible. Not my preference since slimy isn’t really my thing, but I ate it!

Saturday was SO much fun! We went on an excursion to some caves that the ancient mayas used back in the day. Like the women who couldn’t have children would climb through the caves in order to worship a god in a specific area of the caves so that they would be blessed with fertility. They had to travel through these really, REALLY tight and narrow passages that, for us, were impossible to get through without help. Don’t ask me how they did it just with lighting from torches! 

We had to wiggle through a lot of narrow and tight spaces on our stomachs, quite literally like worms. Inching myself along and getting scraped wasn't exactly the most fun...

We also climbed up ropes, slid down rocky slopes, and saw a bunch of sculptures! It was totally worth all the bruises and battle wounds! We got really muddy and smelly and it was super duper scary, but it was really the coolest!

Later that night, we went Mambo Café to dance, FINALLY. Emilio took Kate, Anita, Eric, a chica here named Ale, and myself. We had been wanting to go so much!

At the beginning there were free salsa lessons, so we jumped on in and learned some salsa moves. After a decent amount of people came, we got paired up with partners. My partner was a guy named Alberto and I think he was about my age, maybe a little older. I apologized in advance because I knew I was gonna have problems. I don’t know hardly anything about salsa, so I was kind of struggling. He was a good teacher though, and super patient!

After the lessons ended, he asked me to dance some more and we probably danced for a good half hour. I felt bad since I was still having issues, but he was super nice! Then Emilio swooped in to “save” me, which was fine since I didn’t want Alberto to feel obligated to keep dancing with me haha.

Later on, close to midnight, there was a live Cuban band, and DANG, could those guys dance! It was crazy! Mambo was tons of fun, and I’m so glad we got to go!

Sunday was our last time at church here in Mérida... It was a little sad! 
We got a picture of most of us in front of the sign:

After church Kate and I decided to go to the beach. Sundays at the beach are crazy! They have a huge stage set up with a DJ and dancers… Not to mention the beach was the most crowded I’ve ever seen a beach crowded before. Given beaches in Oregon aren’t visited super often… But for 4^th of July they’re pretty crowded!

Sam and Mario met us there, and we stayed long enough to see the sunset, and got some pretty great pictures! It was so gorgeous!

When we headed back to the bus stop to take us back to Mérida, THE LINE WAS SO LONG.  There were switchbacks and it wrapped around… We ended up being in line for a little over an hour. We had some good bonding time though!

Today I got a super long e-mail from Elder Gibby! I was so super excited because since I wasn't in class today, I got to read the e-mail RIGHT when he sent it! :D

So Elder Gibby was an assistant for 3 days! They taught, organized, and did normal assistant stuff for the most part. While he was there, he found out that the rumors of American girls coming to Oaxaca are true! They're coming starting in October. Sooo, it's a possibility I might get called there, but he said he wouldn't wish that on me. And if we were in the same mission, we couldn't write each other at all! I'm pretty sure I won't get called there, but even that .009% possibility stresses me out a little bit, you know?

He also had the wonderful experience of eating tacos made out of cow brain! Not as savory as tacos arabes, I'm positive. He says that he's developed a new talent of swallowing whole bites of food without chewing. I think it's come pretty handy with the icky foods he's had to eat.

He doesn't eat much in Oaxaca since the food is so… Different. He's already lost 25 pounds. Aren't missionaries supposed to gain weight on their mission?? Crazy boy.

Awh, I can’t believe I’m leaving in less than 48 hours…

I’ve made so many amazing memories here, and I’m not ready to go back yet…

735 Days Left! :)