April

This first group of photos are from a trip that I took with Yuly to the southern Mexican state of Chiapas. For about five months I saved up my stipend money in order to pa for the trip. It was such an awesome trip full of adventure, new foods, shopping, and quality time. We visited various churches, saw the unique mix of indigenous and "modern" culture, ate very well, visited a canon from above and below (with a boat tour), and got dressed in traditional clothing!! It was such a special trip filled with special memories.

Some of the best mole I have tried

Esquites (Mexican street corn)

Traditional weaving style

Me in thetraditional clothing. They tried to find me a blouse that matched my eyes

View of the canon from above

And the view from below

Spotted: monkies!!!

A traditional drink called pozol. Made from corn and sweetened with cacao. It was so yummy, espescially on such a hot afternoon, however, it did make us sick later that night.

These are jars of fermented fruits. The local alcoholic drink called pox (pronounced posh) is what is used. it has been made and used in Chiapas by the indigenous groups of the area for hundreds and hundreds of years. It is traditionally used as medicine, as well as used as an important part of indigenous rituals.

This next group of photos are from our third (out of four) group retreats with the YAGM program. This time, we went to the Mexican state of Oaxaca. We spent lots of quality time together while eating great food (including lots of chocolate), visiting new places, and spending time in intentional reflection and prayer.

Pretty stained glass ceiling in our hotel

Traditional Oaxacan dish called a Tlayuda. Its a super thin a nd crspy tortilla topped with refried beans, cabbage, Oaxacan cheese, tomato, avocado, and the traditional tasajo: thin marinated cuts of tender beef. It was so good!!