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| Sometimes in life, you think you're heading to a certain destination, but you suddenly find yourself traveling to another. [January, en route to MCC Mesoamerica retreat] |
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| And on your way to this destination, some things will be familiar. [My image of Guatemala at age 10: Crush soda, chicken buses and Gallo beer below: tamales with Keila and Rachael, SALTers currently in Honduras and Costa Rica] |
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| And it's good to make the most of this new and unexpected turn of events. [With Isabel]  You might even love it...  [Hilary, 3] |
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| That other place is more than a physical location, it's people too. [MCC Mexico. Small but mighty. And interestingly, the only MCC team in Mesoamerica to have children under the age of 7.] |
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| So you'll go back home. [Graffiti in San Cristobal]
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| play, [Yami and Nicole, daughters of Cristy, who cleans our house every Friday.] |
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| Work. [Beet and bean seeds for planting INESIN's garden.] |
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| The work won't be so bad when you're having fun. [Elena, Natanael and Dario; planting INESIN's garden] |
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| For a while, being at home is great. But sometimes you have to push your boundaries again... [Cacti grove at Mayan ruins of Tonina] |
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| ...and step into the danger zone. [Chiapa del Corzo fair below: while this one might not look as dangerous, don't be fooled. To reach this bell, I had to walk across a grate above a 50 m drop and according to my host grandmother, if women enter Catholic bell towers, the bells will crack. And those things are NOT light.] |
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| Danger zones imply risk and on new adventures you might risk breaking your favorite sunglasses,... [Day trip to Toniná] |
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| ...but there are moments that make the risk worth taking. [Oldest tree along the Rio Grijalva, Chiapa del Corzo] |
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| When the wonder you inevitably experience isn't inspired by nature, it might be sparked when you're reminded of how small the world is. [Representing Ohio State and San Francisco Community College in southern Mexico; Jaguares vs. Estudiantes soccer match, Tuxtla] |
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| Along the way, you'll realize that there is a lot you don't know. [yes, even though I attended a Mennonite college, I understand close to nothing about soccer] |
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| But one thing you do know: along the way, you'll meet new friends... [Huixtán] |
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...which makes you happy.
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| On your adventures, you might also explore caves with exits that look like the state of Chiapas... |
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| ...or find the perfect leaves for steaming tamales... |
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| ...or meet someone who loves your new sunglasses almost as much as you loved the ones that broke. |
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| As you take all of the beauty around you in, you will probably need to pinch yourself a few times. [Huixtán] |
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| After assuring yourself that you really are awake,... [Elena's nieces and nephews after a rousing game of "duck, duck, deer"] |
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| ...you'll remind yourself to hold onto every. fleeting. moment... |
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| ...because like the grasshopper perched on your finger, you can't hold on forever. [With Elena's Tzotzil-speaking niece and grasshopper. Communication was limited by the fact that I don't speak Tzotzil or grasshopper.] |
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| Soon you'll be back in familiar territory once again, if only for a week... [Mom and Dad visit] |
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| ...with the food,... [lunch at Lagos de Montebello...meeting Dad's request of eating as much authentic food as possible] |
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| ...and the people you've always loved. [Cathedral in San Juan Chamula] |
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| Don't get too comfortable, though. When you think you finally know what to expect, you might suddenly find yourself in the middle of a herd of cattle. [On the way to Sima de las Cotorras] |
