Final Week in Mexico City!

A stunning sunset in Puebla

It is now my final week in Mexico City. I'm not looking forward to saying goodbye. I have spent the last few days trying to fight off a Mexican cold and flu virus along with some of the other students. I've been missing my fiancé like crazy and it is not a good time to be sick, with the pressure of Spanish exams and a presentation and report to write. Even writing this blog feels like a massive effort! (I had planned to write another one a little sooner than this)

Sickness and homesickness aside, I've had some fantastic times. After a trip to Xochimilco on the 21st of January, the Spanish group decided this would be a great place to celebrate a delayed Australia day. I loved Xochimilco! Cruising down the rivers in brightly coloured boats while being serenaded by Mariachi’s, waving to passersby in their boats. We also visited the nearby Dolores museum, which has many of the original works of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, along with stunning gardens.

Our Aussie flag flying proudly from our boat in Xochimilco

Week 3 was mostly focused on getting through Spanish homework and our first exam, which to my surprise my results were better than expected. I did have a chance to visit an orphanage in my own time with Callie, who is planning to volunteer at an orphanage in Mexico City with her husband for a month. We arrived just as a group of volunteers from the Radisson Hotel arrived to deliver toys and piñatas to the children. We had a great time just watching these beautiful children, each take their turn on the Piñata´s. Some of them smaller than the stick they were using to hit the piñata!

Last Friday afternoon we celebrated Australia Day in Xochimilco, complete with Australian flags and 'Land Down Under' blasting from the speakers while we danced around the boat. A couple of our Mexican friends were brave enough to join us and I have to say it has to be my top Australia day to date. We also celebrated Hannah’s Birthday on the 24^th! Happy Birthday Hannah, it was a great week of celebrations all round!

Chendo and Martin, getting into the Australia day spirit!

Happy Birthday Hannah!

The final weekend of the program was spent in Puebla, a stunning town about 125km from Mexico City. On the way to Puebla we stopped at Cholula to visit the pyramid there. Had I not known it was a pyramid, I would have thought it was just a big hill with a church on the top. Unfortunately I was too sick to make the most of my time there and spent quite a lot of time in the hotel (it was a very nice hotel though!). I did have a chance to see some of the town, which is full of churches. One church we visited had a wedding ceremony going on in the chapel. The sunset from my hotel room was absolutely stunning!

The Cathedral on top of the Pyramid in Cholula