FRIENDS FROM AFAR

Good morning from Tijuana!! The morning began with Elli standing quietly at the top of her bed. We knew this would be a great start to our day. We had chorizo and yoghurt for breakfast and Francesco tried a Banana! Following that, we boarded the bus with all of our buds and made our way to today’s destination. Props to Ms. Oresky for dealing with Francesco’s philosophical opinions.

      Upon arriving CETYS University, we were greeted by smiling faces. Our first stop was the science fair. There, we got to see many different approaches to environmental crisis’. This was a fascinating moment for us as we got to see unique solutions to serious problems. Even with a language barrier, we could see how important these projects were to the students. We were able to collect many interviews and clips from this. Following this, we met a girl from Tijuana who we had lunch with. We exchanged contact information and look forward to furthering this relationship. We found similarities within our encounter when it came to college, school, and social life. Lastly, we attended Ricarbol’s, a local leader on our immersion’s, talk and learned his view on the current environmental struggles of the world and about what changes we can make as a society. This was a proud moment for us because Ricarbol killed it!

     We recollected as a group and made our way onto our bus back to Hogar de Ninos. There, we edited our footage and created a beautiful B-Roll. After lots of editing, our group went outside where we played soccer with the children.  The only statement us Latin scholars could interpret was when the kids would shout “67.” Soccer led into an intense game of Duck, Duck Goose, or as the kids said “pato, pato, go!” We thoroughly enjoy spending time with them, they fill our hearts with love. They show us that love and even “67” can surpass language barriers. We made it back to the fifth floor of our accommodation by dinner time and shared a tasty meal, prepared by the loveliest chefs. Lucas ate at least 7 of the chicken and potato tacos. The juice was so tasty, it was parsley and lemon. 

     Afterwards, we went back outside where we played a serious game of soccer. Thankfully, this time the puppies didn’t invade our game. After a long hour of winning, we made our way up to the rooftop chapel. Here we reflected on our day and its significance. We went in a circle and said what we were thankful for, a meaningful encounter, our application, and a special moment we will remember. After our meditation, we winded down in our rooms waiting to hear the B-Roll challenge winners. Best part of our night. Following our showers, Whitney and Tanner added to the embarrassing moments list in their journal, Elli read, and Addie sang.

     We all changed into our soft jammies and ended the night with a dance party to DOWNTOWN. We heard all the boys singing elegantly next door, putting a great end to our night. Now we plug our ears, turn on our sound machine, put on our sleep masks, and catch some Z’s, doing our best to ignore the dogs barking outside our window.

B-Roll Challenge Day 1 Winners
3rd: Sean & Connor
2nd: Ellie, Tanner, Addie and Whitney
1st: Emerson, Winta, Tate & Katya

B-Roll Challenge Day 2 Winners
3rd: Charlotte, Bella, Sadie & Sam
2nd: Sean & Connor
1st: Ellie, Tanner, Addie and Whitney