The final stretch has officially begun, and it is tangible in the air. 3 weeks from tomorrow, I will be flying back to home soil. Mixed feelings; but mostly excited. I will be sad to leave Mexico, but I am certainly not leaving empty handed.

This weekend we wonderful; it was so great to have Dad here. Friday night we went out to dinner with Rita, Rubencito, and Andrea to VIPS, the trendy Friendly's-esque restaurant that my mom just thinks is so cool. It was fun to chat in Spanish with them; I think it was really good for Dad to mee them and them to meet Dad. Afterwards, we went to Italian Coffee so he could meet Camila. We both hit the hay around 11 to get up early for Cuernavaca. We left Cuautla at 7, and arrived in Cuerna around 8:15...it was a speedy trip. We had an elegant breakfast at Las Mananitas, a fancy hotel complete with cloth napkins and parrots chirping in the background. We enjoyed watching a couple planning their wedding....always a fun people watching experience. Next, we headed to Jardin Borda to stroll through the gardens of Borda/Maximilian. Unfortunately, they weren't running the boat rentals, but we got some sweet pictures with some big Day of the Dead figures of Maximilian and his mistress. We checked out the cathedral, and hit up the big artesania market, where we made some good purchases. We decided to head to Tepoztlan after realizing how far Taxco was going to be. After looking up at the cliff that is the pyramid in Tepoztlan, Dad decided we could stay down below, walk through the market, and eat some lunch. It was really fun to catch up with him and share all of my thoughts about Mexico, capitalism, etc.

Saturday night when we got back to Cuautla we met Hilary for a coffee in "La Cafecita", our favorite place for Concha (sweet bread) and capuchinos. After, we went to Barry's and met up with Lauren and Isana and Dad got to sample the best tacos of Cuautla. From there, we went to dad's hotel, the luxurious Villasor, and had a coffee and some dessert. It was really nice to chat with him, and I was sad to say goodbye.

Right now, I'm sitting in my kitchen chatting with my mom and sister, waiting for my chocolate chip cookies to be ready. Dad brought me some chocolate chips, so now everyone can try the deliciousness of chocolate chip cookies. I had to improvise a little bit with the measurements, but hopefully everything will turn out ok. It smells good, at least!

My UNILA project is going very well, and I'm starting to write the 20-25 page final. I have done a bunch of really interesting interviews with students and teachers, and can't wait to put everything together. I only have 3 more classes with my students!!! And so much more to teach! Now I understand how easy it is to get behind in a class. This experience has certainly helped me appreciate the difficulties of teaching....

In other news, I'm going to URUGUAY in a month. The whole world seems slightly annoyed with me, but there are times in life when people have a responsiblity to themselves to be selfish, and to do what they know will make them happiest. Of course, I am sad that I won't be home for a long time at Christmas, but honestly, would you pass up the chance for a free trip to South America? I really loved Germany with the Edelmans, so this just seems too perfect to refuse.