Hello from May Merida!

Greetings from Team May Merida, and welcome to our blog! We are so excited for this upcoming semester, concluded by our trip in May- the road may seem long now, but until then, we have lots to do!  

Throughout the coming months, we shall be coming together frequently as a group for our pre-trip meetings. Our preparations include delving into the four pillars of ABSTs, reflecting on Catholic Social Teaching, learning more about our community partner and their mission, and team bonding. Ultimately, we hope as a group to prepare our hearts and minds to immerse ourselves in the community and culture of our gracious hosts in Merida!  

We are honored that you are here and looking forward to sharing our upcoming journey with you!  

~Team May Merida,  

Alex Stoj, Alexa Harding, Chloe Kernan, Maddy Bruce, Ashley Brawn, Allison Walbridge, Jonathan Cooper, Taylor Keller (participants),  

Damali Donovan, Chris Magno (accompaniers),  

Mary Margaret Brady and Cory Pius (student leaders) 

Hi! My name is Dorian Tamburlin and I am one of the 2 student leaders traveling to Merida this spring. My hometown is St. Marys, PA.  I am a Junior Psychology Major with a focus in Exceptional Children. I am also on the GU Dance Team and a member of Tri Sigma sorority. I am so excited to return to Merida for my second ABST. I chose to travel again because I had a very transformative experience last year and wanted to grow as a leader by returning.

Merida Spring Break 2019, Stay Tuned!

      ¡Hola amigos! As a new semester rolls around, we are excited to travel to Merida, Mexico on March 2nd-9th 2019 with another group of students. We are lucky for the Mission of Friendship to welcome us back for another year of service and immersion into their culture.

This blog was created for families and friends to be with us on our trip to the Yucatan, and for us as travelers to have a place to reminisce on our memories we will be making during the week.

 Before our trip, we want you all to get to know us so stay tuned for introductions of our group members in the next few days! This year, 9 students and 2 accompaniers will be traveling, all who bring different strengths and insights to the table. We are all eager to learn from this experience and hope you all are as well!

Victor's Travels

Hello Everyone!

We have made it back to Gannon safely and we would like to thank you for reading about our journey this past week! We all had an amazing experience and we will cherish the memories made on this trip for years to come. 

While on the trip, we were able to visit numerous places and interact with many wonderful people. Along with us, our mascot (Victor E. Knight) was able to experience Mérida. Here are some highlights of his experience in Mexico:

Loteria, Bailamos, Pola...¡Adios, Mérida!

It’s 10:30 on Friday night and we are finishing the final touches of wrapping up our Mérida experience. Our day was filled with relationship building within the community, which started at the nursing home. We played “Loteria” (bingo) with the residents, and it was a hit. Everyone was happy to help with reading cards and celebrating the winners with prizes. After saying goodbye to our new friends, we traveled to the medical dispensary, another branch of the Mission. It was very insightful to ask questions to Dr. Silvia, who has been an active member of the mission for 30 years. We learned that it is very hard to pay for medications and appointments in Mérida, and the dispensary offers a low cost alternative. We were grateful to return to our girls at the Nueva Vida program, and were welcomed with excitement. From playing tag to braiding hair, everyone was engaged. A very special part of the day was playing games inspired by Jessica’s Club Fit program, to get the girls out of their shell. Two members of the Gannon Dance Team taught the girls a dance, and they did extremely well listening and performing. We said goodbyes to everyone who made this experience possible, again with muchos abrazos. It was sad to say goodbye, but felt amazing to complete such an event filled week. We might have got ice cream for a third time.....it has turned into an obsession.  After dinner we watched a final slideshow of all the pictures made by Tricia. She has done everything and beyond for us this week and we are eternally grateful. Mérida was definitely a week to remember and reflect on for years to come.

Thank you everyone for the prayers and thoughts as we travel home bright and early! We can’t wait to return to our families and friends, to continue sharing  the spirit of Mérida even in the snow.

Muchos Amor

Thursday was filled with kisses, dancing, and bubbles, so what could be better than that? Everyone had a day full of smiles which started at the Los Amiguitos daycare program. The children range from ages three months to three years and we spent the morning drawing with chalk and blowing/spilling bubbles. After some hard play, we left to pick up girls from school that are members of the Nueva Vida program. The program offers an after school learning opportunity for girls from 6-12. It was incredible to see how well behaved and attentive the girls were. We were welcomed with muchos abrazos (lots of hugs) and we instantly felt the excitement. We played games, ate lunch, and sang with them. Throughout the day it was very apparent just how well the program is run since  they were able to speak clear common English and had excellent manners. To help give back, we painted and cleaned the facilities after playtime. Our long day ended with a delicious Italian dinner and ice cream from our favorite shop Pola.

Today we will finish our tours of the Mission of Friendship programs and spend our last full day in Mérida surrounded with love and acceptance of the community.

¡Estamos Viviendo Nuestros Mejores Vidas!

Hola, friends and family! We are back at the mission after an enjoyable three days in Yaxcabá, a small village located about two hours outside of the city of Merida. We are delighted to be able to finally share our wonderful experiences.

On Monday, we were welcomed with open arms by Padre Felix, a priest of Yaxcabá who graciously welcomed us to the village. Other parishioners were also kind enough to greet us, cook traditional meals for us, and share their knowledge of Mayan history and culture. After settling in, we had the privilege of riding in motorcycle-powered carriages to explore the rest of the village. While on this journey, our group admired the kindness and positivity of the entire community.

Tuesday began with a work day at the church. Lewis, Tricia, and the Gannon ABST group painted the interior of a guest space at the church. This experience strengthened the bonds of the group by allowing us to play games and share stories as we worked. In the afternoon, we cooled down with a visit to a local cenote, an underground stream that we courageously swam in. I say 'courageously' because many of us felt outside of our comfort zones while swimming in a dark cave while bats flew just over the top of our heads. The fear surpassed as we let go of our hesitations and simply enjoyed living in the moment. When we returned to the village, Padre Felix had organized a gathering for us to meet some people in the community on a more personal level. With the help of Tricia and Lewis translating our words, the entire group was able to learn about each other's lives. We discovered that a particular woman in the village made and sold hammocks, so several of us visited her home after the gathering to see one that Sydney ended up purchasing.

We said our goodbyes to the lovely people of Yaxcabá on Wednesday as we left to venture to Mayapan, a site of ancient Mayan ruins. Despite a few members feeling carsick from the bumpy ride to what felt like the middle of nowhere, the group enjoyed being the only people at this less commercialized location where we could explore the fascinating history and architecture of the Mayans. The views were breathtaking and well worth the journey to that location. Later on Wednesday, we ate a late lunch at the Hacienda Taya Restaurante where we recovered from the heat with delicious Mexican food and drinks, topped off with some refreshing ice cream.

Now that we are back in Merida, we are eagerly awaiting our next adventure at Nueva Vida on Thursday. The group has been excited all week to meet the girls, so stay tuned for our next update when we can share that experience with you. ¡Hasta luego!