The Weekend!

The weekend was full of fun, friends, food, and public transportation! Being from a city, I loved riding the bus and train out here. On Saturday we went on a scavenger hunt to downtown Los Angeles. I went with three other girls and we went to Chinatown, El Pueblo, and Universal City in Hollywood. We had to send our professors three pictures of one or two things in each of these places. Each place was beautiful and unique in its own way so it made the trip so much more interesting and fun.

In Chinatown we walked around and went into the different shops there. The culture was so rich and full of colors and different smells. There were quite a few poultry shops and seafood restaurants. We didn't eat there but there were many restaurants that smelled so good!

We moved across a few streets to El Pueblo also known as Little Mexico. It was also so beautiful and full of culture, colors, smells, and sounds. The area was so lit up and full of bright colors it really made me feel like I was in Mexico. El Pueblo was also the area were the first settlers migrated in LA. We walked in to the oldest home right in the heart of El Pueblo, and it had a beautiful yard with cactus and other pretty flowers. We ate at a restaurant were they served authentic Mexican food. It was so good, felt right at home!

Universal City was the last stop we made and by that time, the heat was tiring us out so we just walked around and went into a couple stores but we didn't do much there. The scenery was so beautiful though! The mountains in the background were so pretty to just look at. We hoped on the train and headed back to our hotel.

Sunday, Mother's Day, was well spent. We went to church as a group with the founders of the schools. It was a great time because we were welcomed by every one there and I could really feel their appreciation for what we are doing. After the service we went out for lunch as a group then headed back to the hotel. The rest of the afternoon was ours so a group of us went to the pier and laid on the beach. It was very nice to be able to just relax for a few hours. I saw a dolphin in the distance! It was so pretty!! After sitting there for a few hours we headed back to our hotel and hung out for a bit before going to bed.

Overall, my first weekend out here was very beautiful and I spent it with some amazing people. This group in general is awesome! We all bring something special t this experience and I think that's what makes every day more interesting and fun.