Day 7: The Last Day :(

Friday was the final day of our experience. At this time we became somewhat sad because we realized we'd be leaving tomorrow.There was so much more to see and learn, I really wish I could have stayed to help more. I don't think anyone in the group wanted to leave because the week was such an amazing an experience. CCIDD takes many groups, having a wide variety of ages and interests. I would really recommend it to anyone interested. They have a website where contact information can be found. http://www.ccidd.org/ Check it out :)
This morning we learned about Our Lady of Guadalupe. She is a very prominent figure in Mexico, many people worship and pray with her. She is often used as a symbol of liberation on behalf of those oppressed. Her shrine is one of the most visited in the world, it gets similar visitors that the Vatican in Rome recieves. It was very interesting to learn about Our Lady of Guadalupe because we saw so much of her around everywhere in Mexico.
Next, we were off to see the Botanical Gardens. They were very beautiful. This gave us some downtime to think about what we learned over the week, and to make personal goals we wish to achieve because of this experience. We had a final group reflection. It was a very peaceful place to gather thoughts and think about things.
After lunch we had our final presentations depicting what we learned during the week in Mexico. The presentations had to be creative so we did a talk show. All the presentations were very entertaining!
To end the week, we had a closing ceremony Friday evening. We read poems and prayers, sang songs, played games, and expressed our thoughts, hopes, and fears. It was amazing to see how close our group became in one week. It was an emotional night as we looked back on everything we did throughout the week! I am sooooo glad I had this opportunity!!

After the closing ceremony, one of the group leaders took us out salsa dancing. It was so much fun, some of the locals even helped us! :)

A Sense of Self
Help me to find a sense of self
Which makes me glad to be who I am
And yet restless at being anything less than I can become

Make me simple enough
Not to be confused by disappointments

Clear enough
Not to mistake busyness for freedom

Honest enough
Not to except truth to be painless

Brave enough
Not to sing all my songs in private

Compassionate enough
To get in trouble

Humble enough
To admit trouble and seek help

And joyful enough to celebrate all of it.



Striving to Meet the Millennium Goals
Let us join together
with a new sense of global community
a new awareness
of our need for one another
and for this fragile planet,

to meet the clear challenges
of the Millennium Goals,

to bring hope as substantial as bread

to make human dignity
as visible as wheat in the fields.