Cancun: A Detailed Account

About two weeks ago I set out with a girlfriend to spend a beautiful 9 days and 8 nights in Cancun, Mexico. It was both of our first time visiting and we were excited about our first adventure together!

We were lucky enough to be guests of someone who owned a timeshare at one of the hotels there. It was quite a luxurious experience. We had a balcony with a wonderful view of the Mexican Caribbean ocean and VIP services, which is a wonderful plus hehehe.

So, our first few days we spent them booking tours for the upcoming week and relaxing by the ocean and pool areas. This turned out to be the only time we got to relax because soon after that we were completely booked and full of activity and exploring. I absolutely loved the clear blue water!! It was surprisingly warm! Many people asked why someone from San Diego, with perfect weather, was in Cancun. Well, it's always nice to visit new places! I spent more time in the water abroad than I do back home!

It seems cloudy but it was pretty warm

Our first adventure began an hour away from the hotel. The tour was called Xel Ha and we also got to visit Tulum. We visited Mayan ruins and learned more about their rich culture. I didn't know their history spread all the way down to Belize and Guatemala. Tulum I believe is also the only location that is close to the ocean. The rest of their locations/villages are in the forest. Xel Ha was a bit disappointing at first because the first attractions were not to our liking and this was the highest ranking tour. Soon enough, we found the adventurous attractions which we came to enjoy and made it all worth it.

FUN STORY: If you know me well enough, you know that I am... clumsy, to say the least. Well, somehow while casually floating on the above inner tube, I fell off. I didn't slightly slip, I completely flipped over... inner tube on top of me and everything. While Laura in front of me laughed I was trying to climb back on top. But being soaking wet and that being rubber, it was quite slippery... I think half way through I managed to get back on it. I was quite embarrassed because there was quite the audience behind me.. smh.. That's just me though.. it definitely wasn't the only thing that happened to me.

This "zip lining" experience was fun
 cause we landed in the water

Or maybe it was him.. hehe jk jk JK

Our next adventure, consisted of us wearing some stylish helmets! xD

XPLOR took zip lining to a different level. I had never been zip lining before and expected it to be one zip line across the open forest. Well... it was 14 towers!! It was quite the workout too. We zip lined from one tower to another and there were many stairs to climb up to those towers! I was huffing and puffing but it was very well worth it. The zip lines were amazing though. They were all different lengths and heights and sometimes we rode together and sometimes alone! I had to ride with Laura on one because I wasn't heavy enough hahaha. There were several that finished in the water so of course we finished drenched.

POST VIDEO:

Me: "I'm not driving anymore"

Laura: "No you have to drive. I like it when you drive, it's so much fun"

I have to admit that this was definitely memorable and caused us to laugh over and over as we replayed it but I wouldn't necessarily want to do it again haha.. 

On this trip we also got to visit one of the Modern Seven Wonders of the World, Chichen Itza. I think this was the hottest day of our trip. We saw the platform where they prepared the bodies to be sacrificed. Did you know those sacrificed were between the age of 12-18? And yes, it was a privilege to be sacrificed... Hmmm.. This day was full of Mayan history and street vendors trying to sell their goods. 

Isla Mujeres and visiting sacred Mayan cenotes, underground rivers, were the last of our trip. It was a wonderful and fun end to a busy week. We got to go snorkeling, kayaking, and swimming. We got lots of swimming done. I'm so glad for those life vests which were a huge help to me. That bottom picture was after a 5 meter cliff jump. I can do the zip lining but straight jumping down was too much. I landed wrong too! 

 Thank you, Cancun, for a much needed vacation. Cancun tends to have a "party" reputation but I thank God for his protection while I was there. I wasn't in a situation where I was surrounded by drunk strangers doing crazy things. Maybe for a lot of people it would've been a let down that no college aged people were around to "party it up" but for me it was a blessing. It was a confirmation of God's shield over my life. We were surrounded by many families. We felt out of place traveling on our own because all we saw were people vacationing as a family. But this led to a family friendly and safe environment! :)

SHOUTOUT to the Hansens who were everywhere, literally! They were a ginormous family who we bumped into all over the hotel and even on our tours! Ha ha

 To you who read this, thank you for taking the time to do so! It felt more like an essay, reflecting back on a blissful vacation. It felt good to put it all into words! Adios, hasta pronto!

c l o u d y ~ d a y s

As of lately I've become completely mesmerized by the beauty of the evening skies or the sky in general. Clouds are quite fascinating to look at. We get so busy running around with our lives that we don't take the time to realize the beauty of the little things. These little things add up to make up God's beautiful and majestic creation.
As I'm driving home in the evenings or driving around from one place to another I've began noticing and appreciating the beautiful skies that surround us. Take a look:

Cumolonimbus clouds 

altocumulus clouds

stratocumulus clouds

I'm no expert in clouds; I simply enjoy looking at them and their many forms. I tried matching them with the correct type but of course, there is always a chance of error. I just wanted to take a moment so that we could take a look and appreciate the beauty of fluffy clouds floating up in the sky around us. From one big fat cloud to many tiny ones clumped together, they create beautiful patterns in the sky. Not to mention how they paint the sky as the sun begins to go down. 

*sigh* Now I get my head up in the clouds; time to start daydreaming... hehehe  ♡ 

Let me start off by apologizing for always writing about work. I'm currently not going to school so my life mostly revolves around work and church.

I'm a caregiver for disabled adults and let me just say it's a stressful job! I love what I do but it can really be a challenge. Some days I come home ready to quit. I want to be there because I have a heart for people with special needs and disabilities but sometimes I don't think I have the patience to stay. Working there is a roller coaster of emotions. On a good day you're loving every aspect of it and all is going well, other days you feel so sad because of their situations and on other days you're just ready to run.
What's even more astonishing is the people who work there. I applied at this job because I've always liked being around people with special needs. I think they are very special and unique people. But I've come to realize that not everybody has the same heart and is here for the same reason. Not everybody has the same level of patience or tolerance for their behaviors. And this is where it gets sad. I once heard someone say "what a waste of a life" when referring to one of our clients. I think I nearly died inside. How could you say something so harsh? So mean, so insensitive! Yes, they can be hard to deal with and they can drive me crazy and give me headaches but that gives us NO right to say something so harsh. I was literally at a loss for words.

What makes us so great to determine who is worthy to live or not? They didn't choose to be disabled. Some of their stories are sad. Not everyone who is disabled was born this way. Some have sad pasts that led to their current situation and some were born this way. One doesn't determine how they are born. You can't decide who is a waste of a life or not. People who are "normal" can live such disastrous lives; it would be suitable to say "what a waste of a life" to them because they are capable to reason and make decisions on their own. Those with special needs are just like kids, innocent. You can't reason with them; they don't understand.

"Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. Then he said, 'I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven'" - Matthew 18:2-4

Smokers

Background:

I've never been fond of smokers. I've always detested the smell and it's been one of the things that bothers me A LOT about people.
I don't like the smoke in my face.
I don't want second hand smoke.
I don't like the smell.
I don't understand the why.
Why would you risk getting lung cancer?
Why?
I told myself I would never marry a smoker. Smoking was a definite deal breaker.

Korea:

Notice the past tense sentences used above... I was in Korea last spring and guess what?! A grand majority of people smoke!! Smokers everywhere! Cafes would even have smoking areas! At first I was completely annoyed and bothered by this. People would be walking in front of you, behind you, next to you, past you, all while smoking. I would have smoke coming at me left and right. I spent a lot of time being annoyed by this because people had no sense of "courtesy" in the sense of blowing smoke your way. I put quotations on that because I'm pretty sure it was a culture thing. (Like a lot of things were). However, things turned around when one of my classmates who I spent a lot of time with outside of class, turned out to be a smoker.  He didn't have the "smoker aroma" on him and he was pleasant to be around with. I would've never guessed he was a smoker if it wasn't for the fact that he carried a box of cigarettes with him whenever we hung out. Sometimes we would be walking together as he smoked. Sure I would ask him not to smoke around me but I also became tolerable of it.
It wasn't such a detestable thing anymore.
I didn't need to pretend I was dying when smoke was blown my way.
I realized it was possible to like smokers.
It was possible to spend good quality time with them too.
No, I wasn't convinced to smoke myself but I could be around people who smoke with a pleasant attitude.

Smoking in the Workplace:

All was dandy with my relationship with smokers until I started working... Smoking is allowed where I work which means that those who smoke.. smoke. And smoke they do! If you want to smoke by all means go ahead. It started going downhill when people constantly need to go on a "smoke break" and it becomes social hour for the smokers. Meanwhile those who don't smoke continue working without that break. It might be silly or whatever but it can also be annoying. I don't know maybe I'm just rambling but these are simply my thoughts.

Now:

Now I have no general category for smokers. I've experienced the good and the bad. I have nothing else to say except I won't judge you but I'll be quietly annoyed haha.. just kidding. Everyone has small battles to face daily and I guess this might be one of mine. Learning to work with all sorts of people and loving them anyways.

Have a good day!! :)

Psychology in the Workplace

Work can be very stressful, especially when we are understaffed. I was so happy the other day because we had extra staff during my shift. I thought to myself that because we had so many I would get a break and that the work would be divided among all of us so that it was quicker. Unfortunately, that was not the case. I've realized that the more staff we have, the less we get done. :( I was quite upset because I still ended up doing the same amount of work and it actually took longer. When we get more staff there is more talking amongst ourselves and we also tend to go off of each other's energy or in this case lack of. hehe... As I thought about this I remembered there is actually a psychological term for it. This is called social loafing. Google defines it as the phenomenon of people exerting less effort to achieve a goal when they work in a group than when they work alone.

The sad reality is that the more staff on shift, the less productive we will be. But on the bright side, the more the merrier right? Well I guess it depends on the staff member but it's still nice haha..

So there you have it... psychology in the workplace... social loafing. 

Staying Alive in Korea

I think it’s important to give some background info before beginning: I’M CLUMSY.

With that said, my goal in Korea is to remain alive, seriously! Since I’ve gotten here everyday is a struggle not to get run over by the many motorcyclists or moped drivers that cross the street with you and brush by you millimeters away. They zoom by without even looking back. It is your duty to make sure to move out of their way as they push their way through. If that wasn’t a danger enough, red lights, a suggestion to stop. The number of people who run red lights is astonishing. It’s not just one rebel driver but one after another after another. When they say look twice before crossing, you better! The green pedestrian sign may have turned out but it’s not safe to cross yet.. by any means! And if you think you’re gonna cross the street before it turns red, dont! It’s better to wait. I thought I could run across because it was still blinking but cars take that as the majority have crossed I can now run the red light. So yes I have stopped dead in my tracks infront of a couple cars!

However, traffic hasn’t been the only thing taunting to take my life. I’m just accident prone and very distracted. I’ll be wandering gazing up at the sky, lost in thought as my friends pull me aside from an oncoming motorcyclist. Well, I guess that counts as traffic too  but if I’m not bumping into things I’m tripping by own shoes. Literally.!

I went hiking over the long weekend, which is the only holiday we get during the semester, and well let me tell you I thought I wouldn’t see home again. I was literally hiking with my hands and feet. I thought that going hiking meant bringing a lot of water and so I had three water bottles on me as well as my iPad for picture taking all adding up to a heavy backpack. At one point I was standing on the edge, lost my balance, and fell over. I kept sliding downwards and ended up stopping at a very dangerous edge. I scratched up my hands which resulted in me not being able to hold on to rocks and trees with my right hand because it stung. The higher we got up, the more frightened I became because if I fell this time I really wouldn’t be leaving the mountain. I’m glad to say I made it safely to and from and the view was gorgeous.

On a different occasion my friend asked me to go bike riding. (My past history with bike riding involves almost getting run over and a scar on my palm.) So my response was I know how to ride a bicycle but I wouldn’t say I’m the best bike rider. She looks at me confused and says, what do you mean? Well, I don’t have the best experience or much experience bike riding. I learned how to do it but that’s about it. But I’m still up for it. That’s the problem, I’m always “up for it” but it never results pleasantly. So we went bike riding and of course me being short I couldn’t reach the floor while the bike seat was at its lowest. So I was up to a rough and zig zag start and my friend just looks at me with the most worried expression on her face. We rode past signs that warned not to fall in to the river with your bicycle. Well lucky for me we didn’t take the route closest to the river (or else that would’ve been me) but upon returning on what seemed like a successful bike ride I was having trouble stopping and I couldn’t really reach the floor to stop it with my feet and well the bike suddenly became heavier and next thing you know we’re both sideways. 

I think this gives a good explanation as to why my goal has become to stay alive in Korea. I absolutely love it here and there is so much to do and explore but somehow I always end up in the danger zone. I think I have gotten used to it so it’s become my normal. I’m always up for the adventure and well it leads to fun stories to tell. I just hope I live to tell them.

My Kind of Man

" The sign of a real man is not that he can lift heavy weights, fix things around the house, or command respect. The sign of a real man is one who models the greatest man this world has ever seen- Jesus Christ, both the Son of Man and Son of God. "

I saw this and I couldn't agree more. I want one of these :D