Yesterday was a busy day at Santa Margarita, where we poured the foundation for one of the houses. Unfortunately, I got a bunch of the dry cement mix in one of my eyes and was very uncomfortable. I had to throw out my contacts because the cement was fused to it. Luckily, I brought a couple of extra sets. The eye feels much better today, but still feels irritated. The big Mexican Independence Day celebration we went to was very crowded, but still interesting. I think I prefer the local celebration like we went to last year in La Gloria, because it has a more small town feel to the festivities.

After work today we got to visit the families that we worked with during the Tijuana Teen trek I helped with this summer with our St. Louise group. It was wonderful to see Marta and her children Uriel, Roberto, and Lupita again. Unfortunately her husband was working. we weren't able to visit with him as well. I must admit, it was an emotional reunion for me, especially talking with Uriel, who is just a bit younger than the students I teach. I encouraged him to study hard in school, since he is missing some schoolwork in his classes. When he hugged me goodbye it was all I could do not to start crying.

Tomorrow is our last day, and I'm looking forward to taking the experiences I had this week and sharing them with my family, friends, and especially my students. I'll be anticipating my return here next year to continue building my global connections with our friends in Mexico.