Mexico: Day 8

Our eight and final full day of the Mexico GPS trip was incredibly emotional for all of us. In the morning, we had the Love Without Borders Program, where Culver traveled to a school and gave each child a backpack filled with supplies and snacks. They preformed the most adorable dance for us, and we were able to try all kinds of food.

After, we had the goodbye ceremony, where the students, adults, drivers and police man were thanked for their contributions, and we all got pictures with the families.

We are so sad to be leaving, but incredibly happy to have had this experience.

Mexico: Day 7

Today we only had a half day on construction, where we worked on building our houses for two hours, and than went to see a stove installed in a residents house.

Many families in Mexico use open fire cooking, which poses many health risks to people, especially women and children, as well as damages the environment. So, we worked with a company that gives more efficient, clean and safe stove to families, run by a former Culver Military Academy student.

After that, we visited a house that was built last year, and were able to see the future results of our own houses this year. It was an incredibly rewarding experience, and really went to show just how valuable our work has been.

Mexico: Day 6

For the sixth day, we had the our usual four hours of work time morning, where the teams made significant progress on our houses.

The afternoon was less eventful, which was a gave us plenty of time to relax by the pool and on the beach. A couple hours before dinner, the GPS trip, we all went shopping down the strip by our hotel, and we’re able to buy clothes and souvenirs.

At dinner, we celebrated Ryan’s birthday, and learned he is actually a skilled magician. He preformed an amazing trick Sith a life savor candy, and we are all still puzzled as to how he managed to make it levitate.

Mexico: Day 5

After a day off from working at a secluded beach, the GPS group made a trip to a local candy store.

There were so many options, such as beer pops, pulparindos, takis, gummies, chocolate and hard candies. We bought delicious snacks for both ourselves, and the school children for the Love Without Borders program on Friday.

While the fruits are vegetables are wonderful in Mexico, so is the junk food.

Mexico: Day 4

After lunch, when the construction teams had finished the day’s work on the houses for our families, we all visited a market.

There were so many things being sold, such as dresses, pull overs, jewelry, t shirts and wallets. In addition, venders sold little statues, from little frogs to mermaids, that were absolutely adorable.

We were able to explore the market for about an hour and a half, before returning to the hotel. Overall, is was a super cool experience.

Mexico: Day 3

The third morning of our trip started the same as the second, as we got up, gathered in our teams, and headed to the work site. We worked on building the houses for our families for about four hours, before finishing up, and meeting back for lunch at the hotel. Our families made us food on the site, which was delicious!

In the evening, the team visited a local turtle sanctuary, which was an absolutely amazing experience. Unfortunately, baby sea turtles are often poached before they even hatch, and their mother’s killed. The sanctuary we visited works to protect the eggs, as well as the adult turtles when they return to the beach to have their own children.

The GPS team each named our own turtles, who were completely adorable, and watched as they crawled from the top of the beach to the ocean below. It was a struggle for the turtles, who had just hatched that day, but a beautiful sight.

Sadly, not all the baby turtles made it, as the birds flying above were not as scared of us as we had hoped. Fortunately, many babies survived the crawl across the sand, and we did what we could to protect them.

Mexico: Day 2

The Mexico GPS trip had our official welcome ceremony, where we were able to meet the families we will be building houses for, as well as their many adorable pets.

We spent the morning working on the houses, where the five teams mixed cement, carted bricks and finished the first few layers of the house’s walls. While it was rewarding to see what we accomplished, the work was fairly exhausting, and the hot sun did not help much.

However, after, we were able to eat lunch at the delicious restaurant across the street from our hotel, and spent the afternoon relaxing. This meant swimming in the pool, playing volleyball by the beach, shopping and getting tan.

All in all, the second day was defiantly a success.

Mexico: Day 1

Nothing prevents a good nights sleep like two plane flights and two bus rides from the USA to Mexico. However, nothing felt better than when the GPS team made it to our destination.

After over sixteen, excruciating hours of traveling, the Mexico trip finally arrived in Puerto Escondido! We are so happy to finally be here and incredibly excited for the days and experiences that are to come.

The hotel is beautiful, and having finally escaped the freezing Indiana weather, we were able to swim in the pool and go on a long walk by the beach.

We are all looking forward to the rest of this trip!

Day 3

Today was the live without boarders day, where we visited the school and gave each child a backpack. We were able to spend time with the families and play with the children, from dancing, playing with hooks hoops, to making a conga line. The kids even preformed a rehearsed dance for us. The GPS students very quickly bonded with the children, and were able to get to know many of them more personally.

In the afternoon, we were able to release newly hatched turtles into the ocean and a turtle sanctuary. Fortunately, every single baby turtle made it across the beach and to the water without being eaten by a bird, unlike some unfortunate turtles last year.

Day 7

Sadly, today was the last full day of the Mexico GPS trip. The teams were able to visit two houses that were built the previous year during spring break. In addition, we spent the afternoon at the closing ceremony, where the teams and their families took pictures, are delicious food, played with the kids, and finally, said goodbye. It was a wonderful way to end this trip on a positive note and allowed us to enjoy time with our families outside of the construction sites. Overall, this has been an amazing experience for everyone involved.