Hola mis amigos!

Hello everyone!

I`m so glad i am finally able to have access to the internet for once in Mexico.
I don`t have much time so, i just want you all to know that i am having an unbelievable time.
I am in Cabo San Lucas right now and we leave for Tepic tomorrow. The most important thing i would like to say is that i really can see my cast as Cast B now. We have really helped so many people, the communities we are in, and each other these past couple of weeks. I feel so great about everything. Our show has definitely improved. Happy Birthday Lexi by the way! She`s 18 today. Also, my host sister Johanna is turning 17 tomorrow!
Thats all for now! Thanks mom for helping me out with blogging.
:) It´s hard when i don´t have the internet!
love you all!
kelly

Viva la Gente

Hi, this is Carol-Kelly's mom. I spoke with Kelly on the phone this morning. She is currently unable to blog due to the unavailability of the internet. I promised her that I would post for her. All of the crew are in La Paz on the Baja peninsula in Mexico, Kelly arrived on Monday night. When she called me she said that she was looking out over the pool at the very, very blue water of the Gulf of California. She is staying in a house with four other American girls from AZ, WI, TX & MN. Her host mother is Maggie and she speaks only Spanish.

For her regional learning this week, she visited among other things a cathedral, a gorgeous beach and went jet skiing. She really enjoyed her first community impact in La Paz which was visiting a nursing home. They sang with the residents and she had to communicate entirely in Spanish.

Today they worked with Mobilize Mankind which is a small non-profit organization dedicated to assisting children with physical challenges and limited resources access their environments by recycling used children's orthopedic equipment and assistive technology.

She also did a mini-promo show with 20 cast members on the beach. She said that Viva la Gente is very popular in Mexico and they are treated like rock stars. They even get to sign autographs. Kelly is finding it very challenging but also exciting, communicating in Spanish. She said that her head hurts at night from all of the concentration. She is however, going to attempt to greatly improve her conversational Spanish by the end of her 6 weeks in Mexico.

Their next show is Saturday night and their next stop is Cabo San Lucas on the tip of the peninsula. Perhaps she will have access to the web while she is there. Thanks for keeping up with her.

Breckenridge

is BEAUTIFUL and my host family is so sweet!
That's all i'm writing for now though because it's 1am
and we have our first show on the road tomorrow.
:]



Aly, Neele, Me, Anne Marie, Charlie


Lake Dillon

Dress Rehearsal

Last night was our very first dress rehearsal. It went incredible. I had so much fun and I'm glad to know that this is only the begging of our shows and we have many more to come. Before the show the staff did something very special for us and they call it the greenroom. I honestly don't think i have ever had that much fun in my entire life. All of the cast got to run into this room through two lines of the staff and there were streamers and balloons everywhere. Basically this room is for us to get pumped for the show. We played this one game that was ridiculous but so exciting. Up With People has this one tradition where one person writes in a notebook their feelings about another cast mate and passes it on. The book is suppose to be passed on throughout the whole semester. Matt said some very nice words about Gwen and she was so happy to get this. She really is a special girl and i don't know what i would do without her. She had taught me so much this past month. Living with her has been amazing and i wouldn't trade my time i have had with her with anyone else. She has also helped me out so much and i have learned things from her i wouldn't be able to learn from anyone else. Also Kady and Matthew sang this beautiful song that they wrote for Cast B. It was so special. We also got to close our eyes and think back to before UWP and picture ourselves just getting on the plane to come here, our reactions when we got here, who we first talked to, etc. It's amazing how far we have already come and how it's been a month that i have known everyone. I have realized how special every single one of my cast mates are and how they are all my family now. I have everything right in front of me. I have so many opportunities and things to learn the next less than five months. I have had an amazing time in Denver and i will miss it greatly. I have had such an incredible time getting to know my host family. They are seriously like my 2nd family. I feel so lucky to have gotten to stay with them for this month. We leave tomorrow for Breckenridge. I will be taking so much away that i have learned from the Duin family. I really love them and they are very special to me. I will never forget them and they will always be in my heart. As sappy as that sounds, it's very true. But I'm very ready to move on to another place, new sites, new families, i am a little sad about leaving my family here though. But i will be back so i will just be saying a simple "see you later," not a goodbye. I will continue this later, but right now I'm going to spend my last hours in Denver with Brad, Laura, Grant, Gwen and Reese
Also here are 2 pictures from the show last night :]

Community impact

This is a picture of the weed pulling group from our community impact day last week. I am kind of late with this but staging has been VERY busy since our first show is Saturday. Anyway for our CI project we worked for the Coalition for the Upper South Platte. This is a group that improves the area in Colorado that was burned by the Hayman Wildfire in 02'. Each group had something different to work on. My was the group that pulled weeds out, which helps clear the land so trees can be planted and not taken over by this weed. I don't remember the name of it, but it was poisonous and i got a very bad allergic reaction from it. This day was very successful though. I really liked the experience. It was our first CI project together. I loved seeing all the teamwork throughout the day.

exhausted

I went camping last night and it was incredible. I'm extremely tired though and have to wake up early tomorrow. I just wanted to leave a quick note that i love Cast B 2008 and that we are really coming together with our show. It's going to be beyond amazing.
Also, mom, i know you are reading this, so i just wanted to say thank you for being such a big part of my life. I honestly don't know what i would do without you.
i love you mom! I will write more later though because i haven't in a while. I have just been extremely busy. We are leaving Denver in a week and our first show is Saturday! ahhh
goodnight!