Hello, my name is Maria, and I am a third-year nursing major. This is my second ABST trip, but it is my first time serving as a leader. I am leading the trip to Mérida, Mexico. I will be briefly discussing our travel day experience, as well as our first full day exploring central Mérida. On Saturday, we traveled by bus from Gannon to Buffalo. From there, we flew from Buffalo to Dallas, Texas, and then took our final flight from Dallas to Mérida. Once we arrived in Mérida, we went through customs and then were greeted by members of the Mission of Friendship. After settling into Casa Blanca, where we are staying during our trip, we went to Walmart to get groceries for the week. Later that evening, we walked to dinner at Jardín Yucateco. We then did reflection and headed to bed. 

Today was our first full day in Mérida, and some of us got an early wake-up call from the roosters next door. We started our morning with breakfast at the house and then went to Mass at the Cathedral. Following Mass, we spent some time walking around the central area, exploring different shops and admiring local paintings. For lunch, we went to La Chaya Maya then after we continued exploring for a bit longer before heading back to Casa Blanca to relax for the evening. When we got back, a few of us played board games together. Later that evening, we made chicken and rice for dinner at the house. Finally, we ended the day with reflection.