My descanso started off on a rather sobering note given that final conversation Thursday night, but I still had a good time. Friday was filled with shopping: I bought a new dress for the wedding and stocked up on some more pirated DVDs. (I was made for this country; movies are so cheap, about 70 cents each cheap, and I can easily fulfill my addiction.) That night, the other volunteers and I headed out on the town. I was pretty tired so I called it a night before most of the others.
Saturday! Saturday was awesome. Our previous volunteer coordinator (who also has about ten other jobs with NPH and was a volunteer herself) got married and we were all invited to attend! Most of us enthusiastically responded and so Dan, Teresa, Andrew, Monika, Jeremy, Wesleigh, and I all trooped to Tepotzlan that day to join in the festivities. It was such a gorgeous wedding! The bride was American and the groom Mexican so the wedding was a really neat composite of the two traditions. The ceremony itself was held in a tiny chapel in the middle of town and was done in both English and Spanish.
The bride being escorted in by her father. The aisle was filled with petals. A deep purple was the accent color for the flowers and bridesmaids dresses which you can see in Daniela's bouquet.
The bride being handed off. Daniela's dress was beautiful and she looked so happy!
The reception was held at a great location at the base of the mountains surrounding Tepotzlan. Tepotzlan is famous for the Mayan temple located at the top of these mountains which visitors can hike up to see. (I tried to visit early in my time here.) We were constantly impressed by the dramatic landscape. Once again, the festivities were a great combo of Mexican and American traditions. Open bar, father/daughter dance, chinelo dance, maid of honor speech in English, best man speech in Spanish, mix of Spanish and English music, Mexican food, etc. Bottom line, a great time!
Monika, me, and Wesleigh trying to give you an idea of what we were seeing.
The reception eating area. Again, the deep purple accents. The volunteers all had a table together.
The happy couple driving up to the party. Nice car right? (I included this picture for you, Dad. Like? ;-)
The upper tier of the reception site. A second bar was up here a long with cocktail tables.
Me, Teresa, Monika, and Wesleigh at our table. It was the first time we all had a day of descanso together since coming to Miacatlan. Our table was strategically located right next to the dessert table. Thank you Daniela!
We had a great time. Like I said above, it was the first time all the volunteers had the same day off (in honor of the wedding) and it was great to just hang out and have fun with everyone away from Miacatlan. Because of Daniela's history with NPH, there were a lot of ex-volunteers there who we got to meet and talk with (notably Tommy again and Ryan Highland who was here for four years) as well as some of the staff from the house. We stuffed ourselves with great food, enjoyed good drinks, and danced the night away. It was a literal ten hour party! Thankfully, we found rides back to Cuernavaca and so were able to stay in the volunteer housing that night as opposed to finding a room in Tepotzlan. Sunday was mostly spent sleeping. I felt so privileged to have been a part of the celebration and had so much fun! Such a gorgeous wedding in every way possible.
