07/27/2024, 07/28/2024: Saturday was a very relaxed and low-key day. I did my laundry, did Bible study, went for a walk at the gym, called my sister, played volleyball with some friends, ate lunch and supper, and watched a movie. I like to always take one weekend day to relax and do nothing so this was perfect. I also visited the grocery store to get some things for my room. On Sunday, I woke up and ate breakfast while doing my Bible study. At 10:00 AM my worker and his wife picked me up to visit Acolman. It is a town that is relatively close to Texcoco. We went to visit the monastery which was so old and beautiful. One of my favorite parts of traveling is getting to see old architecture and churches so this was perfect. We spent about an hour in there and walked through a street market. I bought a tortilla holder for my mom and we sampled some meats and cheeses from an artesian vendor. I bought some different types of cheeses and ham for my room and then we walked through the rest of the market to see what people were selling. Afterwards, we went to a restaurant in the area to get lunch/dinner. I tried Milanese for the first time and it was so good, It is like a breaded chicken filet with a salad on the side and rice and beans. I also had soup with pumpkin plant flowers and cheese. I love that in Mexico you order soup before your actual meal. Before heading back to CIMMYT, we stopped at OXXO which is a gas station here in Mexico. I bought some Marzapans de la Rosa and some other Mexican snacks that they thought I should try. When I got back to CIMMYT, I went for a walk and watched a movie before heading to bed. I'm so glad that I got a chance to explore another town in Mexico and try new foods!

07/29/2024, 07/30/2024, 07/31/2024: These three days instead of working in the Genebank, I worked in the Seed Health Labs. I wanted to see what it was like and what their processes for ensuring seed quality and health looked like. Studying agronomy, I think that detection of pathogens and disease is incredibly interesting...[CONTINUE READING]