Today, I discovered that there is mold growing on my shoes. Yes, that's right, mold. My fuzzy friend was able to take up residence on my poor shoes thanks to the non-stop rain we've had in Oaxaca since my first night here. I never thought I would use an umbrella - I am much too cool for that, and besides, I've managed just fine the past few years in Tacoma with just my rain jacket. So didn't think twice before ignoring "umbrella" on the packing list my school sent me before coming here. Now, I very much regret that decision. I have hit up several stores trying to buy one, but everywhere I've gone has been sold out. No wonder, since it has been seriously raining everywhere in Mexico for weeks - I'm not the only one in need of an umbrella. And when I say rain, I mean real rain, not the drizzly stuff in Tacoma. There has been massive flooding throughout southern Mexico because of recent tropical storms. It has caused major rivers to overflow, and now entire cities have been evacuated. The images I see on the news every day are horrifying - buildings submerged, people wading neck deep through the water, landslides from all the erosion. Thankfully, the nearest flooded area is still a few hours away from where I am, and we don't have much need to worry since we're up in the mountains. I guess I'm pretty lucky that all I have to worry about are moldy shoes.

On the brighter side of life, I just finished packing for our week-long group study trip to Mexico City. We leave tomorrow morning after classes finish (thank goodness for the last day of intensivo!) for a six hour bus ride do the DF. We're going with a group called Witness for Peace, a politically independent grassroots organization committed to peace, justice, and sustainable development in the Americas. While exploring the city (the third largest in the world, by the way), we'll be talking and learning about globalization and the economic relations between the US and Mexico, and what that has meant for human rights here. It is sure to be very informative and thought provoking. For our last two days, we are headed to the state of Puebla, where we will celebrate Mexico's 200th Independence Day! I'm not sure what exactly the celebrations will entail, but I am super excited to find out. I picked quite the year to visit - November also marks the 100th anniversary of the Mexican Revolution.