One

               Let me start by saying that July 25th lasted exactly 43 hours for me. I drove through the rainforest, watched the sun set, flew for the next 12 hours, landed in the desert, and watched the sun set again. How cool is that?! On top of that, I developed a sleep schedule (which included three cups of coffee, thank you very much!) to prevent jet lag as much as possible. I'm proud to say that I successfully avoided all forms of jet lag which I consider to be an awesome feat!
               ... And that's how I've been able to get several full nights of sleep in the desert that I'm referencing, which is also known as Las Vegas.
               Is it possible to experience culture shock in your own country? After visiting my sister here for the past four days, I am going to go with a firm YES. Having never been to Sin City before, I was mesmerized.
               Las Vegas is a huge city that literally jumps up from nowhere in the middle of the desert. Three things struck me about this: 1. I knew that it was very hot and dry in Vegas in July, but for some reason, I wasn't expecting the vast amount of dryness everywhere! 2. I kept asking my sister questions like, "Who do you think decided to walk into the middle of the desert, stop, and randomly decide to build a city there?" I'm sorry, but that's so weird to me. WHY ISN'T THERE ANYTHING ELSE AROUND HERE?! 3. The amount of tourists. Let's just say that I saw a lovely dose of shallow Americans, touristy Americans, and annoying Americans in a short amount of time (but I do love my country!).
               FORTUNATELY, my sister doesn't fit into any of the categories as she is incredibly considerate, kind, and loving. She picked me up from the airport, hosted me in her beautiful home, and was basically catering to me during my four day stay here. I complained about my nails being gross, so we got our nails done. I said that I missed Mexican food, so we had tacos. I said that I wanted to go to a show in Vegas, so we went to an AMAZING Cirque show, One, which is set entirely to Michael Jackson music. (Thank you, Mitch! You truly are beautiful on the inside and outside! I had SO much fun hanging out with you and miss you already!)
               Now, I don't mean to sound sappy or anything, but this show was top-notch. The dancers, the performers, the music... It was all amazing. With the addition of Michael Jackson quotes and messages, I found it incredibly inspiring. After all, according to Jon (my sister's boyfriend), the show is called "One" because it shows MJ's desire to have all people, regardless of race, religion, gender, economic status, or nationality, to be treated equally... as one. Not for anything, but I found this to be a perfect message to end an incredibly eye-opening, humbling, and beautiful trip!
               Thank you to everybody who provided encouragement while I was gone in one way or another. I loved receiving your e-mails as they always put a smile on my face and know that your prayers were incredibly encouraging and are much appreciated! I hope that by reading my blog this summer, you were inspired, excited, encouraged, or interested in one way or another. Like I mentioned from the beginning, I love writing. I love telling stories. I love sharing my experiences. I hope that I was able to successfully share many of the things that I had encountered, but know that you'll probably be splashed with many more stories verbally in the near future. :-)
               Over the next couple of weeks before school starts, I'll be putting together a video which compiles all of the projects, adventures, and trips that I've experienced this summer. Although it's primarily a memoir for me, you can expect to see it on here in the near future as I've found (after last year's video) that others appreciated it and found it inspiring, also. Check back sometime soon to see it... and in the meantime, allow me to close with a beautiful Michael Jackson quote which was displayed at One and, somehow, captures everything that I've been trying to say over the past several weeks perfectly.

"In a world filled with hate, we must still dare to hope.
In a world filled with anger, we must still dare to comfort.
In a world filled with despair, we must still dare to dream.
And in a world filled with distrust, we must still dare to believe."

I pray that you hope, comfort, dream, and believe in the coming days, weeks, months, and years. God bless!