In January of this year, I departed Ashland, Oregon to live and work in Akumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico. I had two main objectives. First, I wanted to improve my Spanish language skills through long-term immersion. Second, I wanted to work with local research groups to better understand the impacts of a major environmental problem in the region. In late June, my colleague, Leslie Eldridge, arrived with 14 outstanding SOU students to learn more about the culture and environment of the Yucatan region of Mexico.