I’ll miss 25 cent bus rides and the overplayed latin bachata filling the ears of every passenger as the chofer swerves on dusty dirt roads up Andean slopes. I’ll miss being able to hail down any camioneta and hitch a free ride on the back. I’ll miss the lack of WiFi. I’ll miss being reminded…

11 April, 2014

When I was about six or seven, I was always reminded of how lucky I was to live in a developed country by a small photo tacked on the fridge. It was of two little boys from the Dominican Republic, with a background of the typical falling down, crumbling painted school as they stood in…

07 March, 2014

I was teaching the months in English to my students, and I thought I would incorporate each of their birthdays to make it slightly more fun. With all of the months translated on the white board, I explained the activity and received smiling faces, a sign of approval – so I thought. Without hesitation, I…

03 February, 2014

A glimpse into my life in Guamote, Chimborazo, Ecuador! Espero que le guste (:

30 December, 2013

Almost two months ago, every Fellow had to make a vision statement about the upcoming seven months. One of my goals was to learn not to worry about going to bed with dirty feet. And while I do prefer to sleep with clean feet, I am happy to say that I have gotten much more comfortable living with…

13 November, 2013

Every morning I wake up to the sound of dogs barking. Then I hear the blender. After that, there is a light rap on the accordion-like door of my converted office bedroom. My name echoes louder and louder until I realize that my host dad is about to barge in if I don’t make some…

02 October, 2013

When I tell people I’m taking a gap year, or bridge year, instead of going straight to college, there are two types of responses I receive. Some people bombard me with questions; others give me a blank stare, not sure what taking a gap year really means. People often ask, “Why don’t you want to…

17 July, 2013