[vc_video link=’https://youtu.be/tFXTISY-stw’]

13 March, 2017

Joining a family was never going to be easy. I have had a million ups and downs in the process and endless worries about if I am doing the experience well enough. Now we’re in my last month and I am faced with a startling realization – I’ve done it. These people are my family…

08 March, 2017

In my house there is one mirror. It is hung at a height which gives me a brilliant view of my torso and maybe even a bit of upper thigh. It is located in my small bathroom that, much to my dismay when I have to go to the bathroom at night, does not have…

23 February, 2017

I’ve finally made it to December. I always thought the time here would go much slower than it has. While the days can sometimes feel like they last an eternity, the weeks here fly by. I live in a community outside of the small town of Cotacachi. My family is indigenous and everyone is fluent…

06 December, 2016

I come from an urban environment, but as a city, San Francisco seems to pale in comparison to Quito. At home, you could drop me on any street and I could figure out where I was. With only 49 square miles and 18 years to learn them, my small city seemed to grow exponentially smaller…

13 September, 2016

Whenever I think of Ecuador in the abstract, it feels manageable. I am excited by the idea of it and while I can foresee challenges, none are so large that I will be unable to tackle them. However, when Ecuador leaves the abstraction of thought and enters the reality through packing, it is as if…

27 August, 2016