There are three big topics that come to mind when I think of things that have been a struggle to deal with while here: gossiping, machismo, and alcoholism. This blog is dedicated to the issue of alcoholism. Before coming to Ecuador, of course I knew about alcoholism and that it was an immense and very…

04 April, 2013

Now, I could come up with endless excuses for being months behind in my blogs. But the only one I’m going to use is that I wanted to be able to write about all the holidays in one post, so of course I had to wait until after Carnaval! So now I shall tell you…

02 March, 2013

One of our assignments for Training Block 1 is called A Day in My Life, and we have to take 5-10 pictures that describe our daily life in our community. Here is my selection of photographs of around Puerto Rico to share with you. And although they do say pictures describe a million words, here’s…

26 November, 2012

I can recognize just about everyone in my community of 40 families by face. That said, when someone new comes through, it’s pretty noticeable. So when I was walking down the street yesterday selling raffle tickets for an upcoming fundraiser with some of the younger kids and one of them turned to me and whispered,…

21 November, 2012

Check out a video I put together of my “journey” so far! I’ve been taking footage randomly throughout the trip, and this was my attempt to put it together and try to make it seem pretty. I’m hoping my video editing skills will improve as the year goes on, but I hope you enjoy it!…

02 October, 2012

Reflecting on the past four or so weeks, there’s no denying that they have been some of the longest weeks of my life. That early morning that I waved goodbye to my parents as I walked through airport security feels like worlds away. Since then, so many things have changed. My friends from home are…

17 September, 2012

I come from a family of adventurers, and I have always been one myself. New things thrill me. Taking the path less traveled is the story of my life. I went to a tiny Montessori school through middle school, lived in London during 3rd grade, lived in Panama in 11th grade, and decided to choose…

10 July, 2012