Dear Readers, Family, and Friends, Thank you for welcoming me back with open arms. Thank you for asking about my year and for listening to me excitedly explain my adventures in 30 seconds or for some of you as long as 4 hours. Thank you…

06 June, 2018

Mis estudiantes chistosos, locos, amables, risueños, divertidos, pacientes, y sonrientes,             Estos siete meses han sido… No puedo creer que hace siete meses yo estaba parada, nerviosa, en frente de sus salas alistándome a presentarme por primera vez con ustedes.            …

31 March, 2018

Welcome to Carnaval! My host family began counting down the days  in October. Every time we wash our clothes (by hand in the cement sink), someone in my family would throw water on me and scream “Carnaval”.  I honestly dreaded it and I thought I…

27 February, 2018

When I came to Ecuador, I came with the preconceived notion that platano meant banana in all Spanish-speaking countries.  I did not realize a simple fruit’s name could change based on the country you are in. I assumed platano was a universal word in Spanish….

06 December, 2017

1. The School Bell The school bell here is like a bomb siren from a WWII movie.  Every 40 minutes, the deafening alarm wails across campus from numerous megaphones.  The siren is not for the students.  The teachers leave and rotate to their next classroom. …

28 October, 2017

From Friday, September 22, 2017…   I can now say I have been to the largest market in the region of Azuay: Feria Libre. It’s where bulk produce, fish, and meat are sold, like Costco on steroids.  Visualize shopping on a football field packed with…

27 September, 2017

Welcome to my first blog post! I leave today on the first of many post-high school adventures.  I will be living at Stanford for the next 6 days attending the Global Citizen Pre-Departure Training. In one week, I fly to Quito and will be living…

27 August, 2017