The Three Introductions, A Capstone Project.
My capstone project was inspired by the personal bio I wrote for Global Citizen Year before program launch. Before I knew anything about brigadero, CaraKura, Ratones, Caroline & Carlos, and far before Ticen, Tisan, Tican, Titri, Tilag, and the forgotten Tirio. My bio reads that I enjoy good friends, the great outdoors, and amazing food. All…
04 June, 2018
AMAZING FOOD – AN INTRODUCTION PT. 3
Like I said, I eat beans and rice everyday. I love it. I could do it forever. My body, however, cannot. Eight months and fifteen pounds later, I will soon be returning to my Utah home. A home full of crisp apples, baby carrots, cold water, peaches, celery, fishy crackers, and fruit snacks. All things I…
03 April, 2018
The Great Outdoors – An Introduction Pt.2
Hello, my names Kara (Or Carol if that’s easier.) I live on a small island (Florianopolis) in the south of Brazil. It’s only 33 miles long, yet it still takes about 3.5 hours to drive from top to bottom. Don’t even ask me how long it’d take with a bus, I tried it once and it was…
30 March, 2018
Good Friends, The Great Outdoors, and Amazing Food – an Introduction. Pt.1
If you read my official profile on the Global Citizen website you’ll see the line “She [Kara] enjoys good friends, the great outdoors, and amazing food.” Seven months later this statement still stands true, but if I could just change it a bit. “Hello, I am Kara Esplin. I have made incredible friends. I live in a the…
16 March, 2018
Is it Safe?
One of the most frequent questions I get about living in Brazil is that of safety. Though Florianopolis is one of the safest places in Brazil, with some of the lowest crime rates, I have done quite a bit of traveling through Sao Paulo (Brazils mega city) and Rio de Janeiro. And my consensus is, YES!…
03 March, 2018
Where I am From, Where I am Going.
  Yesterday during our first Regional Reconnect our Team Leader, Belkis, lead us in an interesting exercise. Our task was to write a poem. A poem about where we come from. She provided a few guidelines and told us to pull inspiration from foods, sights, sounds, smells, sayings, and people from our past.     Belkis brought up the…
09 November, 2017
Fé
Today I learned the word Fé. Today Fé meant getting on a bus, hoping it was going to the right place, kind of knowing it wasn't, but REALLY hoping it was. Fé meant looking out the window at the terminal I needed to get off at, but the one my bus wasn't stopping at- but Fé meant knowing I'd get there… eventually. (Even if that Fé…
16 October, 2017
Taking Note: SEEN, FELT, DONE…
  It's been a month now since I've left my cozy home tucked in the mouth of the Ogden canyon. At times I find myself reflecting on my year abroad in Germany, and slipping into a mindset of "Oh- I've experienced this before. I've lived with a host family before, I've struggled with a…
02 October, 2017
Expectations vs Reality
 Amidst the rush to obtain our visas, packing, and say our goodbyes to family and friends, there is a mix of mystery and anticipation in the air. Our cohort group chat is bustling with questions, advice, speculations, and the occasional funny video from Trevor. With only a few weeks until departure, this is a time of reflection. Many of…
15 August, 2017
