Environmental Activism in Brazil: Saving our Oceans from Plastic.
Marco Barracchia
March 24, 2019
During the last three months, the NGO I work with launched a new project in southern Brazil: raising awareness on the use of plastic and its effects in the ocean ecosystems. Having been an environmental activist for some time now, I couldn’t be happier to be part of this project, which in the end had...
Read More
Why nature saves me
Marco Barracchia
March 24, 2019
During my gap year (and all my life) I’ve always felt a strong urge to consistently connect with nature. The reason behind is that it helps me grounding, meditating and connecting to the roots of the earth. Listening to the whispering of birds, watching sunsets, swimming in the cold ocean, hiking, canoeing, running, among others,...
Read More
Tupi Guaranì: a history of resistance
Marco Barracchia
March 24, 2019
During my experience in Brazil, I had the pleasure to visit two Tupi-Guarani aboriginal communities. This experience opened a new world to me, and deeply intrigued my curiosity. In homage to this beautiful, resilient, admirable, brave, and extraordinary community I decided to write a blog, completely in Portuguese, describing a bit of my understanding and...
Read MoreA guide for gap yearers
Marco Barracchia
March 22, 2019
I wish I had a booklet in my pre-departure preparation with some advice on practicalities encountered on a gap year. This might be limited to my own (and other fellows experiences), though potentially useful for everyone considering a gap year. 1. Be a curious observer. Curiosity before judgment. Be open to cultural relativity to unlearn...
Read MoreRunning as in Life
Marco Barracchia
March 22, 2019
It’s about the trail, not the destination Few times it happened to me to be seeing run-races here in Brazil, to the extent to which they seem to be a popular thingy. Although it might be something cultural here, I was keen enough to go running for the pleasure of running, instead of racing, and...
Read MoreWhy a gap year?
Marco Barracchia
March 22, 2019
Why a gap year? “Why a gap year?” “Why would you take a gap year and volunteer on the other part of the ocean?” “Why would you volunteer, If you could be paid while working?” Having lived in a UWC in Norway in the last two years of my education, I realized there was a...
Read MoreTwo months in the land of Açaí.
Marco Barracchia
November 10, 2018
And maybe yes, I should have written my blog on a daily basis. That was my plan, initially. A perfect start of my gap year resuming every day what it was like living in a new country, immersing myself into a new context, new language, new people. However, the start of my gap year took...
Read MoreBlog
Marco Barracchia
August 26, 2018
The last two years at UCW have taught me how important it is to strive for the best, to help others, to be the best version I could be. UWC is a place that made me live and feel, and then thrown me into the real world, without a guide on how to go through...
Read More