What would you do with a year?

A few short months ago I arrived back to the States after spending 8 months in Ecuador during my Global Citizen Year. In this short movie I have incorporated footage and photographs from the time I spent in Ecuador. The video highlights the main components and…

01 August, 2011

The Family Impact

Almost four months ago I moved in with my current host family after having to change from the first family I was originally placed with. The switch was a result of a series of miscommunications and some complex issues that escalated over the two months…

26 April, 2011

Seeing a Different Side

During the recent holiday, Carnaval, I traveled with my host family to visit our grandparents for the weekend in Carchi, which is the most northern province of Ecuador before Colombia. My host mother’s parents live in a small community called “Sixal” that has a population…

08 April, 2011

A day in the life of the Aula Móvil

Here is a short video I made to show you what a normal day is like with the Aula Móvil – a part of my GCY apprenticeship.

08 April, 2011

Aspects of Education in Ecuador

I now see in a new light what a responsibility it is to teach.

14 March, 2011

Reigniting La Casa de la Juventud

“La Casa de la Juventud” or The Youth House is a youth group in Ibarra city that was started ten years ago to provide a program focused on leadership, human rights and youth development. It was founded with financial help from the city that paid…

25 February, 2011

Finding a Balance

When I arrived in Ibarra and began my apprenticeship, the first month and a half I felt like I had very little “to do,” no structure in my days. Needless to say, I spent lots of time feeling unproductive and useless. Three months later, I’m…

28 January, 2011

Sowing Dreams in Rural Ecuador

Most exciting and fulfilling project so far: teaching outside of the city in the “campos,” or rural communities.

13 January, 2011

La Caminata al Quinche

La Caminata al Quinche, or the ‘hike to Quinche’ is a yearly tradition through the Roman Catholic church in which hundreds of thousands of people from Ecuador and all around the world travel to a region in Ecuador to participate in an all-night pilgrimage to…

03 December, 2010

¨Holy Toledo!¨

I´m working in the communications office with one of my advisors on the upstairs of the cultural center I volunteer at, when three women who are friends of my advisor enter and sit down. After my advisor introduces us, one of the women faces me…

19 November, 2010

The Next Step

After finishing the first month in Quito, I said farewell to my wonderful first host family, and prepared for the next step. I have been placed in Ibarra for the next six months to begin my apprenticeship. Ibarra is a small, four-hundred year old city…

10 November, 2010

A few more bus stories…

There’s something about riding the public transportation bus system every day that has really intrigued me. What’s most interesting about the bus is the make-up of the people on it. There are women in indigenous clothing selling their goods, men in full suits and ties, six year-old girls…

29 October, 2010

First Month Findings

The past few weeks I have found myself doing lots of observing, listening, and gradually beginning to interact more with the locals as I gain more confidence in my language abilities. However, the more comfortable I feel here, the more I want to say. Then…

29 October, 2010

Bienvenidos a Quito!

Welcome to Quito. A bustling city packed with hard working people who have no time to waste. It’s a beautiful city with exotic colored buildings and houses, surrounded by rolling hills that give way to snow-covered Mt. Cotopaxi and the world’s tallest active volcano, Chimborazo….

08 October, 2010

Flight Write

I am on the final flight of the day from Atlanta to Quito. No matter how many times I tell myself I’m going to spend the next seven months in Ecuador it’s still surreal. When I boarded the plane I quickly realized my skin and…

04 October, 2010

Introduction

I was born and raised in Lexington, Massachusetts, and recently graduated from Lexington High School. I love music, basketball, the outdoors, and people. I decided I wanted to take a bridge year before college when I was applying to schools and I didn’t know exactly…

21 September, 2010