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Pooja Thekdi

Pooja is passionate arts, religion, and the outdoors. She loves to be active and goes hiking and mountain biking frequently. She is involved in her local tennis club, volunteers at her church, and is involved in community programs such as Habitat for Humanity and the local food pantry. During high school, she was a lead member in her school choir and spends much of her free time singing and playing piano. Her goals for the year include being immersed in Brazilian culture while become well versed in Portuguese, developing more leadership skills through service and community involvement, and building relationships with new people.

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Breathing It All In

Pooja Thekdi

2015-07-17

I began this journey a little bit lost. Back in August, after a week of dipping my toes into the unknown but alluring waters ofdevelopment, social service and the how bouts of making a lastingimpact, I had already found myself on a new pace. Pre Departure Training had invigorated my excitement for the months ahead;...

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One Last Time

Pooja Thekdi

2015-07-17

Look up And you’ll see many things Clouds Birds Mountains And maybe even A Hot Air Balloon Drifting through the sky On a summer afternoon So close that You can see the colors and the zig zag stripes Maybe even a little person In the little basket Way up there In the sky But if...

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Dumb Luck

Pooja Thekdi

2015-07-17

It’s dumb luck, growing up in a first world country, with educated parents, the opportunity to go to school, let alone college. Yes, itåÊtakes determination, talent, and good ol’ hard work to achieve success. But there’s no doubt thatåÊat the end of the day, many of us take for granted that the largeståÊproblem we are...

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Mornings

Pooja Thekdi

2015-06-08

Mornings are beautiful. I’m not a morning person but I can admit there’s something about the lighting in the morning that gives you this kind of feeling that you really don’t get at any other point in life. I mean, those few moments in bed are always a struggle. I imagine what I’m going to...

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Mornings

Pooja Thekdi

2015-06-08

Mornings are beautiful. I’m not a morning person but I can admit there’s something about the lighting in the morning that gives you this kind of feeling that you really don’t get at any other point in life. I mean, those few moments in bed are always a struggle. I imagine what I’m going to...

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My favorite corner of Earth

Pooja Thekdi

2015-05-29

It’s funny because when I got there, September 24th, I didn’t think I would like it. Actually I was sure that I was going to hate it. I was resistant to any type of change in the idealistic picture that I had laid out in my mind for theåÊyear. It’s been 9 months since that...

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My favorite corner of Earth

Pooja Thekdi

2015-05-29

It’s funny because when I got there, September 24th, I didn’t think I would like it. Actually I was sure that I was going to hate it. I was resistant to any type of change in the idealistic picture that I had laid out in my mind for theyear. It’s been 9 months since that...

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casca de abÌ_bora

Pooja Thekdi

2015-04-12

As summer turns to fall here in Ponta Grossa, a new array of crops are beginning to g r o w. On Fridays, my host family and I spend the evenings preparing for the Saturday market, washing the last bit of alface and repolho in the buckets and carrying the heavy boxes of chestnuts and...

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A Day at the Farmers Market

Pooja Thekdi

2015-02-18

On Sunday morning, I woke up a little bit differently. There (surprisingly) wasn’t the normal rooster calls outside my window and the skies were still dark enough to see the stars. The clock read 4:30am. From my bedroom I could hear the shuffling of my host mom in the kitchen, packing up things and putting...

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Beat of Brasil

Pooja Thekdi

2014-09-05

When we dance We are in-suppressible. Boisterous yet harmonious. We hear the music and we move. Boogie, Wop, Charleston, and Foxtrot, Careening, Jitter-bug-ing, Leanin’ down the block The music is in the road, in the sky and in the sea. Lagoa has a soft hymn. The kind you have to hear to believe. A melody...

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