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Making My Own Move

“You’ve moved 12 times and you’re how old!?”

That’s pretty much the general reaction I get when I try to explain why I still have moving boxes in my closet after living in my house for a year.

I am from almost every little town just north of San Francisco. Although the population is under a million people, San Francisco is incredibly rich in diversity and culture. It’s a city where being different and bizarre are traits to be celebrated. Every day in this beautiful city is an adventure. Coming from this unique environment, I feel blessed to have an excitement for even wilder journeys, ones that can take me beyond my comfort zone and drop me into situations where the answer isn’t always clear. I want to be that one who takes the road less traveled, despite its exterior appearance.

Living in a world where you constantly have to create a home in a new environment has created  within me a love of traveling and an ability to adapt. With these strengths, the decision to spend a year in a third world country where I could make a true difference was an opportunity I could not pass up.

A gap year in Ecuador means leaving my friends and family for many months — something I have never had to do for such a long time — but it also means an incredible opportunity and adventure. While I wish to help the Ecuadorians in whatever ways I can, whether it be women’s empowerment or working with youth, I know I will come back with far more knowledge about the world and about myself than I could ever hope to teach. All I can say now is that I am excited and nervous to embark on this new stage of my life but I wouldn’t trade this opportunity for a second. I’ve always wanted to live in another country and I can’t even wrap my head around the reality that I will be Ecuador-bound in less than two months. I think Robert Frost got it right; taking the road less traveled does make all the difference.

Molly Owens

About Molly Owens


Molly is an athlete, artist, and activist. At her high school in San Francisco, Molly was elected captain of the volleyball team and the softball team, and also helped lead her fellow students in environmental activism in the Ecology Club. Molly’s artistic spirit has found a home in the Bay Area, where she has taken art classes such as graphic design, photography, fashion design, and film.

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