Ecuador-able Adventures

Perhaps the piece of information I was most excited to learn during my time in the Amazon region was the name of the plant and seasoning called achiote. A couple of years ago I was in a village in Belize and a local family offered me a bowl of caldo, or chicken soup, that was dark orange in color. They explained …

Barefoot in the Jungle

If, after reading that title, you are picturing some Tarzan type situation, you are mistaken. Life is nothing like a children’s movie. It is so much better. And so much more complicated.* The reason I was walking through the jungle, aka “the bush”: I was invited to visit the most distant and isolated village in …

Tik’al, Guatemala

First time in Guatemala. First real conversation with Spanish speakers in Spanish where they actually understood me. First time buying a beer. First time staying in a hostel. It was an adventurous weekend. Teresa, the other American I live with, and one of the women we went to Lime Caye with went to San Ignacio, …

Doing so much

When it's a matter of spending my time preparing for my tutoring lesson (aka learning how to teach) or writing a blog post, I'm going to choose the former. Blogging is also lower on my "to do" list than visiting Mayan ruins in Guatemala or spending the night on what was basically a private island. …

Punta Gorda, Toledo District, Belize, Central America

Belize. That’s where I live. I got here a week ago but it is still sinking in. It’s only for two months, or it’s for a whole two months. My perspective changes by the minute. In the weeks and months leading up to the voyage here, I told many people I would be temporarily moving …

In Belize

Well I'm not sure if posting just to say I'm sorry I haven't and still can't post is counterintuitive but here I am. Though I have more internet access than I expected, it's still more limited than I'm used to. As for free time, I've had hardly any. I have to wake up at 5:30 …

Getting Here, Pt. 1

When I entered high school my older sister gave me this superb advice: figure out what you want before you start trying to get it. Of coarse, I didn't take her advice to heart very well. But thankfully, through the process of creating this gap year I had my mom faithfully guiding my scattered thoughts …

Home Sweet Home

I haven't posted in two weeks because I have been quite busy getting back home to Virginia and then turning right around for a weekend trip to New York City. A week from last Friday I took a plane to Houston where I spent time with my aunt and uncle who generously shared their home …

Roller coaster days

PSA: This post is a bit rambling and not at all proofread, but hopefully by the end you'll understand why I was a little to tired to care. Friday after work: I had a plan for getting the last few things off my Weslaco Bucket List as well as preparing for my last week of …