A Virtual Trip Around the World

If, like me, you are stuck at home I have a little something for you to do. I know the stay-at-home orders and self-quarantining can be hard, especially for those of us with a longing to travel. The wanderlust in me is itching to get out. I've explored this house enough (although perhaps not my …

Study Abroad vs. Coronavirus Pandemic

At a little under one year old I took my first steps; that's not too surprising. But, what I recently learned and absolutely love about the story of my first baby steps is the setting: an airport. At less than one year post-womb I had already taken three trips via planes. It all just seems …

Carnaval is Loco

Never in the United States have I seen a celebration anything like this. It began last Friday, and I've already told you of my adventures that day. A stranger on the sidewalk got me with a water-balloon and the chilly water on my back reminded me how Ecuadorians celebrate Carnaval: with water wars. I prepared …

Well, that just happened

“Well that just happened.” That’s what I find myself thinking often, followed by laughing. You know those situations where you are just not sure what else to do in response? Something odd and unforeseen happens to or around you, but it is so unbelievable or out of the ordinary that a shrug doesn’t cut it …

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 …

My year of education

Since getting home from the last part of my gap year lots of people have been asking so many questions. Some are easy and other require immense amounts of reflection. Like, "Are you glad you did the gap year?" is always an unequivocal yes. But, "Which was the best place you spent time at?" is …

Heart Stirred: Go, Give AND Receive

Hi friends! I'm super happy to be able to bring you a guest writer for this week's bonus post! A stranger whom I quickly became good friends with, Tracie, will be bringing us back to my time in Belize, the second leg of my gap year. Enjoy, as I did! Belize 2.0 By Tracie Thibault …

Weekly outings

Well, I planned on sitting on a park bench in Central Park to write this but I was late for the train so I'm still in Queens. This train platform is sunny, breezy and, relatively quiet, what more could I want? Each weekend I've been going "out", usually into the city, aka Manhattan. On a …

A Whole New World

It feels as though months have passed since I was in Belize. During the week or so that I was home I got a much needed haircut and a TB skin test(I’m healthy!), signed the papers to allow a background check for my next volunteer spot, unpacked, repacked. And that’s just the boring stuff. I …

Since I’ve been gone

Since I last wrote I've left Belize and moved back home. That's because I was living in Belize. A foreign country. A developing country, at that. I moved there...to live...on my own....for 9 weeks. Sometimes I'm still surprised at that. I mean, it's kind of crazy. But, as I always say, I'm kind of crazy. …