2017-04-02
2 de abril de 2017 Amanhã de manhã, deixo minha família, minha casa ea comunidade que me acolheu. Como eu fiz isto até aqui? Lembro-me de estar com tanto medo de estar longe da minha família, pensando que eu nunca poderia crescer para amar outro, mas tudo mudou tão rapidamente. Dentro de algumas semanas eu...
Read More2017-03-10
I can honestly say that I am genuinely happy with myself and where I am in life. A year ago, I wasn’t in a great place. I craved love so deeply that I ended up wounding myself. Settling for anything and everything and making reckless decisions that not only jeopardized my relationship at home, but...
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2017-02-23
19 February 2017. Today marks exactly six months since the beginning of pre-departure training. It’s crazy, and I honestly cannot comprehend how fast time has passed by. I remember the dreaded feeling in my tummy on this exact day as my friends all gathered in my house during the morning. We had agreed that...
Read More2017-01-24
Back in the states, it was never really a day by day interaction that I faced with people of different cultures.Yet, at the same time it was. Although the United States is very diverse, I never really realized how normal it was. In fact, everyone I interacted with was either a Spanish speaker or an...
Read More2017-01-18
Writing has become increasingly difficult the longer that I find myself living here. It’s not to say that there aren’t wonderful times to talk about or even struggles that occur that I could write pages about. Sometimes it’s just the lack of words to fill a blog post and other times it’s all just happening...
Read More2017-01-11
I came into Brazil with a ton of expectations that I didn’t even know I had. I had this image that my life was suddenly just magically going to change for the better. And i’m not going to lie, it has in some ways. While in others it’s remained the same as before. I’m...
Read More2016-11-27
I’m stuck between the feeling of mourning and the wanting to jump up and down with joy. It’s been a week since my host grandmother passed away and at the time it was all happening, my Brasil cohort was preparing to leave for TS1 in the town of Guarda de Embau where all fellows of...
Read More2016-11-19
I've never been good with receiving news. I’ve never understood what the correct way to react is. So imagine my luck when I walk into my living room on my way downstairs to the garage when suddenly my host dad says, “A mãe de Maria Jose faleceu 30 minutos atrás” (Maria Jose’s mother passed away...
Read More2016-10-22
I have a super cool 8 year old host brother by the name: Ignacio. Ignacio has big, bright, blue eyes and really long eyelashes. No lie, the longest lashes I have ever seen in my life. But Ignacio is a little special, because he isn’t your average 8 year old boy. He can’t talk. He...
Read More2016-10-18
It’s not often that you’ll find yourself at home without electricity, and yet when it does, it seems as though our world is falling apart. Why is that? See, I decided to take a bridge year in the country of Brazil. Not knowing anything and not knowing what to expect. The idea of a...
Read More2016-09-25
5 things you are never told when considering a bridge year: It will never feel 100% right The truth is… no matter how many times you tell yourself that you made the right decision. No matter how many times you feel content and satisfied, there are still going to be moments where all you want...
Read More2016-09-18
The thing about life is that it somehow always plays out just the way its meant to. And its crazy to think about how little actions line up to big moments in our lives that shape us. For me, deciding to leave my home and come to Brasil was one of the roughest decisions to...
Read More2016-09-12
It's 9:24 PM and tomorrow morning as I head out for language class at PUCPR my host father Ale will be heading out to go fishing for the week. And I sit here on my seven year old host sister Carolina's bed and am contemplating the fact that I will be finding out who my...
Read More2016-09-10
It's like… I want to go home, but I also don't. Honestly, I don't even think that that makes any sense, and I'm not saying that I'm homesick… At least I don't think that I am because every day feels great. Yes, there are moments where I'm just tired and want to be home alone...
Read More2016-08-26
August 25, 2016 10:15PM The same way an infant struggles at grasping the concept of life and survival, coming into pre departure training, I too struggled to understand why I was committed to Global Citizen Year. When applying the moment the application had become accessible, I knew I had wanted to apply but I was...
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2016-08-17
Tuesday, August 16, 2016 5:20 P.M. We’ve come a long way. Whether we’ve known each other for a couple months or years. Through all of our ups and downs you have stuck by me. You have watched me grow and change as I have watched you too. That’s what friendship is about. It’s about our...
Read More2016-08-08
Sunday, August 8, 2016 12:30 A.M. I’ll always be terrified, but sometimes being scared can be the best feeling we can ever experience. That is why I can officially say that I am ready for Brazil. After spending a weekend surrounded by my dad’s side of the family, I realized that there isn’t anything to...
Read More2016-08-03
Wednesday, August 3, 2016 4p.m. What can I say? I guess I’m not really excited to be embarking on this journey the same way that everyone else seems to be. I don’t see what’s so exciting about the entire process. Having to get to know team members and supporting one another on this journey. Some...
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