2015-05-10
We were told so many times that our global citizen year would likely be the hardest year of our lives so far. So I expected to be torn by cultural differences and exhausted by constant discomfort. I expected to cry, a lot. Then I got my Ecuadorian host family. Mom and Dad, six brothers, one...
Read More2015-03-06
I spent four years of high school as a rower. Up to this point in my life, rowing had been the most demanding physical activity I had ever done. Rowing means using every muscle in your body, with all the might you have, until the race is finished. But crew doesnÛªt just demand a huge...
Read More2015-01-31
Before I came to Ecuador, or fully understood my part as a Global Citizen Year Fellow, I didn’t have expectations for my time here. I started these eight months with an open mind and an open heart. And as cheesy as that may be, it’s the truth. I knew I would have a host family...
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2014-12-09
Recently a family member back in the US passed away. It wasn’t someone I was close with, or had even seen in years. He was old and sick; for some reason this death affected me more than I would have expected. I got the news over a Facebook message. It didn’t hit me right away....
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2014-09-24
On a clear Saturday, three friends and I hailed a cab to take us to “el Teleférico.” I’m not quite sure what that translates to, but our understanding was that we were headed to the base gondola of volcán Pichincha. And luckily, this isn’t one of my many stories where the cab driver has no...
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2014-08-01
As I form a list of what to pack for this grand adventure, I think of which shoes I’d like to wear in this new place, or if I’ll need a particular outfit. How do I choose between favorite sweatshirts? Of course, my answer is to bring the lightest ones. But, this sense of reality...
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