2019-08-24
Ecuador pops into my head every day. I think of the mountains, the soft skin of Alizee’s face, and how laundry day depended on the weather. My time there feels like it took place in another dimension. It happened somewhere else. Another world, another plane of existence. It happened. When I got back to the...
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2019-05-01
When I found out I’d be going to Ecuador, I pictured myself walking down a long dirt road in the rain. That was pretty much it. I didn’t know what else to expect. I had no idea how my daily life in Ecuador would look, especially given that I wouldn’t find out where I’d be...
Read More2019-04-18
Little things excite me about going home: having a bunch of sweatshirts to choose from, eating bagels and tofu and drinking lots of almond milk, seeing my dogs again. It’s been a long time since Mom and I counted expired inspection stickers as we drove around. I can’t wait to eat wacky vegan food—as much...
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2019-03-16
*This post was originally published on December 9, 2018. * *Wherever you go, there’s always someone Jewish* *You’re never alone when you say you’re a Jew* *So when you’re not home and you’re somewhere kinda newish* *The odds are, don’t look far, ‘cause they’re Jewish too* *The odds are, don’t look far, they’re Jews just...
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2019-03-02
I am the same person I was when I left home six months ago: stubborn, persistent, and dedicated when I decide to be. I’m quick to judge, but I strive to be kind. I fall asleep daydreaming—about going home, working at Explo this summer, moving into my dorm at Wellesley in the fall. I have...
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2019-02-03
Note: Find my posts right away (with cleaner formatting!) on wordsofstargirl.wordpress.com. The Spanish version of “If You’re Happy and You Know It” just wasn’t doing it for me. It carried the same tune but translated to “If you’re really happy, clap like this.” And yet I kept glancing up from my phone, where I was...
Read More2019-01-09
Note: To read my posts right away and see photos, subscribe to my personal blog: wordsofstargirl.wordpress.com/ Before I came to Ecuador, I didn’t consider what it would mean to live with another family. I knew my host family would be important, so I paid more attention to the descriptions of families than the corresponding apprenticeships...
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2018-12-13
Hi everyone! Due to technical difficulties with the GCY site, I’ve moved all of my posts to my personal blog, *https://wordsofstargirl.wordpress.com *. There, you can find my old posts, plus the one I sent in on November 14 that never went up. Check it out! Subscribe to my WordPress by clicking the “Follow” button in...
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2018-11-14
The short answer: yes and no. Every time I introduce myself to someone new, I explain that I’m here until April, living with a host family in Quiroga and interning at Radio Pública Cotacachi. Usually, the stranger asks, “¿Te gustas el Ecuador?” Sometimes, I just answer, “sí.” Other times, I’m more honest: “Hay cosas que...
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2018-10-22
My first memory of Spanish class takes place on a dark blue carpet (which we always called “the rug”) in the corner of a classroom on the first floor of Barbieri Elementary School in Framingham, Massachusetts. I spent most of my time next door with Mrs. Gray, but us English-speakers went to the other side...
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2018-10-07
On the third day of my apprenticeship at the radio, Joselyn, the reporter, asked me to listen to interviews she’d conducted with some folks from Guatemala. Guatemala? Seriously? I didn’t come all the way to Ecuador to learn about Guatemala. But despite my apprehension, I sat down and went through the audio files. Among other...
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2018-09-20
Two hours into my seven-month homestay, the three-year-old told me she loved me. “¿Tan pronto?” I responded. “So soon?” I’m living in Quiroga, a suburb in northern Ecuador, with my host mom, host dad, and their three girls, who are three, eleven, and thirteen. My host mom, Paola, introduces me to friends as her daughter....
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2018-09-07
In the weeks leading up to Global Launch at Stanford, I made some resolutions. At the dawn of a new era, I decided that I would be excited and outgoing; I’d greet everyone with an enthusiastic hello. New Macy, as I imagined her, would be notoriously kind and confident. And most importantly, New Macy would...
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2018-08-15
This time three years ago, I was getting ready to transfer to boarding school. I spent August writing and rewriting my packing list, shopping for dress code clothes (khakis were a shift from the sweatpants of my public school days), and combing through my new school’s website and Instagram for any clue towards what...
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