2018-01-30
I took this gap year to grow and to develop myself as a person in the ways that matter to me. In so many ways, I am doing that. I can’t count the number of lessons I’ve learned and realizations I’ve had. However, as the year wears on (almost five months already), the things that...
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2018-01-27
Many fellows have been counting down the days until we leave Ecuador and for various reasons. Sometimes its big and obvious reasons, they miss their family and friends, and, sometimes its for small reasons that add up, missing driving a car and the familiarity of their town. I started counting down the days until I...
Read More2018-01-25
So often, I have moments of self-realization. Underneath are some of these moments I will always remember. Cigarette man- I was drinking my daily carbonated water at the little metal shack turned store I am a usual customer at where I saw a relatively young guy with a thick stack of cash in his hand...
Read More2018-01-24
I remember when I first got a proper smart phone. By “proper” I mean a non-hand-me-down phone. I must have been 15 or so, and I was over the moon about it. You see, I made a deal with my father when I was 12 (I’m simply estimating that number, it could have quite possibly...
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2018-01-24
05:00 – The call to prayer shudders you from your sleep, darkness still shielding the character traits of day from your greedy eyes. The “Allahuakbar” continues as you turn restlessly, taking this brief moment of consciousness to readjust the strewn blankets for optimal comfort. You lay back, the minarets concluding their call, and...
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2018-01-24
I come home from a long day at work, just after dusk, I’m happy my host father is returning from Otovalo and he picks me up on the road back to my house, saving me a 15-20 minute walk littered with ‘cute’ dogs (who probably want to kill me). We stop at our...
Read More2018-01-23
My feet pounded the pavement and my vision started to fade into shades of blue and yellow as I sprinted to catch the last train home. The ancient train let out a yawn and creaked as if it were reluctantly awakened from a deep slumber. Out of breath, I glanced around the compartment and...
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