2012-01-04
A fellow and friend, Awa (Megan) introduced me to the phrase ‘Adventure Time.’ Adventure time was started in Dakar, when we would go downtown, meet new people, and see where the day took us- usually ending with a good, crazy, interesting story to tell. The key to having an excellent adventure time is to be...
Read More
2012-01-03
Becoming who we are. Everyone told us this experience would change us, shape us. Sure, I said. I was in it for the adventure, not the personal development. These past four and a half months have seen plenty of adventures. My words were the first words several Senegalese babies ever heard. I’ve spoken on the...
Read More
2012-01-02
It’s a quiet Sunday in the Andi-Cerda household. We’ve just finished lunch when I notice my host-dad Juan cutting up something brown outside. “It’s tobacco, we’re going to mix it with water,” Irene, my host-mom, explains. “Its part of our culture,” Juan interjects, “want to try?” Although I dont know what it...
Read More2012-01-02
It’s an old cliché , but it holds true no matter what you are expecting. One of the first things we were told about this year was to not have expectations, to start our experience with a mind clear of preconceptions. I didn’t listen to well to those instructions, and thought about how different and...
Read More
2011-12-30
When I first arrived in Ibarra for my home-stay week, I was filled with mixed emotions of meeting and becoming part of my second family in Ecuador; the family I would be living with until returning to the United States in April. I was excited, anxious and nervous, but my first week there was good: my family...
Read More 2011-12-30
Tuesday, October 11 Otavalo isn’t as big as Quito, but I had a map of Quito. That really isn’t the only thing I had going for me while wandering the streets of Quito. I had the mountain in the west that helped with generalizing directions. In Otavalo, there are not only mountains West, but also...
Read More 2011-12-30
Dear United States, Sorry it’s been so long since I’ve blogged. So here’s my attempt to make up for lost time: seven different 100-word slices of Ecuadorian life. 1. My new “hermanos”, or siblings, and the dog, took me exploring by the small river behind our house. I slipped on Vans and a sweater, and...
Read More