2010-10-26
My heart was beating to the rhythm of the African drums. The floor was wet and slippery because of beads of fallen sweat. The man in front of me was moving his hips and knees in ways I’d never seen before; I tried to mimic his movements. The woman dancing next to him turned around...
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Most days in Senegal the sun shines so brightly that the white pavement blinds me on the way to class. Most days my host mother encourages me to eat, eat, to invite friends over for lunch, for the night. Most days I greet strangers on the street and hear their joyful rejoinder in a chorus...
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When I told my Brasilian host mother that in two weeks I am going to live in a Salvadorian low-income neighborhood, she threw her shaky hands above her head and belted out “O Meu Deus.” After she sat silently and nodded through Tony—my program coordinator—detailing the safe haven of community leaders and positive social programming...
Read More2010-10-25
There is a point when matter is so cold that all molecular motion ceases completely: Absolute Zero. For the last four years of my life, I’ve been in crisp control of my brain, keeping it in that exact state of ultimate stillness. Don’t misunderstand me, I have felt feelings and thought thoughts. However, each was...
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Mi familia aquí en el Ecuador es mucho más unida que mi verdadera familia en los Estados Unidos. Por ejemplo, aquí en el Ecuador me di cuenta que las familias comen a una hora segura. En los Estados Unidos hay muchas familias que tienen que cumplir con diferentes deberes y a veces no tienen tiempo de...
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Yesterday I came home from classes and there was Klezmer music wafting down the stairs. Yes, I am in Quito, Ecuador. Yes, I’m living in an evangelical Christian household. Yes, my internship with Pastoral Migratoria is affiliated with the Catholic Church. I went upstairs to Mamá’s room and found her sewing muñecas and humming along...
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I have been here in Quito, Ecuador for three weeks and I already feel that I am exactly where I am supposed to be. I honestly don’t think I would be ready to go straight into college: I want to expand my knowledge about the world and I want to help people find solutions to...
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