2012-01-09
I’ve been waiting to encounter the famed biodiversity of the Amazon. I have pictures of the yellow green butterfly I picked nearly dead off the highway, and of the green frogs that hopped in when it rained too hard for too long. The carpenter ants never stop...
Read More2012-01-09
Sharing the Celebration of the New Year Location: Riobamba, Province of Chimborazo, Ecuador My host brother Christopher, my host mother Nancy, and I, on New Year’s Eve, in the Park of Lights in the Center of Riobamba. A true Ecuadorian family, though Chris was surprised by the horrifying brightness of the camera’s flash here :). Before...
Read More2012-01-09
In the blink of an eye, I was seven years old again, bouncing along on the rough dirt road to my grandfather’s ranch. There I was seated lazily on my sister’s lap in our old blue pick-up, counting the kangaroos that passed. The thick groves of eucalyptus trees lined the single road to our...
Read More2012-01-06
My alarm went off at 4:30 a.m. on New Year’s Eve, but it was wasting it’s time. I had already been woken up by the sounds of tambours, maracas, and chanting in the distance. I jumped up and quickly got into my bathing suit and beach dress…but I definitely wasn’t going for a day at...
Read More2012-01-04
Every night besides Sunday night, you can find me on the couch from 6:00 to 7:00, and then 9:00 to 10:30 to watch my two favorite Brazilian soap operas. My host family jokes that I’m an addicted noveleira, and if I miss one episode I get nervous and ask everyone at my apprenticeship to fill...
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2012-01-04
I live in small city called Ibarra. It’s central to many small communities which host other fellows such as San Clemente, Cochapamba, Salinas and Zuleta. The week Maria Cristina (my team leader) was visiting the fellows for the monthly check-ins, the school in Zuleta had reached out to her and asked her if there...
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2012-01-04
Going back to school after winter break was never easier than today. After a long vacation filled with both homesickness and new experiences, I was rejuvenated to get back to work. I managed to drag myself to school (nearly) everyday and made some real progress on my newest and most exciting project, the school garden....
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