Posted 14 September 2021
Today, we arrived in Phuket, and I write this as I hungrily wait for dinner. I am looking forward to sleeping in a bed because we had about 38 hours of travel. Driving through Phuket felt surreal. There were pineapple stands and little shops and so … Continue Reading ››
3.31.20
“What does it mean to pack up your bags and go somewhere new? To leave family, friends, school, your way of living… and just restart in a new place, a new country perhaps? Well, these were my thoughts when we first left the United States in January, and I had similar feelings as we left … Continue Reading ››
Feb. 24, 2020
We are told there is bad in the world. We are told of war, malnutrition, poverty, starvation. But to what extent do we truly understand how these bad things look in the everyday lives of people who are no different from ourselves? This weekend we got the amazing opportunity to live in the … Continue Reading ››
Feb. 17, 2020
Thirty days here
Lots of new experiences
So many questions...
Crowded buses but
The sweetest people you’ll meet.
Greeted with hugs and kisses
Yet divided through language.
Hot weather makes a beautiful day
long walks to and from school.
New people in your life
means long lasting friendships.
Volcán de Pacaya. Antigua.
Cerró de la Cruz. Markets.
Just a few places that encompass
the vast beauty of … Continue Reading ››
1/30/20
I like to know what's going on. Unfortunately, I don't always in my host family. I have a couple of instances of this that come to mind. The first is with my host brother Jacob. He is in the army but comes home for weekends. Two weekends ago, I went along to take him back … Continue Reading ››
The sun makes a halo in the air pollution as it falls behind the mountains.
A slight breeze plays with the leaves, my hair, and the laundry line.
My brother’s Honda jacket still hangs there. How many days has it been now?
Several dogs engage in territory disputes, paws and head visible over brightly-painted roof-edge walls. Barking.
Grackles soar … Continue Reading ››
La Primera Semana (The First Week)
We arrived on Jan. 9, and now it's Jan. 19. 10 days feel more like 30 days. Highlights and low-lights have included me coming down with tonsillitis for the 3rd time in 2 months, quickly getting antibiotics thanks to Peyton's "host" cousin who is a doctor, hiking Pacaya Volcano (about … Continue Reading ››
I haven’t really been able to process everything I’ve just seen and experienced and done over the past three and a half months, and I think it is going to take me some time to do so. I’ve learned so many things. But one thing that sticks out to me as of this moment that … Continue Reading ››
24 October 2019*
On September 27th, I had the privilege of playing soccer alongside refugees in a tournament that was part of “Langer Tag der Flucht” (long day of the escape), a full day event devoted to the stories of refugees in Vienna, Austria. As I was enjoying the sport I love and practicing my amateur … Continue Reading ››
4 November 2019
When we started learning about the Holocaust in Europe, specifically in Vienna, I felt like being American, being so far removed from these tragedies, had made it difficult to understand them until I was there in the countries where they took place. It impacted me greatly to be standing in the plaza where … Continue Reading ››
