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I started out my homestay by being greeted by an old lady who spoke no English. I would later know her as angay, which is the Dzongkhan word for grandma. Now that the week is complete, I can confidently say that in my opinion, I had by far the best......Read More
“Color goes with la couleur va avec kulor bi” My mom always used to say “Color goes with color” But in my beige American mind I never understood At 16 a dragon swept me away To a land of brilliant color Of pale orange sand and bright......Read More
Eating out of a communal bowl, sharing tea cups, these are both little things that distinguish Senegalese culture from what I’ve grown up with. Growing up in Peru and New York, my eating habits have remained consistent: everyone gets a personal......Read More
Before I came to Bolivia, I was determined to put my experience in a historical and political context that I could cleanly understand. One of my teachers from school had seen me at his open summer classes and, upon learning I was going to Bolivia,......Read More
My favorite part of our 10 day Tiquipaya homestay were the 4 afternoons I spent working on my Independent Study Project, graffiti. It transformed my mindset. It may sound a little depressing, but my art is one of the few things I pride myself in and......Read More
Hello there, Don´t know where to start, it has been about three days since when we departed from Ak´Tenamit to our midcourse and now we are at Qachuu Aloom at the department of Bajo Verapaz. I´ll do my best to explain my time in Ak´Tenamit. In......Read More
Monday, July 8th, I stand in the backyard with uncooked rice in my hand. The morning fog still hangs heavy over the valley, concealing the steep drop down to the fields behind the house. The baby of the family, Tsou-Tsou, stands next to me, shaking......Read More
My alarm sounds at 7:30 AM. I turn to Laura and shake her awake in our cozy, pink canopy bed. Together we mosey our way outside to brush our teeth and wash our faces by the tap where we can hear our yak grunting from inside the shed. After chowing......Read More
People are generally quiet here. Except Ma, she’s rather loud. I don’t talk much because my family speaks Khmer and very little English. It’s quite wonderful because it gives me a chance to listen rather than speak. During the day, I hear the......Read More
Here are a few photos from trek. We are back in Ranohira and taking the afternoon off before we head north in the morning....Read More
We have spent the last two weeks forming a “little” family of thirteen on this trip. We imagine if we sat down to list all the people who have been part of our journey so far, the number would be far greater. Perhaps we will do that one day......Read More
A few days ago, we visited the Genocide Museum in the heart of Phnom Penh. The museum is housed within a former Khmer Rouge “Security Center,” S-21. As we entered into the museum, shaded by large trees that did nothing to betray the horrors that......Read More
Dear family and loved ones, Through July 11 to the 14, we stayed at the Shwe Nadi, where we experienced our first learning service. During our stay, the team was given the choice to part take in three activities, planting bamboo trees, adobe brick......Read More
Like all people on the Mandarin intensive program I have a desire to learn Chinese. I am fascinated by the writing, the language, and the culture. However, unlike everyone on this trip, I don’t speak Mandarin. Besides a middle school level......Read More
Hi! I am reporting live from Cochabamba, where I was able to spend my day exploring the big city. But this post is not about Cochabamba. Rather it is about a place called Tiquipaya and the wonderful people I have waiting for me there – my......Read More
