Gracefully Clumsy

"Hey Kelly, this is Chris. By the way, Grace is dying." Here are some things you should know: 1. I have been suseptible to massive nosebleeds since I was a child. 2. Ecuador is hot, dry, and at a high altitude. 3. Madison and I´s homestay is at the very top of a very long and very steep hill (but honestly it feels like a mountain during each hike). It´s about a 20 minute walk from the center of town/the school where I work. Before the nosebleed story, let me tell you about our homestay family and life on the hilltop. Madison and I live with mother Zoila, father Rafael (though he´s an engineer and works all day so we rarely see him), 16-year-old daughter Paula, 11-year-old daughter Luz Clarita, and 1-year-old grandson Nicholas. We honestly couldn´t have been placed with a better family. We call each other sisters, they teach us to dance, we help with homework, together we clean the kitchen, feed the guinea pigs, ducks, and giant pigs (believe me when I say giant. I´m ...

It was another normal dinner in the Mindo forest, or rainforest to be exact, and it was pasta... again. Don't get me wrong, I love pasta plus there were some freshly brewed cups of Hierba Luisa a lemongrass-like tea. I was sitting across from one of the Thinking Beyond Borders Program Leaders, Kelly, mentally preparing myself for the River of Life presentation I would have to give in half an hour and twirling my spaghetti when a giant tarantula fell into it. I flew backwards out of my seat and onto the dirt below. This isn't a typical day in Ecuador though there are lots of bugs and, accordingly, lots of bug bites. My time here so far has been absolutely incredible. Though it's only been 12 days I've learned so much more about world injustices, economic thought processes, and the Spanish language. Not to mention I feel like I've known these 3 program leaders, 11 girls, and 5 boys for at least 2 months . We're currently in Quito, the capital of Ecuador, bef...

Reminder: I was accepted to Northwestern but deferred to take a gap year. It's a funny coincidence that today as I head off with Thinking Beyond Borders, my classmates at Northwestern are moving in and beginning orientation. Everywhere I look there is the spirit of adventure. Of challenging oneself, of jumping into the unknown, of the road of possibilities. So as I start my journey I wish everyone, not just at Northwestern, but everywhere a great start to their adventures.

Hurricane Irma is extremely dangerous. When the Thinking Beyond Border group heard that for the first time, we kinda panicked. Let me explain: we're all supposed to meet each other for the first time in the Miami Airport and then fly off to Quito. But there's no chance that's happening now. I have a number of friends who go to Rice University and thank goodness are safe but still experienced tons of flooding during Hurricane Harvey. Irma is almost 10 times as dangerous and so far has practically obliterated a number of islands in the Caribbean. We're supposed to start our journey on the 10th so we're trying to reroute our flights as quickly as possible. However before I go anywhere I need to finish packing. I must be able to carry all of my belongings on my back. Here's me after I first got the backpack: I look a little too sunshine-y for a backpacking trip. Here's me after I tried packing for the first time: Yeah... my belongings aren...