There is a common misconception that volunteering abroad is the same as going on an extended vacation. This is especially problematic when people come to visit and want you to skip work for a week to climb a mountain, trek to a remote beach, etc. Granted, as volunteers, there is often a certain amou[...]
Archive for March, 2010
Balancing Your Life
Reading the recent posts Living in Two Worlds at Once and Living a Double Life got me thinking about a challenge I feel like I’ve been working on for most of my life. How do you balance your time among all those parts of your life that you want the most? During my time in [...][...]
March 29th, 2010 - 3:59 pm § in Ecuador
Saying Goodbye to Ecuador
Incredibly enough, I have finished my six month volunteer and work experience in Ecuador. I have mixed feelings of sadness to leave this great country, and excitement to return home to see my family and friends. All of my various work and volunteer experiences here absolutely gave me a true feel[...]
World Urban Forum: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Between March 22 and 26, the city of Rio de Janeiro will host the 5th edition of the World Urban Forum (WUF), sponsored by the United Nations agency for human settlements, UN-Habitat. It is the first time this event will be held in Latin America. A record number of people from over 170 countries hav[...]
Six Simple Steps for Volunteering Abroad
So, you want to volunteer abroad? Spectacular! The world needs more people like you. If you’re anything like me, deciding to volunteer abroad was easy (I mean you are currently reading a blog for “idealists” right?). But with so many countries, organizations, and opportunities available, how d[...]
March 22nd, 2010 - 12:51 pm § in Around Town, Colombia
Why, Hello Colombia! Very Nice to Meet You.
I woke up in Bogotá this morning, to a city of seven million and to day one of my time in South America. Instead of easing myself in or working myself up to photographing important things, I had the opportunity to jump right in. Thank God. Manuel, my roommate in Colombia, happens to be an accomplis[...]
Pan Doesn’t Only Mean Bread
Recently, I read “At Some Point I Became Lorena” by fellow blogger Lauren Foukes, and her post brought my adopted nickname to my attention. I thought her post was very clever, and an example of how names are not always easily translatable. I was always under the impression that I had an [...]
