My stint in Latin America has ended. I flew back to the U.S. on Saturday with a mixture of emotions. It is overwhelming to be back. I loved my time in Nicaragua and Costa Rica, but I am also ready to live closer to friends and family for a while. Still, as I adjust to [...][...]
Posts Tagged ‘Idealist’
Reading List
For those of you about to leave or in the middle of your adventures, the following is a quick list of some of the books that have been helpful or have provided interesting perspectives to contemplate during my Kiva Fellowships in Nicaragua and Costa Rica. The first three are development economics bo[...]
Two Questions I Don’t Like to Answer
Every once in a while somebody here in Solentiname will ask me if I believe in God. This has become my second least favorite question to answer. My very least favorite question, however, is how much my digital SLR camera costs. After I realized that my camera alone (excluding my lenses) cost as much[...]
Good Travel Karma
The other day I was on the minibus to El Alto for work and the guy next to me asked me how much the fare was and also to let him when we reached Plaza San Francisco. It felt strange at first that a man who I presumed initially to be Bolivian would ask me [...][...]
Volunteering Does Not Equal Vacation
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[...]
Favela Tourism: Harmful or Helpful?
When I told people I was going on a favela tour in Rio de Janeiro, I received a lot of strange looks. After all, those aren’t two words you often hear together. Reactions ranged from, “Why would you want to do that?” to “They are just people living in a different situation. W[...]
At Some Point I Became Lorena
When I first arrived in Ecuador everyone wanted to call me Lorena, but I was very adamant about the fact that my name was LAUR-EN. Not Lorena. I felt that I was making an effort to pronounce everyone’s names correctly (I wasn’t calling José “Joseph” just because thatR[...]
Inevitable Stereotypes
As a gringo in Colombia, more often than not, you will be asked, “So what did you think of Colombia before you decided to visit?” Being objective, before you make the trip, cocaine cartels and violence will pop into your head to some extent. You may not mention this and opt for a more pl[...]
