Conversely, Guatemalans will ask how much your left shoe cost you without a second of hesitation. Living in such a money-obsessed, impoverished community has been difficult and bitter, and at the increased exposure to the question "How much?", I find myself fretting for my personal financial future.[...]
Posts Tagged ‘living abroad’
August 26th, 2010 - 8:05 am § in Tips & Resources
Pre-Departure Checklist
I’m packing my bags. My college roommate gets married on Saturday, and I’ll be darned if I miss it. Despite the fact I’m technically already traveling, and at one point my belongings here filled two suitcases, this trip will involve transit through four countries via bus, boat, two[...]
How to Choose a Volunteer Placement Abroad
I was thinking about what made me decide to volunteer as a Kiva Fellow in Peru and Bolivia, and I thought it would make sense to share some of those thoughts with potential volunteers. Here are some of my considerations (grouped into the categories professional and personal): Professional Employmen[...]
June 22nd, 2010 - 2:52 pm § in Around Town
Dear Latin America
Dear Latin America, Thank you for teaching me how to feign a command over salsa steps and for putting people in my path who will happily sway me to the beat of your music. Thank you for feeding me fruit that ostensibly appeared downright poisonous, ominous or otherwise inedible and for showing me th[...]
Wrapping My Brain (and Tongue) Around Spanish
My uvula shook as I said the word despejar.: “Despehhhhar.” My friend Pilar smiled. “You sound Spanish,” she said.* “Huh?” I kind of thought that was the point. “The ‘hhhh.’” she said. “That’s from Spain. Listen: ‘dehar,’” she said, using a shorter a[...]
Thoughts for the Outbound Voyager
While I was nursing a particularly virulent strain of post-grad school wanderlust, I received a card in which was written simply: Caelum non animum mutant qui trans mare currunt. It was Horace, and can translate from the Latin as: They change the sky, not their soul, who run across the sea. [...[...]
