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[...]
Posts Tagged ‘living abroad’
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. [...[...]
May 26th, 2010 - 10:35 am § in Around Town, Costa Rica
Quetzals, Jaguars and Morphos, Oh My!
Man, how about that International Biodiversity Day? I’m sure you’re still exhausted from all the celebrations and events and – What’s that? Never heard of it? Well, you’re probably not alone if you live in an urban environment. It was new to me. However, biodiversity is a m[...]
Whistle While You Work; I’ll Try Not to Be a Jerk
Living abroad anywhere is an endurance test of getting used to one thing after another. In Puerto Jimenez, I’ve had to adapt to the heavy food, the heat, the dust, the assault of bugs, and the slow pace of life, among other things. After some rough patches, I’ve done well in accepting mo[...]
Having Trouble Adjusting? Remember What You Love
Costa Rica can be hard to love. … okay, everyone has paused in the midst of writing invective-laden comments? Bear with me a minute. Things like the sometimes-blase attitude of students and the lack of many amenities (e-commerce, where art thou?) have all worn on me lately. Which is why it’s[...]
Field Loneliness in Colombia
Amazon rainforest In an indigenous community of the Amazonian rainforest, the line between family and community becomes blurry. The village consists of five inhabitants, all of whom are related by blood or marriage. Every November, tribe members flock to the maloka, the hut-like structure that hou[...]
