Don't Worry Madre

The Ant Who Fights: A 1st Year Teaching Reflection.

*Note: This post deviates from my normal travel theme. The following words are my attempt to process my experience as a first year teacher in Baton Rouge. My body starts to quake. My hands shake as my heart pumps the anger my mind has blocked off until this moment. The tears filling my eyes are uncontrollable…

Octal, Nicaragua

One of my many days in Esteli involved traveling to up Octal with my wonderful spanish teacher Norma . We traveled up by bus and back by “pedir ride” (hitchhiking). There was the option to catch a bus, but why do that when you could live on the edge? Just as with the other times we pedir…

Getting there: Esteli->Isla Ometepe

After my 2 glorious weeks in Esteli ( I wish I could have stayed longer) I went back out on the road. I decided to spend travel to the beautiful Ometepe Island in southern Nicaragua. Getting to the isla was a bit of an adventure and I though I would share my experience in case…

Fabrica de Pura, Estelí, Nicaragua

The production of cigars is one of the largest industries in Esteli, and I had the wonderful opprotunity to visit a cigar factory with Norma one of my first days in the city. The moment I entered I was bombard with stimuli. Lines of people filled the room permeated by the smell of smoke. Everywhere…

Un Dia de Leche, Malagalpa, Nicaragua

Thus far my experience in Esteli, Nicaragua has been amazing and packed full of adventure. One such adventure was my trip to Matagalpa from Esteli with my professor Norma from Sacuanjoche Spanish School. The day began at 6:30 with the rushed arrival of Norma. The taxi, she hissed as an explanation of her tardiness while…

Addiction

Like the sound of a bee hive, the buzz begins the moment my body leaves the plane. The onslaught of sound, color, and moment does little to dull the electricity pulsing through my veins. A.T.M. Ignore taxis, stares. Find-Check. Taxi, barter, wander. Find-Check. Breathe. The arrival in a new country after a traveling hiatus is…

Viaje a Esteli

Ohh Latino America I have forgotten how much of my heart you owned. Summer break, a wonderful perk in the life of a teacher. Beginning May 20th and ending August 4 I am currently in the middle of resting, recharging, and refinding myself after an incredibly intense first year of teaching. After three weeks of…

Books for a School in Garnacha, Nicaragua

Hello! It has been too long. Despite my desire to update with my southern U.S. experiences teaching got the better of me. Thankfully I have once again found my self on the road! and while I intend to post updates of my current experiences I have a request to make. During my first week here…

Oyii Cartagena

I could not have ended my trip in a place better than Cartagena. Although my visit started off on a precarious foot (bus driver took me to get off on the wrong stop and I ended up walking 1 hour with all my bags in 90+ degree weather). I ended up having a fabulous time….

Medellin

Medellin has my salsa heart. In this beautiful city I took Spanish classes by day and Salsa lessons by night. Eerily similar to Seattle I felt at home between the invasive dampness and hipster inhabitants

Viva Colombia, Cali

After my fabulous time on the Galapagos islands I took two small planes and found myself in Cali Colombia. Cali is considered both the fitness capitol of South America as well as the Salsa capitol of South America. Now I am unable to speak to the validity of these claims, however I had such a great…

Galapagos Summary

It is becoming more and apparent that I will not have enough time as a first year teacher to regularly update my blog with detailed stories and pictures. Instead I am going to upload the rest of my picture for each location and then some day in the far off distance when I’m not drowning…