Life is a journey that should be lived, loved and experienced fully every day. As our society continues to globalize and we see more H&M´s and McDonald´s signs and hear more popular music no matter where in the world we are, it is increasingly important to remind ourselves of this and to seek people and places that will support new knowledge and personal growth. Since my first, very brief, visit to Ecuador, I found precisely that. I had been drawn to ret...

As I´ve come to expect, traveling anywhere is bound to bring about some unusual, and often inconvenient, experiences - it´s a journey. That being said, it can be hard to find the positive when you´re stuck on a bus 6 hours longer than expected and end up missing a pre-booked tour, which is exactly what happened to me this weekend. Despite our bus departing from Santiago an hour and a half late, we had high hopes for the ride; however, as the hours and our al...

I have now been in Buenos Aires for almost two weeks - Thankfully this program started late, giving me a little over a month and a half at home - and even though I know Chicago has had quite a few warm days since I've been gone, I can't help but miss the cold. I spent over half of 2016 in Southeast Asia, battling 90 and 100-degree weather, and I don't think I quite prepared for the heat that is Buenos Aires in the summer. Besides adjusting to constantly sweating...

In the spirit of Thanksgiving (though a week late) and as my time here draws to a close, I would like to appreciate some of the most unexpected and outrageous things I've experienced during my time in Vietnam. There are much too many instances to note, so instead, here is a list of my top five most ridiculous experiences: 1. Pet Squirrel - Now I should preface this by saying that I have not once seen a squirrel since leaving Chicago back in mid-May. This is not ...

Today marks the end of my ninth week in Vietnam. During that time, I have had plenty of ups and downs as we started classes, spent time with our partners, took our 10-day excursion to the North and Central Regions of Vietnam, and got settled into a routine. Overall, I've been enjoying my time here, but the last two weeks have brought around that mid-semester slump - ya know, the one where free time with friends becomes non-existent due to midterms and projects an...