The clock strikes 8:00 and my family turns to me expectantly, probably with a hint of exasperation. It’s that time of day again a time they had dubbed “the 8:00 freak out”. As if on cue I burst out laughing uncontrollably, my spaced out teeth gaily showing and my unruly golden curls bouncing up and down with my gracefully spastic movements. I look into the eyes of my familial spectators and, unable to help themselves, they began to laugh as well. Why are you laughing?, I ask innocently, and my mom says back “I’m not sure I guess your laugh is just infectious”. The validation and reassurance of my mother’s answer, the answer I knew I would get, fuels my energy and I continue to dance around my family members while they make their best attempt
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A trip to live in Ecuador for a year with my family did not only lead to a cultural revolution in my life but gave me opportunities to give back to a different community. On top of going to a completely immersive school, I spent afternoons and some weekends teaching English to Ecuadorian children. In turn, I was able to get a pretty good grasp on Spanish, allowing me to better teach the kids and learn about the area I lived in. Spanish did not only help me in Ecuador but also more recently in the past summer when I traveled to Costa Rica for a month, this time on my own. Costa Rica was not a cute beach vacation, contrarily it was long days at a marine park, taking care of animals, cleaning tanks and beaches, learning about the surrounding ecosystem, and talking to park visitors about exhibits. Although I resided in Costa Rica for a much shorter time, my experience was unlike any other in my life because I was doing good for the world while doing what I love. Stooping down to pick up some plastic bottle every minute may not seem like the most appealing activity, but at the time there was nothing else I’d rather be doing. By no means was it my first time at the rodeo either. In my neighborhood alone there are streets that are replete with refuse. Fortunately, you can see me there, trash bag in hand, to clean it all up. At times I believe it to be a compulsion to pick up trash because it pains me so much to see it mar my
A trip to live in Ecuador for a year with my family did not only lead to a cultural revolution in my life but gave me opportunities to give back to a different community. On top of going to a completely immersive school, I spent afternoons and some weekends teaching English to Ecuadorian children. In turn, I was able to get a pretty good grasp on Spanish, allowing me to better teach the kids and learn about the area I lived in. Spanish did not only help me in Ecuador but also more recently in the past summer when I traveled to Costa Rica for a month, this time on my own. Costa Rica was not a cute beach vacation, contrarily it was long days at a marine park, taking care of animals, cleaning tanks and beaches, learning about the surrounding ecosystem, and talking to park visitors about exhibits. Although I resided in Costa Rica for a much shorter time, my experience was unlike any other in my life because I was doing good for the world while doing what I love. Stooping down to pick up some plastic bottle every minute may not seem like the most appealing activity, but at the time there was nothing else I’d rather be doing. By no means was it my first time at the rodeo either. In my neighborhood alone there are streets that are replete with refuse. Fortunately, you can see me there, trash bag in hand, to clean it all up. At times I believe it to be a compulsion to pick up trash because it pains me so much to see it mar my