Finding Tranquility
We drove through the night and I gazed at the towering skyscrapers through the rain-spattered windows, amazed by the myriads of cars around us, feeling the Mexican metropolis envelop...
Read More 3 min read
Mzungu Monday: One Day of Life Lessons for a Foreigner in Uganda
Uganda is troubled with Malaria, a disease not commonly found in America. Despite the risk of entering a malaria zone, I traveled there for three weeks this summer. I was...
Read More 2 min read
A Danish State of Mind
On one random drive to the library in November, my friend Maya asked me if I would be interested in going to Denmark this summer with her. My first thought was “OF COURSE!”...
Read More 3 min read
Tunes and Travels: My Trip to An Irish Jam Session
I had not imagined in my eight years of classical violin training that I would end up fiddling in a pub. I wasn’t used to Maryland’s long lines of traffic and crowded streets. In Ohio, Rural King...
Read More 3 min read
Driving Into a Hole Can be Monumental
The early August sun beat down on the prolonging stretch of road. A “Welcome to Utah” sign had long since passed, and our rented black Ford Explorer was filled with...
Read More 2 min read
A Ferry Crossing
About a year ago, my older brother, my mother, and I decided on a whim to shoot up to Burlington, Vermont. We had no idea what there was to do or see, but we had heard about the city’s vibrant culture...
Read More 3 min read
South River Girls Soccer Takes Italy
If you ever have the opportunity to travel to Italy, I highly recommend taking the time to explore the beautiful cities that litter the Tuscan landscape. I had the pleasure of traveling with 25 other...
Read More 2 min read
Life, Love, and the Pursuit of Good Food
I wake up to the rich, reedy sound of an accordion-not something you would normally hear in the streets of America, but then, I’m not in America.I’m in the home of my Aunt Lidia and Uncle...
Read More 3 min read
La Ville Lumière
Paris; It’s the city of lights, known for its magnificent beauty, delicious foods, and romantic qualities. Some people dream of visiting this esteemed European city their entire lives, and here I was...
Read More 2 min read
An Unusual Layover in NY City
My grandfather recently died and we travelled back from our home in North Carolina to Belgium, where the rest of our family still lives. Although we weren’t exactly in a cheery holiday mood, my parents...
Read More 3 min read
Lesson Learned
Slapping yet another mosquito off my arms I sigh and trek through the small gap in the trees. Dr. B, our field botany professor, decided to get off the magnolia...
Read More 3 min read
Relaxing to Roller Coasters: The Perfect Day in Sylvan Beach
After a stressful school year filled with crammed study sessions and all-nighters, only one place can take my mind off it all – Sylvan Beach, New York. Decades ago, my great-great grandparents discovered...
Read More 3 min read
.jpeg)
From Tourist to Traveler
Lost. That’s what I was last summer before I went on a life altering adventure to France, Switzerland, Austria, and Italy. I had devoted sixteen years of my life to being the best I could be in school....
Read More 2 min read
The Taxi Driver Temper Tantrum
Paris is a city with a bite. It’s absolutely beautiful with its elegant architecture and silver Seine, but every once in a while it will bare its teeth and show its ugly side. One minute you’ll...
Read More 3 min read
Sand Castles in the Sky: A Trip to Sodus Bay
When people think of New York State, several iconic places come to mind: Niagara Falls, the Big Apple, the Thousand Islands, and the Adirondacks. Many New Yorkers have visited these places, so hearing...
Read More 2 min read
A Musician in Kenya
I’m no economist, no political expert, no social worker, no activist; I am and was a high school student with his mind-set to pursue music and science. Though aware of avoiding the naive thought that...
Read More 3 min read
Unexpected Magical Memories
As I loaded my iPod with music in preparation for our ‘Summer Road Trip’, I knew my mother, my sister, and I were going to be spending many hours together in the van. Our starting point was Tempe,...
Read More 2 min read
Haunted Tunnel
The brilliant twinkling of innumerable lights creates a stark contrast against the dark, night sky. The radiance engulfs us, silhouetting towering buildings. Chicago beckons through the car windows...
Read More 3 min read
Catch It in the Rye Excursions
With exciting events and award winning spirits, the Catoctin Creek Distilling Company has quickly found its way into many people’s hearts. The owners' entire family is involved in this small artisanal...
Read More 3 min read
_2.jpg)
Joy in the Journey
The old cliche “the joy is in the journey” is taken literally in the Smoky Mountains. The real attractions there do not rest in Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge; they do not reside in Ripley’s...
Read More 2 min read
The Third Time’s a Charm in NYC
The white picket fences have become stained with dullness and predictability. The porches and decks have collapsed in coziness, and the SUVs and minivans have lost their new car smell and shine. Even...
Read More 2 min read
Finding News in Dead Places
Attending the summer journalism camp at Eastern Illinois University and on assignment to explore “Small Town America,” Krystina and I, two aspiring journalists ventured into Teutopolis, Ill. T-town...
Read More 3 min read
Blind in Costa Rica
I have lived my whole life in Colorado, a place known for its natural beauty. I have grown accustomed to the magnificent Rockies and the incredible sunsets. I have taken for granted my ability...
Read More 2 min read
A Convergence of East and West
I knew what city my mom was born in: Chicago. I knew what city my dad was born in: Damascus. However, I never truly got to drive through my culture and watch the images of what make...
Read More 3 min read
Idyllwild Pines: A Destination for Exploration
July 3, 2014 9:46 PMI usually wake up to skyscraping buildings and rush hour traffic and I’m used to the sound of...
Read More 3 min read
A New Kind of Jesus Music
This past summer I went on a family vacation to the west side of the United States. Along the way we made various stops to visit different colleges and see different sights. One of these special places...
Read More 2 min read
Returning Home: Portland, Maine
When people hear Portland, they usually think of that famous Oregonian town on the East Coast—bicycles, roses, and rain. Little do most know that on the opposite side of the United States, there exists...
Read More 2 min read
Sisterhood
One trip that has left a humongous impact upon me is the trip I took to Colorado with my softball team. This trip not only was one of excitement and adventure, but also one that taught me the strength...
Read More 3 min read
The Dominican Republic: Changing Lives
When our team leader told us our first mission work experience was going to be a visit to Pasitos de Jesus girls orphanage; I remained trapped in my timid and overly cautious state...
Read More 3 min read
A New Experience in America’s Oldest Town
I always found myself falling asleep in history class. Some lessons couldn’t hold my interest. Even when I visited places filled with history, I found myself extremely bored. Summer of 2012 changed...
Read More 3 min read
The Wonders of Costa Rica
The night that I arrived in Costa Rica it was like stepping into a whole new world. I had never been out of the United States before but I was more than enthusiastic to venture out into new surroundings...
Read More 2 min read
Finding Family
On the way back from cleaning out her locker senior year, she was was hit by an ambulance. This is where everything began.My father got married years ago and had children: two boys and one girl,...
Read More 3 min read
Exploring the Beaches of Trinidad
The alarm clock buzzes at six in the morning and I immediately shoot out of bed. Despite the early start, I contentedly wake up and start packing as I review my checklist—towel, fresh ripened...
Read More 3 min read
Expect the Unexpected
In March of 2014, I journeyed with my junior class of twenty-six students on a road trip to Washington, D.C. We not only visited the Capitol and most of its sights, but made numerous...
Read More 3 min read
Striving for More
Travel is a person’s way of expressing desire for something new, whether you’re conscious of it or not. People take trips for multiple reasons: visiting family, leisure, exploration, or charity....
Read More 3 min read
Big City, Big Lights: A New Home
Good morning Shanghai, my second home. The scattered rays of sunlight that manage to penetrate through the thick smog don't quite do justice to the city, a place better clothed in the sexy black of...
Read More 2 min read
The Beautiful Disaster
July of 2014. Nashville, Tennessee. My senior year. This was going to be one of the last vacations I take with my parents, so we decided that we should take a 2 week vacation and explore every corner...
Read More 3 min read
Cambodia: A Whole New World
Three days in Cambodia... That was all it took for the world to change my entire perspective on the world. Three days, and I was never again able to understand how we could categorize Americans as “impoverished.”...
Read More 3 min read
Hope For Cambiaso
In late July of 2014, I retracted back to my “home” village in the Dominican Republic for a week. By joining the Village Mountain Mission the year before with my mom, and building homes for impoverished...
Read More 3 min read
The Unexpected
The biggest mistake that families make when planning their vacations is operating under the assumption that everything will go perfectly. Despite past experiences,...
Read More 3 min read
Wheels and Wildflowers: A Bike Tour Through Cade’s Cove
Grandpa tossed two helmets under the passenger seat and revved the engine. “I’m not wearing one.” He shoved his hand into the Skittles bag. “Me neither,” I tested. His glacier gaze cracked;...
Read More 3 min read
A Day of Discovery
I wriggled my way into a grey and slightly damp wetsuit. The air was hot and muggy, and the sky was a brilliant blue. I stood in the slight shade of the building on the docks in Cancun. I was here with...
Read More 3 min read
Yaritza and the Humanity We All Share
The last few decades have seen the rise of an America increasingly enamored of differences, ever more cognizant that diversity means fresh perspectives and ideas. I arrived in Costa Rica with this in...
Read More 3 min read
Red, Black, and Gold
The streets were devoid of vehicles. Views of the people of Mainz were few and far between as we walked the cobblestone streets. My friend and I were anxious to get to dinner. This was not because we...
Read More 3 min read
I Come From Elsewhere, But I Come From Here
The sun is blazing, and the humidity is turned up a thousand notches. However, my Western sensibilities remain undisturbed, as my mind is a preoccupied whirlwind of endless...
Read More 3 min read
Bonding in the Ithaca Gorges
Traveling to Ithaca, New York in July 2014 was both illuminating and unforgettable. Although situated in upstate New York, the most un-foreign of places and only a four hour car ride from home, Ithaca...
Read More 3 min read
Time Travel in Eight Days
This summer I did not go to the sandy beaches in the Bahamas or uptown England, but in only eight days I participated in a college tour that traveled back in time through eight...
Read More 3 min read
Can-Can with Strangers
The French culture has always been present in my life. My fascination stems from childhood; family members and friends constantly told me that the French culture was...
Read More 2 min read
My Trip to China 2007
It was the summer of 2007 and I stared out the window of a crowded bus taking me from Hefei to Tongling, China (P.R.C.). My life had started here in 1996 and then I was placed in the Tongling orphanage...
Read More 2 min read
