First Time Going International…try seven countries.
I come from two undocumented parents from Mexico who are not able to travel internationally because of their migratory status. This status kept my family from exploring the massively diverse cultures of the world that my mother so desperately dreamed of. To this day my parents have not been able to visit the places I have been to but I am eternally grateful that they are happy to see me go off and...
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A Night at the Shack
Last July, my Mother, Grandmother, and Aunty Tracey had excitedly made plans to sleep in a log cabin before rafting down the Lehigh River along the lofty peaks of the Poconos Mountains in Pennsylvania. For this reason, I now know better whenever I see another cliche image of log cabin. Those warm and loving illustrations of warm and loving roomy structures… what tosh! This misadventure,...
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The Road to Change
Spring break of 2012, my life was changed. Instead of going on a vacation to a swanky resort I spent my time in the Dominican Republic with Global Leadership Adventures doing volunteer work. Our group consisted of about 14 girls and 1 boy and we all got along tremendously, and I am still in touch with them today. The program focused on sustainability, but for me the highlight of the program was our...
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A Picture-Perfect Beach Vacation
As a last hoorah before college, my Girl Scout troop decided to take a weeklong trip to South Padre Island, a beach destination in Texas on the Gulf of Mexico. We had a blast: it was a great way to end our twelve years of Girl Scouting, and we all managed to get the summer tans we had wanted! For our stay, we rented two condos at Seagull...
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Saying Goodbye
I scuff at the orange dust with my flip-flop and stare at our cinder-brick house. It’s all packed up—my life stowed in Tupperwares tied expertly to the top of our Land Rover.The whole village has come to see us off, and Na Nyima surveying our house doubtfully asks Daddy in Tanda if we really were coming back. Daddy laughs and assures her we will. I turn to Renee and hug her. “See you in nine...
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My Trip to Croatia
It was the trip that my sister and I were dreading yet at the same time, also welcoming. It was the trip to our father's homeland, Croatia. Our youthful eyes and hearts were eager to return back to the place where we spent our childhood summers, but our teenage minds were dreading the month we would be spending away from home, a month away from our friends and our cellphones. Before our vacation...
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