My Journey of Discovering the Meaning of “Sí Se Puede”
The world is a marvelous place, home to many cultures, beautiful scenery, and many undiscovered beauties. Since I was a child, I dreamt of traveling this beautiful blue marble, called Earth. I had no...
Read More 3 min read
VSA (Vacation of Scholarly Acceptance)
Merriam-Webster says that a vacation is a period of time spent away from work in order to rest or travel, but my vacation was much more than that. My time spent in Nashville, Tennessee, blended together...
Read More 2 min read
The Pounds I Gained from Paris to Provence
In a word association test pertaining to France, people will likely come up with answers such as Eiffel Tower, Louvre, and Tour de France. However, I had the opportunity to visit France with my family...
Read More 2 min read
Home in the World, Roots in China-June 2013
This is the story of when I returned to my Found Site. What I saw made me realize how lucky I am. The roads were made of dirt, the building timeworn, and I stood in front of it – my Found...
Read More 2 min read
Shoot for the Stars
Every family has their ups and downs. Every family is different, every family loves in different ways. Every family is at least slightly crazy, and if this in't true for your family, you haven't spent...
Read More 3 min read
Adventures in Aspen
I'd say that nothing can really change you like travel can. I was sixteen years old, teetering on the edge of elated freedom and terrifying reality. I had never flown without my parents before,...
Read More 2 min read
Why Tourists Shouldn’t Be Tourists
I knew from the beginning that my itinerary would not consist of sunny days spent lounging by the pool, coconut slushy in hand and sunscreen smeared sunglasses perched on my head. Despite my frequent...
Read More 3 min read
The Touch of Magic
As soon as I walked in, I immediately regretted it. Cobwebs were dangling off broken chandeliers and spooky music hummed in the background. Dim lights gave the room an orange glow, and everything looked...
Read More 2 min read
Mockingbird’s Call to Humanity
It was blasted cold, and being the Texas girl I am, I was bundled in layers of thick jackets and mittens. After having waited in a long line outside and then confronted by a picky squad of security, I...
Read More 2 min read
Dragon Army’s Adventure Legacy : What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Our Memories for Ever
Nostalgia. Nostalgia. Nostalgia. I can still recall the crisp, rushing wind as it grazed my face from every angle. As we twisted and turned so rapidly, the darkness of the night was engulfed by the...
Read More 3 min read
Breakthrough
Bzzz! We were constantly swatting away persistent mosquitoes which craved our blood, dehydrated from the sweat pouring off our bodies, and sore from the backpacks that felt like a pack of elephants....
Read More 2 min read
Pompeii Dreams
Young and hopeful, I dreamed of seeing the places from my "Who Was" books and History Channel documentaries. I wrote stories of going to Egypt and discovering King Tut’s tomb for myself. I wished...
Read More 3 min read
One Ola at a Time
Waving goodbye to my chaperones and fellow exchange students, all of the excitement that had built inside me on the 12-hour plane ride to Costa Rica turned to dread as I realized that my classroom...
Read More 2 min read
God Was Having A Good Day When He Made Alaska
Alaska is more a humbling experience than anything else. There’s something beautiful in every direction you look. My dad knew this when he planned our day in Juneau....
Read More 2 min read
The Big Blue
I have visited thousands of places, dozens of countries, lived through marvelous adventures, but nothing will ever compare the amazing experience I had in Polynesia. I was sixteen, I loved swimming...
Read More 3 min read
Monterrey: The City of Mountains and of My Heart
Even though I travel to Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico every year in the summer, the city never ceases to amaze me and every time I leave, I feel as though...
Read More 2 min read
Waters of Freedom
Dictators have had a horrible history throughout the world, and although they are not prevalent in the United States, I found my life being controlled, not by a person, but by fear. My fear of doing...
Read More 2 min read
The Little Things Can Change a Lifetime
Winding cobblestone roads, with walls seemingly growing ever closer, until even the smallest Fiat can barely squeeze through. Frigid stream water, rushing down from the heights of the Alps. Old buildings,...
Read More 2 min read
Why I Will Always Belong to India
The rancid odor of pollution and cow dung penetrated my lungs as we emerged from the doors of the Delhi international airport, and the usual a crowd of luggage carriers and taxi cab drivers began their...
Read More 2 min read
_0.JPG)
Love at First Animal Towel
Carnival cruises tend to be known for their exotic destinations, staff aiming to please, and a trip of a lifetime. Yet those weren’t what made my 4 day trip to Cozumel so memorable. That was all because...
Read More 3 min read
Spending a Year in Nigeria
When my parents decided to start their family in America, they instilled their Nigerian values in us children. Every morning, I would wake up to greet my parents with a "Good morning, mom! Good morning,...
Read More 3 min read
A Tale of Two Worlds
I glance behind me, checking that my little sister is asleep on the bed as I slip out onto the balcony of our rented villa. It’s early evening in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia, right after the heat of...
Read More 2 min read
A Scenic Stroll to 1975
Four hours, three airports, two flights, one bus ride; we were here. A sanctuary with greenery and decadent coloring, the aroma of Blackeyed Susans captivated my lungs; I felt at home, but more...
Read More 3 min read
Zorita de Las Gente
He was probably in his late twenties when he died. He was a Christian monk and a member of the Knights Templars of the order of Calatrava. He slept in his armor and he rarely bathed. Let’s call him...
Read More 3 min read
Swiss Sweets
Swiss cheese, Swiss chocolates, Swiss Alps, and Edelweiss must ring a few bells for everybody. Switzerland is known...
Read More 3 min read
Seeing All in Seattle
I lean my head against the cool window of the Link Light Rail, watching rain droplets race one another down the expanse of the glass; if I squint they look like tiny men in the foreground of Washington’s...
Read More 3 min read
Speaking French In Ecuador
Rule number one to traveling: Study the native language for more than a week. That was something I had not taken into serious consideration as I hopped onto my plane. My destination was...
Read More 3 min read
The Locals Say “Nica”
People didn’t really get it when I said I was going to Nicaragua for spring break. “Isn’t that dangerous?” “Oh, is it for a mission trip?” and “Where even is that?” were only a few of...
Read More 2 min read
International Deprogramming: The truth About Nigeria
“So there I was, spear in hand,” I recounted to my thoroughly American friends, “The lion charged at me, jaws agape, snarling like the devil himself.” They’re all paying rapt attention...
Read More 2 min read
A Night on Battlefield 1864
The night was cold but the air was clean, so clean that the only thing that had polluted the perfect scent of the wilderness was the smell of fresh pine burning beside our camp smoldering away into...
Read More 2 min read
More Than Just a Museum Visit
Every summer I visit family in Seattle. The weather is always a million degrees cooler than Houston, TX, where I live. I love the change in scenery and lifestyle. Since I live in the suburbs, I am unacquainted...
Read More 2 min read
Finding Myself from the Summit in Colombia
"I am American. I was born in America. My skin complexion might be slightly darker but I am American no matter what.” I had these words engraved in my thoughts and no one believed them more than I...
Read More 2 min read
The Unconventional Ideal Vacation
Imagine your ideal vacation. Where are you -- On a beach, a jungle, or by the pool in five star hotel. What are...
Read More 2 min read
Hiraeth for Haiti
For my spring break of my senior year, I applied to go on a mission trip to Haiti. To my delight I was accepted to go, and the day we were set to go arrived quickly. The first day was water truck day,...
Read More 3 min read
Getting to Know Paris
I believe that the point of traveling is to escape a person's normal lifestyle, to break the habits of everyday lives. I grew up in a family of travel; we are always looking for new places to go in...
Read More 2 min read
Irish I Could’ve Stayed
Going into this trip, I was more excited to see cute red headed Irish boys than I was to see the Cliffs of Moher. I was more excited for the puns I would put as my captions on Instagram than I...
Read More 3 min read
Yellow Flowers and Invisible Fear
Fear is the one, invisible deterrent that stops me from making the most of my life. Fear is not a person or a physical obstacle, but I too often live my life dominated by its unseen hand. But...
Read More 2 min read
How to Survive a Volcano Hike
It’s a tradition in my family that we take at least one cruise annually. Last summer, it was a seven day cruise to the Southern Caribbean. We piled into the car, drove to the airport,...
Read More 3 min read
Antarctic Marathon Adventure
One does not simply walk a marathon in Antarctica, at least not without three layers of jackets and sweaters -- I learned that the hard way. It was March 9, 2014. I, filled with adrenaline, looked anxiously...
Read More 2 min read
The Power of People: Helping Rebuild in the Birthplace of Jazz
Pulling apart a roof is not as simple as it sounds. As I pried the warped and rotting shingles away from a house damaged by Katrina, I felt a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment that I had never...
Read More 3 min read
A New Set of Cultural Binoculars
“You’re just different. You look like us, and your family is from here, but you’re so American,” Marilyn told me for the twentieth time. I understood well enough that being first generation...
Read More 3 min read
From Gulf Shores to Skyscrapers
From the excruciating packing for the trip there, to the heart-wrenching packing for the way home, New York City had slowly crept into my heart, calling itself home. Coming from a small town...
Read More 2 min read
The City Does Not Have Soul– It Reflects Your Own
Living in Midcoast Maine and competing in the USEF equestrian circuit throughout New England, I am no stranger to travel. I have experienced the beckoning of a rustic, quaint town as well as the calm...
Read More 2 min read
A Spanish Walk to Remember — A Week of Camino de Santiago
As I gazed up at the arched cathedral ceilings, held aloft by massive Romanesque columns, my mind wandered during mass as I thought about the week my family had just spent completing the Camino de Santiago. ...
Read More 3 min read
The Mountains Are Calling and I Must Go
“The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.” These are the insightful words of John Muir, famed outdoorsman and conservationist....
Read More 3 min read
Elephant Adventures
“It’ll be great!” my father exclaimed with enthusiasm. He was referring to an elephant riding attraction he heard about earlier that day. We were in Thandwe, a small village in the Southeast Asian...
Read More 1 min read
An Abundance of Love
As I boarded the plane to be carried across the sea I was strangely calm. I was at peace. I was surprised by this, for this would be my first mission trip overseas and yet all that I felt in that moment...
Read More 3 min read
See America First: Bringing Back the Great American Road Trip
When most people think of a relaxing family vacation, a cross-country adventure through nine western states plus a Canadian province doesn’t automatically come to mind. However, my parents weren’t...
Read More 3 min read
