Don’t Ask Why
One of the first things I learned from our guide, photographer Luis Alarcon, was “Don’t ask why.” Why is the salary of a doctor just […]
A Mystery
Cuba is a mystery. I was there for just two weeks and have left with many more questions than answers. I have also left with […]
Simply the Best
Even though our group had an early flight (except for the three of us who would be staying in Europe), we gathered in the hotel […]
The Rest of the Story
There was so much more to our TOP Tour than the few posts I’ve written. Here are a few highlights from some of the other […]
Sachsenhausen Memorial and Museum
It was the only cool and rainy day of our two-week TOP Tour when we rode the train to Oranienburg, about 35 kilometers from Berlin. This […]
Berlin
Berlin is amazing. After spending a week traveling between villages and small cities, our TOP Tour allowed us to experience Berlin for an entire week. […]
The Living Room
Wohnzimmer It simply means living room. This is the name of a project in Fulda, a city in central Germany. We visited Wohmzimmer during our […]
Before the Deluge
The torrent began the moment the ref blew the final whistle. Buckets upon buckets of water fell from the sky. There was no hope of […]
Going to Schule
I’ve had the chance to meet with students and teachers at three German schools during this TOP Tour. I’ve learned a lot, so this is […]
A Powerful Lesson from Students
One of the privileges of participating in this TOP Tour in Germany is having access to people, places, and stories we would not ordinarily encounter […]
Seeing in the Dark
I felt the cane pushing between my feet and the wall in front of me. I heard cars honking and wondered if I could survive […]
Summer School
So I guess it’s too soon to take another year off (or is it?). In the meantime, I’ve been researching and applying to a few […]
Finding Community
Last summer, after returning from my year abroad, I joined a memoir writing class taught by author Ethan Gilsdorf. I wrote two pieces during the […]
One Year Later: What I Miss Most about Vietnam
I was recently asked to write a reflection on my time in Vietnam for Chào Fulbright, the newsletter of the Fulbright Program in Vietnam. Here […]
Lessons Learned from A Year Abroad
It doesn’t seem right to condense a year-long experience into an hour-long presentation, but that’s what I did. I spoke in a beautiful upstairs room […]
Hasta Luego Mexico City
My trip to CDMX began with a search on Google Flights one weekend when I was avoiding other tasks. I was wondering if there was […]