2020 is largely a dumpster fire. There are plenty of things that I'm still grateful for - the best parents and brother, Eli, Hirt baby, Ollie, my savings account, evenings on the balcony, etc - but I really believe the year in its entirety is the root cause of my shingles. This year has robbed … Continue reading Grieve the Important Things, Even If They Are Only Important to You
I was laid off on July 1. Obviously being unemployed is not ideal (especially with that $600/week coming to an end), but I'm using this as an opportunity to dig my heals into the Portland nonprofit world. Working remotely for my job in Indy was great in so many ways. There's a lot to be … Continue reading Coastal Getaway with a Side of Shingles
Original post can be found here. Spanish is the second most spoken language in the world, far behind Chinese in first and barely snuffing out English in third. With so many native speakers scattered all over the globe, accents and dialects run rampant, making Spanish sometimes tricky but mostly fascinating. Each region’s dialect offers a … Continue reading 10 Words to Know Before Arriving in Costa Rica
I'm beginning to learn a painfully obvious lesson: what has been cannot be again. Deep, I know. When it comes to travel and living abroad, I've discovered this to be even more true. When I arrived in Sámara last November for the Costa Rica TEFL month-long course, I was thrust into a group of friends that … Continue reading Going Through Changes
I've been really lucky to know three of my grandparents my entire life. My paternal grandma died at the hands of breast cancer when I was a wee babe, so I never really knew her, but her memory has been kept alive in my family in such a way that I feel like I do. … Continue reading International Love
I'm told rain is coming. On the days that reach 92, 95, 97 degrees and the air conditioning at school breaks, I'm told rain is coming. Every morning after having woken up the night before around 2:00am to a pillow drenched in neck sweat, I'm told rain is coming. I've seen intermittent evidence of this, … Continue reading Río Celeste in the Rain
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