I teach English, speak Spanish at home and am learning French. In other words, my brain could combust at any moment.
The fireworks show in Valparaíso is simply unmatched and it was a spectacular way to ring in what should be an incredible year for me. Feliz 2014!
Before I moved abroad, guidebooks, blogs, friends and travelers raved about all the incredible people I would meet. No one warned me about how many times I would have to say goodbye.
I have always had a passion for education and empowering others to reach their goals. Throughout the last two years of teaching English as a Foreign Language in Santiago, Chile, I’ve seen the terribly unequal access to quality education, and was further inspired to make a bigger impact in people’s lives through Peace Corps service.
Police tanks spraying tear gas barreled down the street; the water cannons followed quickly in tow. I ran for cover, ducking into a McDonald’s just as employees pulled the metal doors shut. The June scene, a once common occurrence in Santiago, is long-gone now as students buckle down to finish a school year extended so they could meet graduation requirements despite monthslong protests and sit-ins. At my school, however, the strikes have just begun.
The Color Run really is the happiest 5K on the planet! It was awesome to be surrounded by my whole Chile “family” as my friends and roommates joined me for this explosion of color and fun.
