I shaved my head — all 10 inches of my thick, brown hair — four days after I moved to Africa. Why?
I’m not sure exactly what to expect, other than the experience of a lifetime. I likely won’t have regular access to electricity; but don’t worry, I plan to update my blog with many stories each month. I will set them on a timer, so that you see fresh content every week and never miss a beat! Thanks for your continued love and support.
But neither the time nor miles seemed to matter. I reconnected with many friends and family and we picked up where we had left off, so to speak, and caught up on all our misadventures. When we weren’t swapping stories, the best part was to just be — like old times.
To be honest, I was ready for it all to be over before the race even started. About four months into my training, and just two weeks before the big day, I got tired. I was tired of counting kilometers, tired of canceling happy hour, tired of skipping late night social events and tired of waking up before the sun. I was tired, so very tired, of running.
What’s at the bottom of the world? Penguins, of course. From Punta Arenas, Chile, the world’s southernmost city, I sailed the Magellan Strait to visit the largest penguin colony in the region.
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.
