My ABC's of Travel

A: Age you went on your first international trip
In the good old days, you didn't need a passport to travel to Canada, so we'd gone to Canada many times (if you can count driving across the bridge at Niagara Falls actually going to Canada). I don't really remember these trips, but the first international travel that I remember is when I traveled to Mexico when I was 15 years old.

Nothing says "I'm traveling without my parents for the first time" more than corn rows and a Hooters shirt. 

B: Best foreign beer you've had and where
Totally not a beer person. The first, and only, beer I've ever finished is a Port Royal in Honduras, but that attests more to how much I had already drank as opposed to the quality of the beer.

C: Cuisine (favorite)
Baleadas. Followed by Honduran fried chicken.

D: Destinations-- favorite, least favorite, and why?
Favorite? Cayos Cochinos. I mean, how could I not love it? It was beautiful and it was cheap and it was with some of my best friends.

Least favorite?
I don't know. At the moment, I love everything that I've ever done. Can I say the hostel that we stayed at in Ilha Grande? Because that was pretty gnarly.

E: Event you've experienced abroad that made you say "wow"
Surfing at sunset in El Salvador. I mean, come on, who does that?

It was my first time, give me some credit. No one is perfect.

F: Favorite mode of transportation
In the back of a pick-up truck.

G: Greatest feeling while traveling
When you aren't 100% positive that your transportation plans are going to work out and you aren't positive that your hostel isn't going to be terrible and you aren't even sure that you understood correctly when you asked for directions, but then you find yourself on transportation that takes you to a hostel that has everything you need and you just feel relieved that nobody died.

H: Hottest place you've ever traveled to
Rio is pretty toasty. As was the car ride from Honduras to Nicaragua.

I: Incredible service you've experienced and where?
Martin, with Prime Tours, in Ilha Grande, Brazil. We climbed Pico do Papagaio with him, and while I wanted to die, he was the most awesome person I have ever met. I want him to accompany of all my life journeys and be my life tour guide. If anyone goes to Ilha Grande and doesn't do some sort of tour with Martin and his company, they are definitely missing out!

Martin with the selfie sick for the win.

J: Journey that took the longest
I've been lucky enough to have avoided any sort of overly stressful travel adventures (apart from luggage not arriving), thank goodness. It did take almost 30 hours door to door when traveling from Siguatepeque, Honduras to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

K: Keepsake from your travels
I always make a photo book through Shutterfly for all of my travels. I work on it throughout the trip,so that as soon as my trip is over and there's a sale, I can purchase it for cheap. Shutterfly usually has a sale for each holiday and some of them can be up to 50-70% off! Having all of my photos and memories in one place is priceless for me, so I'm willing to pay the high prices for these.

L: Let-down sight and why?
It was so CROWDED when I went up to the Christ Statue. All three times. And the first time I went, it was cloudy. I love the Christ Stature, but I haven't had great luck when visiting it.

M: Moment you fell in with traveling
I don't think it was a moment as more of something I've been born with. I've always loved exploring and going new places, so I think it's always been part of me.

N: Nicest hotel you've stayed in
Living in Honduras doesn't really lead to staying in "nice" hotels. Manageable hotels, but not necessarily nice. I did spend a couple nights at the Union Station Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee a couple of years ago and it was AWESOME. I've also spent many afternoons wandering through the gardens of the Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville, but I've never actually stayed there so I can't attest to things such as customer service, etc

O: Obsession-- what are you obsessed with taking pictures of while traveling?
Bodies of water and sunsets. Better if they're in the same photo. My life can be a huge cliche sometimes.

P: Passport stamps-- how many and from where?
16, give or take a couple. All from Honduras, Brazil, Canada (had to ask for that stamp), El Salvador, and Nicaragua.

Q: Quirkest attraction you've visited and where?
Hands down, the playground where American playground equipment goes to die.

R: Really frightening-- where's one place you've visited where you felt unsafe or uneasy?
I haven't visited a place where I have felt consistently unsafe or unease, but rather situations where I haven't felt the most comfortable. I can say the same for places in the States, too.

S: Splurge-- something you have no problem spending money on while traveling
Something that I have been thinking about for a long time (like hang-gliding) or an experience that I don't want to miss out on or something that is really particular to the culture of the country I am visiting (an authentic churrascaria in Brazil, for example). I'm more likely to pay for to do something for the experience than to pay money to buy something.

T: Touristy thing you've done
Hang-gliding. Bought a GoPro and used it?

U: Unforgettable travel memory
How could I pick just one? Spending New Years Eve in Times Square was awesome though. Cold, but awesome.

V: Visas-- how many and for where?
Many temporary ones for Honduras and two for Brazil-- one expired and one not.

W: Wine-- best glass while traveling
I'm kind of a snob and like wine better the more it tastes like juice. Which is hard to come by. Thank you, Wal-Mart for stocking Barefoot wine and Arbor Mist.

X: eXcellent view and from where?
The Sugarloaf and Vista Chinesa.

Y: Years spent traveling
Consecutively? 3 and a half.

Z: Zealous sports fans and where?
Cleveland Indians, duh. And la H. AND Fluminense.

Everything Is Different

As I was looking at my TimeHop today, I was met with these two images. 

In that instant, I was transported to one year ago at this time and so vividly remember the feelings that I was plagued with each day. For a brief moment, I felt like I was reliving that day all over again. The pain was so real.

I was suddenly reliving the days when tear stained cheeks and red puffy eyes were the norm. I was remembering the physical pain I felt when saying good-bye to each of my students and to the friends who had become more like my family. Each "This is the last time I am going to do/ eat/ see this." was coming flooding back to me. And I quickly became reintroduced to feeling so disoriented; as if it was someone else living my life.

Not only did I go back to the difficulties of leaving Honduras, but also the struggles that faced me upon landing in the States. There were so many tears for the life I had left behind and so many tears for not being able to embrace the blessings in front of me at home. There was the feeling that I didn't belong anywhere anymore and that I would never love any place more than I loved Honduras. That I would never love my life anymore than I did during the two years I called Siguatepeque my home.

The pain was intense and it was constant. At the beginning, I couldn't make it through a church service without crying. Naps, tears, and hours spent alone we part of my daily routine. At the beginning, I was unable to see past the pain. I was so wrapped up in it that I was unable to see all the blessings that come from loving places and people so deeply. And there was no way that I was going to find any comfort in all of the blessings that were heading my way.

Slowly, and without realizing it, the time spent alone grew shorter. The sobbing calls to my roommates from Honduras became weekly as opposed to daily, and soon monthly as opposed to weekly. 

Soon, I was able to look back on my time in Honduras without feeling pain that it had ended, but rather joy that it had happened. That's not to say that I don't miss Honduras and the relationships that were built there. I miss that country as much today as I did the day that I left it almost 365 days ago. 

When looking at the images that appeared on my TimeHop, the pain I felt wasn't for me. Not the me that I am today. The pain I felt was for the me who I was one year ago. What she was going through was hard, sometimes unbearably so. She thought that the good-byes would be the hardest part, but was unprepared for the weeks ahead of her in the States. I felt pain for her, but I didn't feel pain for me.

Over the last 365 days, each day was a battle. A battle to find the positives in the situations given to me. A battle to look back on my time in Honduras with love as opposed to the thought of it filling me with sorrow. A battle to love Honduras while also loving the States and Brazil. Some days were good, some days weren't so great. But each day brought me to here-- 365 days later when I can see all of the positives that came from living in, and leaving, Honduras.

A year ago today, I couldn't even fathom a life that didn't involve living in Honduras. But here I am, one year later, doing exactly that. Day by day, nothing seems to change. But all of a sudden, you look back and everything is different.

Casa Que O Amor Construiu.

The House That Love Built

Despite all of the horrific and horrible things happening in this world today, there are so many awesome and inspiring things happening each day. While it sometimes feels like there is, there is not shortage of love all around us. We just need to open our eyes to it.

Here in Rio de Janeiro, we have our fair share of crappy things happening. But we also have teenagers donating their time to so many social projects throughout the city. We have elementary students going barefoot to raise awareness for the social injustices of the world as well as donating their old shoes to children who need them. And we have amazing organizations such as the Ronald McDonald House helping thousands of families throughout the world every day.

My first contact with the Ronald McDonald House (affectionately known as RMH) came while in college. I was a member of the Alpha Delta Pi sorority whose national philanthropy is RMH. Each year we held various philanthropy events to raise money for RMH, each semester we would drive up the RMH in Cleveland to spend and evening cooking dinner or crafting with the kids, and we were ALWAYS collecting pop tabs. Always. 

After graduating and moving to Honduras, I didn't really have the opportunity to be directly involved with RMH as one does not even exist in Honduras. The closest one was in Guatemala. I hardly left my little city in Honduras, let alone the country. 

And so I forgot. I forgot about all of the awesome things that RMH does for families.

The McDonalds here in Rio de Janiero is currently having this awesome promotion where you can buy a Triplo Bacon for R$6.50. In English, a triple cheeseburger with bacon for about $2. I know, I know. It sounds like heaven, but it's really just Rio de Janeiro.

Nautrally, I'm not going to pass up a deal like that. So as I stood in line waiting for my Triplo Bacon, I noticed a collection box at the register. The change, of course, would be donated to RMH of Rio de Janeiro. 

After a quick Google search, I see that RMH is located near Maracana. I don't frequent that area often, but my friend and I had rented a car the other weekend and happened to be out that way, so I asked to stop.

And then I remembered. I remembered all of the awesome things that RMH does for families.

RMH truly is the house that love built.

One Day Without Shoes-- 2015 Edition

"This one goes out to the heroes. Every day heroes. Yeah, I'm talking to you. You probably are all like, "I'm not a hero. You're talking to the wrong person." And I'm all like, "You're talking to your TV!" So listen up! I think you're a hero and don't even know it yet. Maybe you're like me. You look in the mirror and you don't really see a hero. You look and you just see a regular kid. A really good-looking regular kid. But you? You're a hero. Whether you're a kid or a grown-up. You're way more than you might think you are. You're more than your problems and you're more than your mistakes. Somewhere inside, you're a hero. You might not have a cape or wear underwear outside your clothes (that's probably a good thing). You have everything right now to change the world. EVERYTHING! Heroes are just ordinary people who have done extraordinary things. They inspire other people to be extraordinary."

-- Kid President (For the Heroes)

Kid President is awesome. He and I could say the exact same thing (I could even dress up in a cape and jump off benches in the park) and my students are going to be more receptive to Kid President because he's their age. He's also hysterical and charismatic and I wish he was a student in my class.

His "For the Heroes" video tied in perfectly with TOMS One Day Without Shoes campaign which just so happens to be one of my favorite days of the entire year. TOMS is an American based company that started in 2006, when it's founder, Blake Mycoskie, traveled to Argentina and witnessed, firsthand, the hardships faced by children living without shoes. (You can read all about how TOMS got started and how the company has grown on the TOMS website.) TOMS operates under the motto "One For One"-- for every pair of shoes that is purchased, another pair is donated to a child in need.

I think it's easy for people, especially elementary school students, to think that they're too insignificant to make any real change. TOMS has clearly blown that myth to pieces as they have donated over 35 million pairs of shoes since it's foundation. There are many pieces of wisdom that I hope to bestow upon my students (multiplication, long division, the scientific method), but more importantly that differences among people are what make us special, that our words and actions have lasting impacts on those around us, and that each person is capable to make significant change in the world around them.

And so we went barefoot. We learned about empathy versus sympathy, we laughed along with Kid President, we posted photos on Instagram with the hashtag #withoutshoes, we started a shoe drive to collect gently used shoes for people right here in Rio de Janeiro who need them.

One step at a time, one day at a time, we're making a difference. Because, as Kid President says, heroes are just ordinary people doing extraordinary things.

Click here to read about One Day Without Shoes of years past.
One Day Without Shoes-- 2012 Edition (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
One Day Without Shoes-- 2013 Edition (Siguatepeque, Honduras)
One Day Without Shoes-- 2014 Edition (Siguatepeque, Honduras)

Conquer.

When thinking back on 2014, I was reminded of the OneWord365 philosophy that I had so adamantly believed I could succeed at. I had chosen the word "faith" and believed I could apply it to all aspects of my life and embody "faith" as best I could. I would chronicle my journey throughout the year and look back and see how much I had grown. 

But then when I clicked on the "OneWord365" label, I saw one blog post. ONE. In 365 days, I had written about faith one time. Way to stick to that goal.

I began thinking about it more and more. I had only written about faith one time, but I certainly didn't live out my faith only one time. 

The time I quit my job in Honduras when I so desperately wanted to stay? Faith.

The time I accepted a job in Rio de Janeiro? Faith.

The time my visa took  exponentially longer than it should have to go through and I still didn't look for another job? Faith.

The time I laid in bed and cried each night for weeks, unsure if I would last in Rio until Christmas yet waking up each morning and going to class? Faith.

The time I renewed my contract to teach in Rio for another school year? Faith.

It was there. It was present in every single thing that I did whether I was aware of it or not.

For 2015 I have a new goal, a new word. Conquer. 

Conquer fears. Conquer difficulties. 

I lived by faith last year and it brought me here. To a vibrant, busy city that is full of unknowns. Full of opportunities. Full of things that seem really scary.

This year I will conquer these fears. I will push myself to do things that I think are too difficult or not part of my character. I will push myself outside of my comfort zone. I will conquer fears that have been present in my life for many years.

I will conquer challenges that are placed in front of me-- whether they be a challenging situation or a challenging student. Life is full of challenges, but you grow as person in the way that you conquer those challenges.

I'm not so great a New Years Resolutions, but I'm better at One Word 365 than I had originally thought.

Conquer-- I got this.

"If it's both terrifying and amazing then you should definitely pursue it." --Erada

"We don't want to tell our dreams. We want to show them."

- Cristiano Ronaldo

"I am living a dream I never want to wake up from."

- Cristiano Ronaldo