To the incredible, thoughtful, compassionate friends I met while living abroad: When we first met, I had no idea how important you would become in my life. I had no idea that you would become not only some of my closest friends, but my family while I was away from my own. I had no... Continue Reading →
Volunteering with Vive Peru (Clinical Medicine Program)
A lot of you have asked me to write about my experiences at Vive Peru, so here is a general overview of the program, my experience, and my thoughts! I spent a lot of time comparing volunteer programs -- I was looking for an organization that promoted sustainable action within under-served communities, and a location... Continue Reading →
Trujillo: Part 2
My dad called me the other day and asked why I haven't posted on the blog. The answer is three-fold. 1) I forgot. 2) I can't bring my camera out of my house, so I have almost no pictures. 3) I've been struggling to find a way to present Trujillo in a fair, unbiased way,... Continue Reading →
Trujillo: Part 1
Llegamos a Trujillo!!! We arrived in Trujillo! There's a ton I want to tell y'all, so here is part 1 of 2 about our time in Trujillo. On Tuesday we took an overnight bus from Lima to Trujillo, arriving at about 7:30am, and then took a taxi to our house. Have I mentioned how horrendous... Continue Reading →
the llama sweater.
Kristen's side of the story: It all started with a llama sweater. I had been looking at these sweaters when I first arrived in Cusco, but they were all so pretty I couldn't choose just one. Since we originally thought our trek was 4 days, not 5, we thought I would have a full day... Continue Reading →
Machu Picchu.
Did you know that Hiram Bingham, a Yale professor, accidentally found Machu Picchu in 1911? He was actually looking for another lost Incan city when he found it. Not only was it a city strictly for the noble people of the Incan civilization, but it was a religious center and an astronomical observatory. On the... Continue Reading →
Salkantay (sahl-khan-TIE)
When they tell you a trek is "not for beginners", it also means "not for intermediates" and "not for experienced hikers". Rather, it means "for Indiana Jones if he did steroids". I was going to start this story at the beginning of the trek, but I decided to start it before the beginning, at 4am... Continue Reading →
Cusco for Dummies
We've been in Cusco for nearly two days, and it has been an absolute dream. Besides the cobblestone streets, historic buildings, picturesque mountains, and incredible food, the vibrant culture of the people here has been overwhelming, in all the right ways. When we arrived yesterday morning, we had spent the night in the Lima airport.... Continue Reading →
Living on a Prayer
WOW! The fact that we're sitting in the Miami airport about to leave for Peru is a miracle, no joke. Yesterday, I was on a 6am flight from Phoenix to Dallas. The next day (today), we were supposed to fly to Peru from Houston. I got a notification right before boarding that our flight to... Continue Reading →