Gap Year Abroad Blog

It’s been four months, and I still run down Avenida Alemania, completely in awe of the view of the colored houses and sparkling blue ocean down below. In awe of... keep reading

Today was the first day I saw my host sister cry. We were all having our normal Sunday lunch with the whole family, and I noticed immediately how upset she... keep reading

February 27, 2015 (10 months ago) “…But, I’m forgetting that there are going to be days where I want to talk in English – with people that know my slang... keep reading

Never before had I been sung Happy Birthday in three different languages from a table full of homemade cakes and completos. The orange-walled house was bubbling with warmth from all... keep reading

Something I’ve been hearing a lot about recently, and have been struggling with and thinking about, is the decision between staying with your roots, staying with your past, or going... keep reading

Just about a month ago I was lucky enough to travel with some friends from the program to a town called San Pedro de Atacama. Way up north near Bolivia... keep reading

I was known in my friend group as the "non-hugger." I love my friends, but they grew to realize that I was not one to display my love through touch... keep reading

The fact that I haven’t blogged in about 2 weeks fully describes my past 2 weeks. I have been going and going and feel like I still haven’t had a... keep reading

Welcome to my blog, and I can't wait to share my adventures with all of you. I have been in Chile for almost a month now and have already written... keep reading

Sometimes I have a small surge of guilt go through my mind. When I am in my bedroom reading a good book, hanging out with my family, or taking a... keep reading

I make a lot of mistakes, usually a bunch of little things that add up to an unreal amount. This weekend may have been my record. But in spite of... keep reading

"What are we doing?" "Where are we going?" "Weren't we supposed to leave three hours ago?" These are questions that I constantly think but have just learned to not ask... keep reading

The Market was compact, bright and intensely overwhelming. As I walked through the two foot wide, dirty path dodging runaway apples and oranges, vendors bellowed their prices at me. Dusty... keep reading

Ingrained in stone on my fireplace are the words: The only constant is change. The words spiraled through my life unnoticed and slightly ominous, but I remember my father repeating... keep reading

August 15, 2015 This past weekend was not what I thought it was going to be like. Chloe, my family, the Yévenes’, and I had been overly excited to take... keep reading