Reflections
Walking the Camino Francés: Living in the Present Moment
Time moved differently on the Camino: especially in the beginning, each day felt like five. Upon reaching the albergues in the afternoon, what I’d done only a few hours ago seemed like another day entirely. Even more distant was my…
Connection, Disconnection, and More Reflections from Morocco
What feels like a long time ago, after returning from my first experience abroad, I wanted to create a dedicated space to share my travels and writing. I had been feeling stuck since coming back to the U.S., and writing…
Pandemic Scraps: Fear, Joy, and Grief in a Changing World
Conquering a fear begins with the smallest of steps: first, a row of teeth scraping against a metal spoon. Out my bedroom window, from which I have watched the pandemic unfold, dusk covers Meknes in deep-ocean blue. Outlines of mountain…
A Year in Review: When You Can’t Write, Read
I can’t get rid of my books. Colorful spines with catchy titles pile upon the carpet in my childhood bedroom as I sort them into haphazard stacks. I have read most of them once; I have read a few an…
A Year in Review: Moments That Made Homes
A Costco photo envelope holds my most cherished memories, the thick stack of pictures traveling with me across country borders. Sometimes they stay in the envelope, other times they make it on the walls in my latest of temporary homes.…
Month One in Morocco: Assumptions Aside
“I want to go to Morocco, but I don’t know if I’d go alone,” said the Australian woman. I sat behind the reception desk of the hostel I worked at, observing the conversation between the two Australian guests. “As a…
Unlocked Doors: Trust and Accountability at a Hostel
“Do you want to go to Poland?” I asked in place of a greeting. I walked down the sidewalk toward my rented house in Colorado Springs, the 7-11 sign beaming in the distance. A close friend from home and I…
Reflections on Adversity While Hiking in the Andes
A confession: as much as I enjoy hiking in mountain ranges, I also enjoy hot showers, flushable toilets, and cleanliness. I had never heard of backpacking until moving to Colorado for college, and I don’t know if I’ll ever fully…
Finding Time for Yourself While Traveling
Reflecting on the semester during which I studied abroad, I spent one of my most memorable days in Monserrat, a beautiful mountain area located less than an hour from the outskirts of Barcelona. Standing on a ledge overlooking the rolling…
Studying Abroad: Escaping My Cultural Bubble
My childhood memories of traveling are fondly marked by the crossing of state lines from my home in the Twin Cities suburbs to Grandma’s house outside of Chicago to my family’s cottage in Northern Michigan. My family always stopped at…
