Every Peace Corps volunteer is asked to write an aspirational statement for his or her service before arriving in the country. I remember friends and family asking me exactly what I would be doing in Peru and I had no idea, yet I was tasked with coming up with aspirations for my experience. My aspirations…

It is starting to sink in that I just have 4 months of my service left. That’s just four months to explore all of the good, bad, and beautiful of this place that has become my home. This experience has introduced me to a different way of life so I decided to compile a list…

In 2017, I set a goal to read 50 books over the course of the year and I actually achieved 52! I read an average of one book per week, which is the most I have ever been able to read in my life. I love reading, but with work and different responsibilities, it is…

This Christmas definitely had a theme song: Happy Christmas by John Lennon. So let me explain how that came to be. During the holiday season this year, I was feeling a little down. I tried to ignore Thanksgiving so that I wouldn’t have to think about all of the amazing food that my mom was…

My Peace Corps service has been a dream come true lately. After a year of spreading myself thin trying every possible project with every possible community group, I have been able to identify what works and narrow my focus to some larger, more meaningful and sustainable projects that I am really excited about. I have…

Having the courage to raise my hand and join the thousands of other women who are declaring “Me Too” across social media platforms is hard. It is embarrassing and it hurts and the last thing I want to do is cause my family to worry when I am 3,000 miles away. It is also heartbreaking…

Dear Gisele, I am writing you because you have grown to be my best friend during my time in Chacas, but I know you will not remember me. When I leave, you will be just 2 and a half years old and the only thing that will be left of me is the puppy beanie…

I have been struggling to find ways to begin this blog post because it is so hard to put into words how incredible my vacation to Iquitos was. It was a trip where I was forced to turn off my cell phone for 5 whole days due to limited signal and electricity and just experience…

Today marks my one year anniversary of living in beautiful Chacas, Ancash! This means that I have exactly one year to go on this Peace Corps journey! Leading up to this day, I have done a ton of reflection about my first year and what I feel proud of in my service and what things…