The emphasis on community and cultural involvement was one of the most important parts of my trip to Morocco, and the image I selected represents both of those things. At the CCCL, we were taught the basics of haggling in the souks and were given 30 dirhams (about 3.26 dollars) along with an hour and…
Until Next Time, Morocco
While I was looking through my camera roll trying to find one photo that best represented my time in Morocco I struggled. I almost chose a photo of me shopping through the Souks or a photo of the beach, or even the ice cream shop that I visited a lot of the days we were…
Days 11/12/13: Almost Bilingual
After the Waorani we spent a good day pretty much relaxing at the lodge which was nice and I took a very long nap. We also painted our bowls from the prior day and I went for a starry galaxy design which turned out not great but I was proud of it. When I went…
Day 11 – An Amazing Experience
I can’t believe I’m writing the final blog post of this trip. The two weeks flew by. This was definitely one of the coolest experiences of my life! I’m so grateful for all the memories and friends I’ve made through this trip. On our last day we presented our final presentation. It was interesting to…
Adios Buenos Aires!
Today is my last day in Buenos Aires, and I am so grateful for the experiences I had on this trip! Today started off with our final presentations at Austral-our topic was the Ministry of Health. I feel like during these past two weeks, I developed a completely new perspective on Argentine Healthcare. It’s hard…
Day 13 – Departure Day!
To summarize my time abroad in Argentina I will talk in terms of their health systems and also in terms of life. To start, it was really cool to learn about how a public health care system works. We also learned a little about how the government functions. I got some insight into the multiple…
Last Day – An Unforgettable Experience
This trip has been a life-changing experience. From knowing basically nothing about healthcare in general and nothing about Argentina, I now feel confident enough to inform someone else about the system. Seeing different perspectives in the US, it helped me gain a better insight into how other countries and people deal with healthcare struggles. Argentina’s…
Days 11/12 – The final days.
Day 11 was a nice chill day after another long travel day back from the Waorani. We were all absolutely exhausted, not only from the travel but from the packed day with the tribe. Breakfast at 8am, like usual, but only some pottery painting in the morning, followed by a great showcase of how chocolate…
Day 10: Federalism
Today we returned to the downtown campus of Universidad Austral for another full day of lectures focused on Argentina’s healthcare system. The weather was beautiful today, and the city felt very active with cafés, restaurants, and shops busy throughout the morning. It has been interesting spending more time in the downtown area and getting a…
Canals, Chocolate, and Coats
After a short stop in the hotel, our first day in Amsterdam began at Centraal Station with a canal tour across the city. As the boat tore through the rivers, the history of the city revealed itself in the tilted, brick structures. Located next to the ocean, the city has served as a trade port…
With The Waorani
We woke up from our lodge to take an early bus all of the way to the Waprani territories, the ride being about 2 hours long. When we finally arrived to the doc, there were four big canoes waiting to take us on our journey. Lily, Ben, Gavin, and rick were on my canoe,…
Flowers and Floating Houses
After another morning of bread, yogurt, and cheese, our group departed for de Tulperij, a family-owned tulip farm in Voorhout. Grown there are a variety of tulips for the purpose of selling their bulbs and stalks locally and nationally. A unique aspect of the farm is how it utilizes the environment of the Netherlands to…
Tribal Living
We spent an unforgettable day with the tribe, starting with a visit to the massive ceiba trees, some of the largest trees in the Amazon. These trees hold great importance within the community, serving as gathering places, scouting locations, and spaces where stories are passed down through generations. Listening to the matriarch of the tribe…
Bye
As I stood in the ridiculously long immigration line in the Quito airport, I had time to reflect on our action-packed trip. Everything I learned, accomplished, and experienced in such a short amount of time cannot be explained in words – thus explaining why this “reflection” blog will be a short one. Talking with our…
Into the Lungs of Planet Earth
The next leg of our journey took us deeper into the Amazon as we traveled to the Waroni tribe. The trip involved a two-hour bus ride to the airport, followed by another six hours traveling down the river by canoe. It was incredible being so far removed from civilization and fully surrounded by nature. Along…
Horticulture, History, and Hors d’oeuvres
Our final day in Amsterdam began with a visit to Zaanse Schans, a historically preserved village known for its wooden windmills and farmland. Walking through the town, we arrived at a lookout point where our tour guide, Enno, discussed the development of the former farmland. Initially, the region, and most of the Netherlands, was mostly…
Journey to the Napo
Welcome back, travelers. We finally made it to our lodge in the Amazon and have officially begun our adventures here. Our first day started with pottery making alongside a local expert who has worked with clay since she was a little girl. Using colorful clay sourced from over four hours away, we crafted traditional bowls…
Knowledge and Kristalbaad
Departing from Amsterdam, we arrived in Enchede where we will be staying for 3 days in the University of Twente Campus. For the first time this year, we got to relive the experience of touring colleges as students were kind enough to give us a tour around their campus. Similar to Amsterdam, bike lanes littered…
Up and Up
Welcome back, travelers. It’s been a packed couple of days since my last post. We continued our journey through Ecuador, visiting volcanoes, waterfalls, and even seeing some of the biggest birds in the world. Our day started at the Cotacachi volcano, where we took a boat ride around the lake inside the crater. It was…
Day 12: Vaarwel
Today was our final day in the Netherlands! We had a very slow start to the day and left around 10:00, giving us time to enjoy our last morning and eat a full breakfast. Then, we departed to The Hague, the political capital of the Netherlands. This was a really interesting city, because it almost…