Category: Uncategorized
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Visit Cochahuasi Animal Sanctuary near Cusco, Perú
If you’re hanging out in Cusco, acclimating before a tour and wanting to get out of the city, I’d highly recommend a visit to the Cochahuasi Animal Sanctuary. Situated between Cusco and the town of Pisaq (Pisac), you’ll find a refuge for endangered and threatened animals local to the region. The sanctuary rescues animals who…
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Uncover the US: Northern Colorado
Featuring Denver, Estes Park, Fort Collins and Boulder, Colorado
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Why I chose a tiny house
People often ask why I chose to live in a tiny home or wanted to build one. I never have much of a concrete answer. I wasn’t a fan of the HGTV series my parents are always watching. I didn’t know anyone who had done it. I wasn’t a good environmentalist. I barely recycled. However,…
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We must stop Islamophobia
Attacks on Muslim neighbors are gaining strength in my country and globally. Now in New Zealand, one of the most peaceful countries in the world, at least 49 people are dead because of the color of their skin and the way they choose to worship. I heard on the news about a young girl in…
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Spanish Coasts: Cabo de Gata and Almería
Although I have an undying love for Northern Spain, the beaches and capes of Southern Spain must be appreciated. Here are my favorite beaches and villages in the municipality of Almería: Cabo de Gata Natural Park When I moved to Murcia, one of my Spanish friends would constantly tell me about the beaches of Cabo…
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On building walls in Berlin
A neighborhood exists in Berlin, Germany. The streets of Neukölln are narrow and packed with people from different places. They wear hijabs and tight, trendy leggings; dark peacoats with bright headscarves; military-grunge apparel mixes among tropical patterns. Languages are tossed about and haggled with, coaxing the ears and brain to slow down and listen, to…
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Moving to Northern Spain!!
After five months of waiting, I’m excited to announce I’ve accepted a position with my program for another nine months in Asturias, a northern region of Spain. It will be a change from my life in sunny Murcia, but I’m eager to explore more of the country I’ve called home for the past eight months.…
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Living in Spain: meme edition
Full credit to The Foreign Language Collective and Language acquisition memes for stimulus-impoverished teens pages for a good chunk of these. Communicating with Spanish friends like When asked to teach Spanish children about Columbus When the kids start doing Spanish-style long division Pan every day!! When everyone from your home town is married/ engaged/ has…
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Regions of Spain: Valencia
I’m starting off my stay in the Spanish region of Valencia in the province of Alicante, where my cousin Layla and her husband Ian live. Spain has 17 autonomous regions (Comunidades Autónomas) which are further divided into 50 provinces. I will move to the city of Murcia in the Murcia region, which is about an…
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Year in Review
So we had a rough year. Crises escalated; more people were forced from their homes. People in Michigan continued to live with contaminated water. People in North Dakota feared their water would be taken away. Others had no access to water at all. We elected someone who didn’t know the meaning of the word “unprecedented.”…
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Interview in Belgium: rescuing refugees
It’s been nearly a year since LaV and I made the journey to Europe, fulfilling our seven-year dream to travel abroad. While in Belgium, we visited Janée Angel, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship personnel, who works with refugees and asylum seekers from Syria and other countries in conflict. I interviewed her about her work and wrote an…
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How to buy clothing ethically
How to buy clothing ethically I wrote in a previous post about why I stopped buying clothing in response to the conditions of my Nicaraguan friends who work in factories and the prevalence of slavery and exploitation in the clothing industry. The Norwegian documentary “Deadly Fashion” helps put things in perspective. After over a year…