Week 12: Swearing In
Finally, the moment I’d been waiting for…becoming a Peace Corps Volunteer! Continue reading Week 12: Swearing In
Week 11: A CBT Thanksgiving
Sharing our Thanksgiving traditions with our Moroccan friends and families in CBT. Continue reading Week 11: A CBT Thanksgiving
Week 10: Back to Training
Heading back to our training site one last time. Continue reading Week 10: Back to Training
Week 9: HUB and Site Visit
A short visit to my permanent site. Continue reading Week 9: HUB and Site Visit
Week 8: Halloween
Sharing Halloween traditions with my Moroccan host family. Continue reading Week 8: Halloween
Week 7: Adventuring Out of Site
We took a break from our training to explore one of the local national parks. Continue reading Week 7: Adventuring Out of Site
Morocco Week 6: Writing the Script
Learning Arabic Script and designing programming for the dar chebab. Continue reading Morocco Week 6: Writing the Script
Morocco Week 5: Family Reunion
Our first HUB felt like a family reunion. Continue reading Morocco Week 5: Family Reunion
Morocco Week 4: Settling In
Settling into the community means making connections and getting to work in the local youth center. Continue reading Morocco Week 4: Settling In
Morocco Week 3: Trial by Fire
Getting started living with a host family is a fast and furious process. Continue reading Morocco Week 3: Trial by Fire
Morocco Week 2: Finding My People
Week two of bonding with my Peace Corps Morocco family. Continue reading Morocco Week 2: Finding My People
Morocco Week 1: Taking the First Steps
My experiences during the first week of training in Peace Corps Morocco. Continue reading Morocco Week 1: Taking the First Steps
Fillenwarth Beach Resort
Enjoying summer vacation at a Midwestern oasis. Continue reading Fillenwarth Beach Resort
A 75th VE Day Celebration…With Pipes
Pipers around the world will be participating in a special tribute for the 75th VE Day celebration. Continue reading A 75th VE Day Celebration…With Pipes
Downtown Nutrition
I drink it in – literally. I still don’t believe that something that tastes this good can be so healthy for me, even though I have been coming here for a couple of months now. Walking into the clean, open space, I head straight for the bar. I give a smile to Melissa, another regular… Continue reading Downtown Nutrition
Kingdoms of the Night
Darkness. Pitch black at every turn. No difference between eyes open and eyes shut. Fear naturally sets in as the sun sets. But what truly scares us about the dark is what might be lurking right in front of us, waiting to strike. Animals that thrive in darkness are often thought of as monsters, like… Continue reading Kingdoms of the Night
The Lied Jungle
Stalking down the dirt path, she ducked under vines and peered between leaves. Faced with a shallow stream, she looked down to judge the distance as the sunshine filtered down and gleamed off the pink and purple beads that decorated her socks. She easily hopped across the large, smooth stones to her next challenge. She… Continue reading The Lied Jungle
Western Heritage Museum
Exploring Omaha’s Durham Western Heritage Museum and its limited engagement about the history of Rock n’ Roll’s influence throughout history. Continue reading Western Heritage Museum
The White Rows
For our veterans… Continue reading The White Rows
Halloween at Bunratty Castle
Let the Halloween festivities begin at this Irish castle and folk park full of fortune tellers, dungeons, and history. Continue reading Halloween at Bunratty Castle
TV Rots Your Brain
There was a girl who binged TV a lot. Her mother said her brain would rot. “Don’t worry, Mother, you’re thinking of my brother, who became an alien robot.” “No, I didn’t,” my brother cried. “I only used them to catch a ride! “Mother looked down, face all afrown, to see the snail that had… Continue reading TV Rots Your Brain
Bridging Fate
Not sure where else to go, I turned toward the bridge. The trees once serene, now looked threatening, reaching out to grab me. I ran past them as they closed around the entrance. I prayed they would provide enough cover. I hadn’t seen the figure after the bend, but I could feel it, stalking me. Continue reading Bridging Fate
Ted & Wally’s: A Scoop of Nostalgia
Few things are able to bring my family together quite like ice cream. And nothing is better than homemade ice cream. But Ted & Wally’s can even do one better than that with homemade ice cream in flavors you cannot find anywhere else. Continue reading Ted & Wally’s: A Scoop of Nostalgia
Looking At The Future
Everyone sees something different depending on where they are looking from. Continue reading Looking At The Future
The Purple Door
A true friend is there even after the door closes. Continue reading The Purple Door
The Nebraska Pilgrimage
After 25 years, I finally made it to my first Nebraska Cornhusker football game and truly experienced Husker Nation. Continue reading The Nebraska Pilgrimage
The National World War I Museum
Exploring a few of the moving stories found in the National WWI Museum. Continue reading The National World War I Museum
A Bomb Shelter and a Book
Exploring a few of Louisville’s highlight attractions and gaining some personal courage. Continue reading A Bomb Shelter and a Book
Confessions of a Pipe Band Groupie
I suppose it is fair at this point to call me what I am…a groupie. It was completely unintentional and, frankly, I’m not sure I ever really chose it. It just happened. Like when you enjoy a nice family dinner until you look up from the last bite and notice everyone else is gone, leaving… Continue reading Confessions of a Pipe Band Groupie
Canada Day
I felt as if I was intruding. Like I was wandering a set only to realize as I came center stage that the play was in full swing. Wrapped up in the excitement of the night before, I had invested in a tank top that I now used to try to blend in, throwing them… Continue reading Canada Day
Cotopaxi National Park
If you are trying to make the most of a limited time and you have the budget, I would definitely recommend a guided tour in Quito. One of my biggest splurges of the trip was a private tour of Cotopaxi National Park or Parque Nacional Cotopaxi. Continue reading Cotopaxi National Park
TelefériQo
It looked like any other gondola, or what they always looked like in the movies anyway, I had never been on a real gondola before. The closest I had come was the ski lift at Adventureland Amusement Park or the Skyfari at the Henry Doorly Zoo. It seemed mostly safe, only swaying in the stronger… Continue reading TelefériQo
Jardín Botánico de Quito
I did not think about it, my feet simply followed the neatly laid bricks. Winding along to my right, I stored the map in my back pocket. The leaves set within the bricks corresponding to the leaves on the map were meant to guide me along, but I let nature choose my direction. Continue reading Jardín Botánico de Quito
Quito’s Historic City Center
The narrow gaps between buildings that passed as streets reminded me of Ireland. The outside of the church was unassuming, the white and light blue did not draw attention to the quiet sanctuary. It was only after passing through the black gate and heavy wooden doors that we began to see hints of the splendor… Continue reading Quito’s Historic City Center
Mercado La Mariscal
“Ecuador!” “Ecuador!” The lines on his face and weariness in his soft, brown eyes did not diminish the determination in his voice as he moved up and down the block. He waved a yellow, blue, and red flag, condor flying proudly, in each hand and let the surplus stick out of every hole in his… Continue reading Mercado La Mariscal
Intiñan Museum (The Real Middle of the World)
Less developed than Mitad Del Mundo, the entrance to Intiñan Museum (located closer to the real middle of the world as established by GPS) is tucked away off the side of the road. Walking across a bridge, the winding path led through some greenery before arriving at a gathering of modern buildings made to look… Continue reading Intiñan Museum (The Real Middle of the World)
Mitad Del Mundo
As I walked through the gate and up the sidewalk, nothing seemed out of the ordinary…then, the monument came into view. Rising 30 meters (about 90 feet), it dominated the center of the “village” that has sprung up around it. The bright center line separated the two halves of the world and acted as a… Continue reading Mitad Del Mundo
Papallacta Volcanic Pools
It was difficult to give up my layers at first. The chill in the air and the mist sticking to my goosebumps made me reconsider, that is until I put my first toe into the water. I registered the sting only for a second before throwing everything below my shoulders under the surface. My muscles… Continue reading Papallacta Volcanic Pools
Travel Quito, Ecuador
I should have been tired after a two hour flight, two hour layover, and five hour flight, finally arriving in Quito at 11:30 p.m., but all I could feel was the excitement. It was chillier than I was expecting (whenever I hear equator I automatically picture a tropical paradise), but my friend from Quito had… Continue reading Travel Quito, Ecuador
Childhood Dreams
Ask children what they want to be, the answers will vary tremendously… Continue reading Childhood Dreams
From the Trench
His face is eager, waiting for my report. No sign of hope or despair, just the muck on his cheeks, skin clinging to the sharp bones right below the dark bags. Continue reading From the Trench
Broken Bridges…
leading to nowhere, linking one corpse to another, sinking into muck, lost and forgotten, peeking through the surface, rotting away, leaving only slivers behind. No longer raised high, providing safe passage… Cluttering the ground, tripping men in their tracks, all sense of purpose gone. Once a means forward, pushing higher ground, a path to victory,… Continue reading Broken Bridges…
Stories Frozen in Statues
A few of the stories I found in frozen faces sculpted by John Lajba as part of the Victory ’95 50th Anniversary World War II Memorial in Heartland of America Park, Omaha, Nebraska. Continue reading Stories Frozen in Statues
My Conversation With Ireland Now Available!
For a country the size of the state of Iowa, one month isn’t enough to even scratch the surface… Continue reading My Conversation With Ireland Now Available!
Threshold
Art: the doorway to our fantasies… Continue reading Threshold
From Wild Beasts to a Barrel of Nails: Recreating Grimms’ Fairytales Through Violence
This is a condensed version of my collegiate senior seminar piece on fairytales for my English BA. Interested in diving even further into the rabbit hole? Get in touch with me to read the full piece or explore other fairytale lore. Continue reading From Wild Beasts to a Barrel of Nails: Recreating Grimms’ Fairytales Through Violence
This isn’t high school: Trust is a two-way street
The Hastings College Collegian featured my opinion article on student and administration trust in the last Spring 2017 issue. Continue reading This isn’t high school: Trust is a two-way street
Easy Living in Lahinch
Escape from fast-paced American life, if only for a few minutes. Continue reading Easy Living in Lahinch
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