Category Stories

Finishing up…

I can’t believe my time here in Colombia is so quickly coming to an end. It feels like yesterday that we started the after-school tutoring program in the Prado neighborhood, getting to know each of the kids more and more…

And so it begins!

When I sit down to reflect on these past few day, it sends me reeling. Monday I took the biggest, hardest test of my life–the P1 Actuary Exam–and, according to the preliminary results at least, I passed! Tuesday turned into…

Loy Krathang Festival

This weekend was the infamous Loy Krathang Festival throughout Thailand. This festival is a time where people come together to celebrate life and “let go” of all of their misfortunes in life. Lanterns are set off throughout the sky as…

Flying Kites in Cowpies

I remember flying a kite with my dad when I was a kid.  My parents bought me a 4-foot-tall Darth Vader kite and dad took me down to the field by Percy Priest Dam.  I don’t remember it being particularly…

A village on the mount

There are many different pros and cons associated with living and working at a boarding school. For example, I can wake up 15 minutes before school starts, take a quick shower, and be on my way to the foreign language…

Las Fiestas!

It’s fiesta season here in Guatemala and I’m learning more than I ever thought I would about Mayan culture and community. Starting last weekend, we were graciously invited to a family wedding shower for one of the Cardenas family’s cousins.…

A break

While these past few weeks have been full of afterschool tutoring, planning, meetings with girls in the neighborhood, Pacho English class and movie club and cultural Friday nights, it was a relief this past Sunday to hear that we as…

Kru (Teacher) Kyle

Despite a lot of stressing over the first lessons and much sweating in my hot classroom, I can officially say that I am a teacher. My first week is over and done with, and it feels great. The faculty, students,…

Thank your teachers.

My dad taught in Metro Public Schools for 26 years.  From Kindergartners to the pre-pubescents of 6th grade, my dad impacted the lives of countless students in the worst neighborhoods of Nashville.  He facilitated the lockdowns in East Nashville before…

Home, and Back Again

After a year in Cape Town, I returned home. However, my visit in the States only lasted three weeks. Between 1 October and 22 October I visited Knoxville, Nashville, New York City, and Boston to see close friends and family.…