I was not allowed to watch TV until I was in first grade. Yes, yes, how did I survive, that’s so sad, I didn’t have a childhood, etc. I’ve heard it all. But looking back, I’m grateful–I don’t find myself addicted to my screen the way that some of my friends are, and...
When I was 8, my dad convinced me to go on the Steel Eel roller coaster at SeaWorld. I hated scary rides at the time, but the trip up to the top of the first drop was beautiful. All I kept thinking was, how far up can we go? The beginning of this week was a lot like...
For as long as I can remember, I have been fighting an ongoing battle with my stomach. Having been hospitalized multiple times for unbearable stomach aches, I’ve had to avoid many different food groups, and often center my life around how my stomach is doing on any...
If you’ve ever been around me when I play music in the OEDK, you’ll know that the very first question I always ask is “What should I play?” I’ve always struggled with making everyday decisions–what snack to eat (something healthy? crunchy? or just…chocolate?),...
My favorite part of being a small child was not recess, not naptime, but crafts. My mom and I would sit together every afternoon for “pony drawing time,” and once I was introduced to pipe cleaners, it was decided: I was a hardcore crafter. From Lincoln Log cabins to...
Let me preface this post by saying I am not an emotional person. I don’t cry at graduations or weddings, and you certainly won’t catch me shedding a tear over a movie. So when I nearly broke down in the middle of a workshop on ethical innovation by Magdah (one of our...
I wouldn’t necessarily call myself a lone wolf, but I’m definitely an independent worker by nature. Years of struggling through group projects with unmotivated high schoolers taught me to trust no one’s work ethic besides my own. Asking for help or input was out of...
It’s funny how growing up, I always used the words “third-world” or “developing” to describe the countries I am now working to serve. I assumed it was the most accurate way to convey them. I also assumed that people in these countries wanted to live like we do in the...