Capturing Life, Preserving Memories
I awoke to soft pitter-patter on the rooftop, looked out my bedroom window, and saw the warm glow of a new day. There was no rain. When I looked out the kitchen door on the other side of our house, I was reminded of the big volcanic boom that had awoken me hours earlier. And […]
The Simple Things
The simple things matter most. All of us have experienced these surprising, unexpected actions that are memorable. I still remember one from fourth grade. When everyone else refused, a student allowed me to get in front of him in the lunch line. Sometimes spontaneous acts of kindness and other times, everyday gifts, are not things that […]
The Run
As I crossed the finish line, emotion welled up inside me. In fact, I cried. I don’t know why that happens to me after long races sometimes. It just does. I was completely spent. Nothing left in the tank. I also felt tremendous gratitude. Gratitude for being done. Gratitude for having spent a few hours […]
Day of the Dead
Never before have I experienced a day quite like Dia de Los Muertos. In the week preceding November 2, I asked several people, “What happens on Dia de Los Muertos?” “People visit the cemetery.” Simple Enough. As it turns out, the whole week leading to Nov. 2 was one of preparation for this very important […]
For the Love of the Game
One of my biggest concerns about living in Baños was how I would play tennis, since I plan to play for my high school when we return. My dad and I asked around town and heard two answers: No hay (there aren’t any), or Al Sangay (at the Sangay hotel).We decided to look into it […]
A Spitting Image
I woke up this morning and had a delicious breakfast of scrambled eggs. As usual, I had no idea what our plan for the day would be. Today, I thought, from my family’s favorable forecast of the day, we were going to take a hike to see a waterfall or something. Well, read on! My […]
Ah, Baños…
You have to love a town that has free parking on the street… where bikes travel at the same speed as cars…. where a taxi ride anywhere in town or a smoothie costs $1… where you bump into the same person you met the day before in the supermarket… where there are no malls…. and […]
Social Homes