Somedays it seems like I am so disconnected from the world without Facebook or solid internet access. My feelings on that are quite ambivalent. It’s freeing but my global reach seems to be much harder to grasp, as if I’m suddenly without nerve endings in my skin: I know the outside world exists (politics, global economics, etc.), and I see it pop up from time to time, but if I get too caught up in my own tasks, I lose sense of what’s really out there. Even this blog seems to feel as ...

Within the last 3 weeks our family has gained, and lost, a member. My sister married her partner, but soon after my mom’s sister lost hers to cancer. While I’m still processing the news of the latter, I’ll dedicate this post to my beloved family (and after all, my beloved global family).

My sister’s wedding was incredibly beautiful, almost as much as she was. One day afterwards while Amy was out running a couple errands, Joe and I had some time to bond. We had gotten along...

    Since June, every week is a new adventure for me. When I was attending college, there was a weekly routine; when I was working any job, despite the newish experiences in the environment, it was still close to a routine. This summer has been the opposite. Situations present themselves in such various shapes and sizes, even if they do resemble a past experience—it’s in a completely new environment, with unique characters. This week, I’ve been bashed with the choice between fear an...

I had the pleasure of starting off this new chapter in my journey by riding with Emilio (my tightrope walking counterpart) on my way to the next circus stop in Tennessee. We talked about our past and future, he taught me some Spanish, and he comforted my troubled heart after he mentioned the long-lived state of murderous affairs in Mexico. My time with him has been a series of reminiscing my angst-driven teen years, testing my moral compass, and feeling my heart melt into a puddle despite the...

Last weekend was a crazy one for me. I reevaluated my morals, immersed myself in the culture of a circus tribe, worked 28 very sweaty hours in four days, fell in love with a circus performer, changed (slightly) the way I look at myself and humanity, and have (slightly) changed my travel directions.

 Joining the Cirque Italia was a last minute opportunity. I completely ran out of money by the time I hit North Carolina (not to mention going negative from a $180 seatbelt fine…). After hour...