Tag: South America
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Medellín, Colombia // Why a history of Comuna 13?
This post is for my fellow future tourists who could also benefit from learning how Comuna 13 was actually created and transformed. This is a starting point. It is not a replacement for understanding Comuna 13 from the people who live there. This is meant to function as some background reading to get you up…
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Leticia, Colombia // Why did I ever think I could survive in the Amazon? (Part Three)
What am I talking about here? Catch up on part one and part two. We embarked on several tours while we were in the Amazon, but the most interesting was our journey into the rainforest itself by foot to meet the abuelo (grandpa), who was the patriarch of a local tribe. We were led by…
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Leticia, Colombia // Why did I ever think I could survive in the Amazon? (Part Two)
What am I talking about here? Catch up on part one. I started drinking coffee at a relatively early age. I moved out and started going to community college full time while working 20-30 hours per week when I was 17. When I had early morning classes, I motivated myself to attend by rewarding myself…
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Santiago, Chile // Why is Pablo Neruda a national treasure?
Así como me aflige pensar en el claro día de tus piernasrecostadas como detenidas y duras aguas solares,y la golondrina que durmiendo y volando vive en tus ojos,y el perro de furia que asilas en el corazón,así también veo las muertes que están entre nosotros desde ahora,y respiro en el aire la ceniza y lo…
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Florianópolis, Brazil // Why so magical?
Some places just require more time to get to know than others. I spent 10 days exploring Florianóplis, referred to as “the magical island.” It is the capital of Santa Catarina in southern Brazil and often shorten to “Floripa.” When I picture a magical island with a lot of witch lore surrounding it, I do…
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São Paulo, Brazil // Why is it so dangerous?
I am not afraid of traveling to new places. Unless there is an extreme circumstance such as an active war zone, I don’t think there is anywhere in the world I wouldn’t go at least once. However, I also I do not want to put myself or others in a dangerous situation by being ignorant…
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Buenos Aires, Argentina // Why are birthdays a source of anxiety?
I feel like there are two types of people in the world, those that love to celebrate their birthdays and those that do not. I am firmly in the second category. I love celebrating others but hate the pressure of throwing a party for myself. What if no one comes? What if no one has…
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Rio de Janeiro, Brazil // Why do I do this to myself?
I first heard about Dollywood over 10 years ago, and was immediately intrigued and confused. Dollywood is a theme park created by Dolly Parton near her home town of Pigeon Ford, Tennessee. I viewed Dolly Parton through the lens of queer culture, and the star of such campy 80s classics as The Best Little Whorehouse…
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Lima, Peru // Why travel alone?
At the beginning of this year, instead of New Year’s resolutions, I decided to write a list of things I wanted to “let grow” and “let go”. This practice is a reframe of the traditional New Year’s resolutions. The idea being that you need to make space in your life by letting go of things…