You have taught me so, so much! Humidity can be a warm, comforting hug. The proper way to press a dumpling. Writing is so important to me. When you love an outfit you should wear it twice. In a row. Perspective IS everything. You don’t have to honk at people even if you almost hit … More Dear Global Health Engagement ft. China,
If you’re first response for why you’ve chosen this field is ‘I want to help people,’ get out. Is that really the best answer you can come up with? I mean, isn’t that why all of us are here? I want something that says “I’ll go the extra mile, I’ll find the strength for each … More Dear Healthcare Professionals,
A foreigner, a guest, essentially a stranger in your homeland, and yet you placed us with the royals. Dumplings, a labor intensive process due to the prepping and chopping of the insides, hand rolling and shaping of the dough, and designing and boiling of the filled ball, are made in the home for meals with … More Dear Honoring Hosts,
I almost became an amputee on my first day in China. I overestimated the power of my non dominant arm and ignored the ‘do not put your limbs in this doorway’ sticker. Oh, and then I had to assume the five fingers of a friend inside the subway meant I ought to meet the group … More Dear Fear,
I’m across the globe from the address I’d label you with, yet there have been times where I’ve felt more “homey” than I did leading up to my departure. This is because you are not a place, you’re a feeling; made of calm over comfortability, distinction over familiarity, freedoms over regularities. And this feeling can … More Dear Home,
23 Days in China— 1-2) Travel 3-4) Shanghai: trip to Disney & a tour of the city/Great Wall 5-6) Xuzhou: 2 days of training w/ local employees 7-10) Lianyungang: 2 days of training & Speech therapy with elementary children, attend Children’s Day program on 3rd day 11-16) Nanjing: therapy in various clinics 17-19) Changzhou: more … More Dear Sponsors,
You are uniquely separate from generic or more broad terms like travel, because even though parts of you can attributed to travel-like experiences, certain characteristics are incomparable. While anticipating you, I looked to you as an escape; I was literally putting miles and oceans between me and my doctors, schooling, and perceived expectations. I … More Dear Abroad,
With my trip nearing its end, the sight of day one-hundred thirty-three cannot be met with the overflowing tank of energy that poured into my first days. Not to say that I’m no longer loud, excited, or going two-hundred miles an hour, taking in all the sights. It’s just to say that those things, the … More Dear Fuel,
I can’t say there will be another time in my life where I will take classes in a nunnery or crawl up the steps Jesus once walked. I can’t say there will be another time when I can take over 80% of my class actively out on the city streets and give a presentation … More Dear Rome,
You are beautiful. Yes, you are chaotic, upsetting, messy, and imperfect; you’re unpredictable, hard to catch. But you are also the most beautifully naturally constructed thing I have ever laid eyes on with people, places, and things that give me the good kind of wrinkles, keep my feet kicking, and throw my soul into … More Dear Crazy World,
Compass 