Right now, I am happy. 

I am very happy because I have the opportunity to lead a service/education trip to Nicaragua with five other amazing individuals. I am glad that I can converse with other people who care about the ethical issues related to service, tourism, and traveling abroad. I appreciate the fact that I don’t have to pretend that these matters are irrelevant to travel. I like knowing that I can have a serious conversation with other people. 

In my Dartmouth career, it’s hard not to fall into the constant pressure of superficiality. I am by far saying that I completely avoid that. In fact, I tend to be pretty complacent about it, more involved in trying to succeed for myself and for my family. But this is a great venue to redirect many of the conversations I really, really want to have. 

I appreciate this so much. We had a retreat this past weekend, and I can say that I truly enjoyed myself. Except for the occasional dozing off (once), I had a ridiculously amazing time with everyone I met. I am so excited to get started with this and officially working with my team in Nicaragua.

Today I attended the annual Northeast MMUF conference at Wesleyan in Connecticut. Before attending this conference, I had a very limited idea of what research, grad school, and being a Mellon Mays fellow meant. However, after attending this conference, I am more motivated and inspired to begin and continue doing my research study. Mellon Mays is a fellowship program geared towards increasing the diversity in faculty, which basically means helping students who care about mentorship and alleviating the historical racial disparity in higher education to become Ph.D. candidates. 

I spoke with a wide range of individuals about their topics, and I have never been more impressed by the level of intellectual capacity my peers demonstrated in speaking about their projects. Hearing methodology and possible research exploration areas, I realized how plausible being a graduate student could be in the near future. Being able to transform this amorphous research expectation to a more concrete reality definitely pushed me towards wanting to do what I can now. 

I am still interested in various different topics and programs and issues, but I understand now that my area of expertise is not limited to one particular group or organization. I have the opportunity to do as I can with the opportunities I am currently involved in, and this makes me oh so happy. 

I want to update my blog more often, to keep myself and my sanity intact, except this time around, I know I’ll be updating this frequently. Until the next one. 

I’m entering my junior year, and I desperate need to keep myself together. I want to be able to remember most, if not all, of what goes down, so I want to write it down. Today, I’m going to a retreat for the First Year Student Enrichment Program … at a lake. My friend texted me and said “Because we go to Dartmouth and everything has to be outside.” 

Figures. I’m excited for my classes this fall term. I want to explore the Environmental Studies and LALACS departments a bit more, since I think I might want to modify my Geography major with one or either. I realized I really do enjoy ENVS, I just don’t know what I would do with the specification. 

I’m getting paid to sit here and input data into a calendar. Pretty chill, but what else can you ask for? 

Will keep up some more and post pictures. 

I’ve dropped it. Shoot. 

Not literally, more figuratively. I haven’t written in a while, and I am getting the feeling this is what I needed. I have this sudden urge to write about anything and everything that has happened in the past month in the United States/Dartmouth. I’ll just point out a few things before doing anything else. 

1. I was accepted into the Management Leadership for Tomorrow’s Career Prep Class of 2013 recently. 
2. I have been honing on my Mellon Mays research project about social spaces in Manaus, Brazil. 
3. I am working as treasurer and president for multiple organizations on campus. 
4. As a Summer Enrichment at Dartmouth (SEAD) mentor, I can say that my mentee is pretty cool and an extremely hard working individual. 
5. I feel like I need to involve myself in more organizations on campus, but I just can’t seem to find out which ones.
6. This Gender and Law class I’m currently taking is blowing my mind. I love how logical the entire process of law is and how it progressed/regressed as times have.

I’m not really sure there is much I want to say right now, but my concept of time is just scaring me. It’s all going so fast! 

I’m writing a paper about Peru, and I just realized how happy I wrote down as much as I did here on Tumblr. I found it so difficult, now that I’m engulfed in life at Dartmouth to look back on my experience. 

This is what I appreciate today. 

I’ve been MIA for like what, three weeks now? Maybe more? 

I have been so occupied with keeping myself busy during my last three weeks in Peru, and then coming back and heading out for a road trip my first hour, well, I’ve been moving continuously for what seems like forever. 

Fortunately, I have settled down (before I have to officially move to my dorm) and will be able to post about Peru and whatnot as soon as I get my life at Dartmouth together. 

Photo time! 

So I know I have been MIA, and I don’t think that’s going to change in the next week. 

It’s my last week in Huaycán before I head off to experience the awesomeness that will sure to be Machu PIcchu. I have been having an amazing, wonderful, and great time lately that I just have not had time to sit down properly and jot down some thoughts. There are obviously things that pop up that I’m like, “Hey, that would make a great blog post!” but I just have not had the time. 

Maybe that’s a good thing. It obviously shows that I am spending more time doing things (teaching, hanging out with friends, and reading) than I have been on my laptop. 

I am really hoping I can do a summary of sorts, but I’ll have to see when I come upon free time. Tomorrow might be a possibility, but considering my schedule, I might take a nap instead. 

I am so excited for Cusco and finishing off this week with pure awesomeness. 

This past Monday after I finished teaching my Zone Z class and was participating in deporte I saw this eight-year old playing in the canchita I usually conduct my class. 

I saw this boy I had only met once before, and he instantly ran towards me and gave me a hug. He smiled and remembered me from the one meeting I previously had with him. I don’t know why, and I don’t think I can explain it very well, but I was so glad. I was ecstatic, and I dubbed little Benjamin my son. 

Benjamin was so happy and would run around as we played volleyball. He made me so happy. I’m hoping he shows up again sometime so I can take a picture with him, develop it, and give it to him as a present. 

It is the little things after all.