Travel & Experiences

Colombia

For the summers of 2017 and 2018 I lived in Colombia, learning about the coffee growing region and working alongside small scale farmers to implement more sustainable means of production and sell their coffee directly to consumers. The first summer, I worked with a small consulting firm, ID Social, dedicated to helping nonprofits and businesses with a social and environmental mission. Throughout that summer, I worked closely with a company called KoffieTapp, which works with small scale coffee growers to support their more environmentally conscious growing practices.

I fell in love with the country and ways of living in tune with the Earth at many of these farms, so I returned the following summer to research for my thesis on sustainability in coffee farming. This research was all self-directed and led to me to work on over 10 farms across the country. I learned to work alongside many different types of people and connect with farmers to understand their purpose and passions. Over these two years, I learned immensely about the production of coffee, the dramatic influences of climate change on growers, and the innovative ways small-scale farmers are adapting to new challenges.

Coffee Production- Bean to Cup


Mogambo Sustainable Farm


Mogambo Sustainable Farm: Mogambo is a jungle-like finca (farm) in the middle of coffee growing region in Colombia- a farm that grows, ferments, dries, roasts, packages, and of course, drinks their own truly organic coffee. The wisdom of Mogambo served as a catalyst for pivotal changes in the way I feel emotion, interact with nature, connect with community, and of course, eat. My memories of Mogambo continue to shape my vision of a more inclusive and interdependent world in which all forms of life are honored, especially in the way we find nourishment. The meditative way of being at Mogambo showed me that perhaps, finding wellbeing in this increasingly complex world exists in the simplicity of being willing to pause, feel, and delight in the food the earth so generously provides. 
Click here to read my narrative paper on Mogambo:



Uganda




For 3 months in summer of 2016, I worked with a local organization called Mountains of Hope in Mpigi, Uganda on their women's health and menstruation project.

In rural Uganda, many women and girls struggle to pay for food or education, let alone menstrual pads. As a result, most use old newspapers, leaves, banana fibers, rugs, sponges to manage their periods. Most do not have enough money to buy sanitary pads or are too fearful to ask their fathers or husbands to purchase them. There are also many myths about menstruation in Uganda, including that a girl on her period will curse anyone she meets or can bring bad luck to her school or workplace. As a result, many women and girls have to remain at home during menstruation. For less than $1 USD a girl can sew her own reusable sanitary pad that can last for up to a year. Each week, we hosted 2-day trainings at community centers to dispel the myths about menstruation and teach attendees how to make their own pads. We included men and boys as well so that they learn how to support women and girls on their periods. We taught 300 individuals to make and use their own pads, which they can continue to make into the future.




The hills of Mpigi

The unbelievable bus stop in Kampala

Jackfruit hanging from the tree



A view of Mpigi, the town we worked in, from the truck

Exploring our host family's stunning land

A colorful Sunday clothes market

Uganda is known for its extraordinary drum makers

London & the U.K.


Working on my art journal for a course on the history of European art. I explored countless galleries, from the Tate & Tate Modern to the Wallace Collection to the Victoria and Albert Museum, diving into London's robust art scene.
Exploring the National Gallery became a weekly ritual of sorts 


I loved visiting London's many markets, getting to know all the vendors and trying the fresh delights. My favorite vendors sold oysters, giant wheels of cheese, from-the-barrel apple cider, dried fruits, and lots of veggies


A canopy in Oxford
A stunning fall leaf


The Cliffs of Dover
High tea at a lighthouse at the Cliffs of Dover
The cliffs of Dover


My favorite farmers market stand

Channels at Oxford
Busy commute home

Stunning mosaic tiled floors
The view of St. James Cathedral at dusk






Italy

Fresh fall markets

A walking tour of the Vatican

Complementary colors
learning to make pasta and prosciutto 

Shopping for the evening meal




wandering the cobblestone streets
A delicious chocolate and biscotti afternoon snack
Farm fresh

Stunning architecture


The Coliseum by night




Wandering