I'm currently an English Literature student. After I graduate, I plan on traveling the world to learn as much as I can about people, culture, food, ways of life, philosophies, art, and whatever else I come across.
For the rest of my life, one image will stay in my mind. Sadness and joy swirl like paint to create that picture. It’s the first and last image I saw of the Waorani village, deep in the Ecuadorian jungle, where I lived for four days. We have no idea what we are getting ourselves into. The banks are thick with trees and jungle plants. Some reach the sky. We search for birds or monkeys above our heads. Sometimes we let our hands dangle in the spray of cool river water. The water so muddy the tree branches disappear as soon as they reach it. Every time we round another bend, I think we might be there. I look eagerly, only to see more jungle. Then the river turns again. We can see the clearing. Then ... read more
It had been about half a year since our youth group had gone on a missions trip to Ecuador. Even so, Ecuador still came up in our conversation every once in a while. A few of us who shared that bond, also shared a high school Econ class where somehow the conversation turned to Fruit Loops. "Remember that tea we had in the jungle that tasted like Fruit Loops?" Alex asked with a smile. Of course we remembered. We had been working hard carrying the heavy, chainsaw-cut boards out of the jungle to the place where the church was being built. It had been difficult enough in the hot sun and dense rainforest, but that day it had poured. I had never been so wet in my life. After we finished carrying all the boards that ... read more