Colonia del Sacramento in Uruguay moves at a slower pace and is a much needed sanctuary from the never ending commotion of Buenos Aires, across the river in Argentina.

The air. The air is always different. Buenos Aires air is heavy. It’s a city without a filter. Loud noises. Chaotic sidewalks. And a brilliantly blue sky.

No matter what anyone has to say about it, I unequivocally, wholeheartedly, vehemently disagree with the notion that it is ever ok to tell people “Just speak English.”

I have gone through phases where I am into sports, but right now it just isn’t my thing. During the World Cup I wasn’t that invested in the games. If the US was playing at the same time as another game, I’d ask my boyfriend, Alejandro, to switch to the US game. Then I’d end…

[dt_quote type=”pullquote” layout=”left” font_size=”big” animation=”none” size=”1″]Now it is 11am on the 16th. I barely slept. My anxiety is through the roof. My heart is racing, my head is in a nervous fog, my stomach is tied up in knots and I could throw up. I’m holding something in, but what? What is weighing so heavily…

Age, late 20s Pacific Northwest Roots In the weeks leading up to my journey to the Pacific Northwest, I was experiencing higher than normal levels of anxiety. Trying to chase and catch enough jobs so I would have enough money to pay rent and pay for my trip. I suppose I was feeling a sense…

Cloaked in a yellow dusty light was the pueblo of Tilcara. All I will say for now about camping in Tilcara during Carnaval is this: Don’t do it.

Intense Carnaval under Tilcara’s bright sun, Incan ruins, eating llama, camping in the cold Andes, and viewing the Hill of Seven Colors. There is much to tell.

I write for a living. I write about myself and about the world. The façade I put on is that I do not fear self-analysis. I seem to be a person unafraid of being intimate with myself. That is my dirty secret. I continue to move and flee to all ends of the earth mostly…

My anxiety was growing and I did not know what could relieve it. I visited Posada Itaca, an oasis of a farm only an hour and a half from Buenos Aires.

I’ve been neglecting my dear blog lately. I’m busy writing content for the launch of SharpHeels.com, I’m the travel editor-in-chief and have a lot to do for when it goes live in a week! Also, I’ve been on a Listverse frenzy, writing all sorts of articles for them, the most recent one that was published…

First off, I need to apologize for the lack of blog posts. A lot has been happening and I simply have not had the time to write anything lately. Here is my return to blogging after a two week hiatus! Argentina is all about people. Social connections are, without a doubt, one of the most…

The silent city of the dead, it sounds like the title to the newest horror flick, it may be the title to a scary movie actually. The sunny city of Buenos Aires doesn’t conjure up images of eerie ghosts and creepy foggy mornings, but there is a city of the dead here and it is…

I’ve had my fair share of crappy birthdays. In my second year of college, a friend and I had planned on a dual baking party for our birthdays, which were only a couple days apart. At the last minute she told me she didn’t want to have a party anymore and the plans fell through.…

The wind was beautiful and soulful, light yes riddled with gusts of beauty. On the walk to Mount Shannon I heard Irish ancestors speak to me in the mist.

I’ve been here for barely a month and already I’ve had to take a trip to the emergency room. I live life in a very yes or don’t-know fashion, once I make a decision I stick to it but I am the most annoying person when trying to decide between two options. It drives my…

In an earlier blog post I wrote about graffiti in the parks of Buenos Aires and shared a photo of art at Plaza Los Inmigrantes, I have more to tell you about Graffiti Mundo and the work being done in the Olivos barrio. The picture to the right was taken by Cris, Ale’s mother who dedicates…

Tara Isabella Burton wrote a beautiful piece for Salon called the “Dangers of traveling while female” in which she accurately describes the inner monologue of the female traveler. She recounts not only her own experience, but mine as well. To be a savvy female traveler is to be constantly aware, consistently suspicious, and sometimes abruptly rude. I too know that I am an intruder in the public space in many places that I travel, following my own “internal set of rules” I always stay in female only dorms or opt for a single room in hostels.

Sometimes, when you travel or live abroad you aren’t really sure what’s going on. As I’ve recently admitted, my signature pose says, “I have no idea what’s going on but I’m excited.” You might kind of get it, but mainly you just go with it. Kind of like when Alejandro told me he was going to throw…

May 2007 Making traveling friends in India Previously, I wrote about touters and haggling over rickshaw prices in Agra, India. It wasn’t always such a hassle to get around and I wasn’t always alone. I made friends with some fellow travelers. Flashback to visiting the Taj Mahal, I had just walked away from a man who…

Why, when I am in the midst of an amazing, beautiful and rare adventure am I paralyzed by myself? Why do I fear life? I drift through the days, counting.

When I was going to Durham University I made an instant connection with Olivia. Her parents are both from Poland and she is fluent in Polish. Having so much extended family still in Poland she invited me to go with her there for Christmas. Neither of us had really considered going home, it was far,…

May 2007 Navigating India, Haggling & Cultural Barriers “When you travel, remember that a foreign country is not designed to make you comfortable. It is designed to make its own people comfortable.” – Clifton Fadiman India was truly life changing for me, but it was not easy. Without the challenge I would not have grown into the…

Adare, Ireland Literally, written out plans. It was 2006, I was 19 years old and on my first overseas adventure. I’m a highly organized person when it comes to paperwork and planning, so before I took off for Ireland, I created my very own travel packet with information on all my prebooked accommodation, bus schedules,…

The Taj Mahal Let me take you back to Agra, India and the insanity of being a naive 20 year old navigating a country she knows very little about. Oh, and did I mention this was her second time ever traveling abroad and she was traveling alone? Wild kid. I went downstairs a little too…

Lost and ignorant in Delhi There are a lot of monkeys in Delhi. I’m a seasoned traveler, now, but 6 years ago on my second international excursion that was definitely not the case. I went to India back in 2007, I was going there to teach but I wanted to travel before my volunteer program…

In the last 7 years, I’ve been in 9 different countries, on 3 different continents, lived in 4 of them, moved to 10 towns/cities and 17 different homes…