When your flight gets delayed 6 hours... you don't cancel and take the reimbursement. If you do, then you risk missing a rainless two days in London and seeing the Queen of England drive right by you.

This is my story of a six hour flight delay. Yes, I didn't get to my hostel until 2 a.m., but I wouldn't change a single thing about my trip to London. I got to have real Mexican food for the first time in 3 months and the Queen of England drove past me at 9 p.m. in Hyde Park. If that doesn't make the trip worth it, I don't know what does.

You know how people always rave about their life-changing abroad experiences? “You will come back as a different person!”, they exclaim, “It will be a whole new you!”. Those of you who know me know that those phrases were most definitely met with an obligatory smile but then followed by a hidden eye roll. Don’t get me wrong, I was not denying the fact that my time abroad will be (and has proven to be) an incredible experience. I was just a little skeptical about the drastic, 180º change people claimed was in my near future.

Whew! It's been quite a few weeks since I have managed to get a video done, but I'll be sharing what I've been doing in the interim VERY soon. It's hard to film, edit, and explore while you're on the road lol.  

We’ve all heard of culture shock, the expected reaction to the unfamiliar. But what about going home? Will I experience re-entry shock - the unexpected reaction to the familiar? As my departure date quickly approaches, I’ve been thinking more and more about my transition back to the United States. My abroad experience won’t end when I get off the plane; there will be a substantial period of readjustment to life back home and at university. 

It is interesting to think back on those special events and memories in my life which were shared around a table. When I was 6 it was with a Barbie birthday cake by the neighborhood pool, doll included. When I was 21 it was a filet of beef on an outside patio. While the food is always great in some way, it is the people and place that make the experience so special.

The thought of spending fall holidays away from home can be daunting. Especially when those holidays are not (or in Halloween’s case only kind of) celebrated in the country you’re living in. It was a sacrifice I thought I was making when I made the decision to go abroad. I can assure you, it wasn’t a sacrifice at all. 

This month, I had the pleasure of hosting my aunt for one adventure-packed week.

The highlight of those seven days was definitely visiting the town of Mindo, located in a lush cloud forest just a couple hours north of Quito. There, we went all out! In a matter of half a day, we managed to explore a jungle reined by hummingbirds, stuff ourselves silly in a chocolate tasting session, hike above the misty treetop canopy, and take a dip beneath a rushing waterfall.