EST. 2011

Per my last entry,  '17 for 2017' , I'd like to highlight the fifth action listed that asks us  to read a book, either once a month or once a week depending upon our own schedule. This entry will briefly review the three books I've enjoyed this year as they really speak to where I'm currently engaged: politics, soccer and international affairs.  Clinton Cash: The Untold Story of How and Why Foreign Governments and Businesses Helped Make Bill and Hillary Rich I purchased this book before the 2017 presidential election out of curiosity and a need to read things outside of my normal media and news bubble. Ironically, I didn't finish it until late January 2017.   Throughout the book, the author, Peter Schweizer, repeatedly claims that he's not taking a side, assumedly against the Clintons and more importantly Hillary's candidacy, but rather hopes to expose the ways in which the Clintons got rich and allegedly mixed up with nefarious people in a glob...

Like any other year, 2017 provides us with 365 opportunities to restructure our actions, often referred to as 'resolutions' , in order to achieve some hopefully improved outcome by the stroke of midnight on December 31st. For 2017, I've decided to create a list of actions to pro-actively ensure that I continue to explore and find myself in new experiences that build upon my own personal growth trajectory. The '17 for 2017' is designed to be executed on any budget and adopted by anyone interested in taking a 'Man in the Mirror' approach to the 365 days of 2017. EVERY DAY I WILL . . . 1. Give someone a hug - We all need em' . 2. Meditate - Whether it's 5 minutes when you wake up or 5 minutes before you go to bed, taking time to slow down and be mindful is important. 3. Drink more water - H20 isn't just for curing hangovers and when you're at the gym. Actively carrying around a water bottle entices you to drink more and genera...

The following entry was written beginning at 1:12AM on the  9th of November, 2016 and is a stream of consciousness reflecting my current mood.  DJT is now electoral college points away from being named POTUS. This election result will go down as one, if not, the biggest political upset in modern world history. It also begins what many believe to be the beginning of the end. Now, I don't think that he'll push a button and start a war with North Korea as soon as he gets sworn in but then again I didn't think we'd be here. So, I guess only time will tell. What I refer to, when I say that this is just the first of many dominoes to fall, is that this country, a country that adopted me and inculcated me into the 'American dream', may never bounce back from the repercussions of tonight's decision within my lifetime. DJT will enter office, most likely, with a Republican House, Senate, and the ability to chose the next Supreme Court Justice, which would give h...

In thinking about who I am, the following words were written down in under 10 minutes as words that I believe describe who I am. I challenge you to try and do the same and see how we're often exactly who we think we are and who we think we are not all rolled into one. Set a timer for ten minutes and start writing or typing. It's harder than you might think, good luck! (The photo above was taken in Bogotá, Colombia in June of 2013 and means 'write something' in Spanish). Son Brother Friend Calm Opportunistic Master Forgetful Coach Student Meticulous Player Fanatic Athlete South American Weird Latino Hispanic Brave North American Northerner ‘Yankee’ Hardworking Male Loud Quiet Curious Wrong Intelligent Foolish Traveler Complainer Optimistic Realistic Funny Satirical Reader Writer Thinker Tinkerer Fast Quick Strong Weak Bilingual  Sociable Racially-Ambiguous Righty Backpacker Nomadic Transient Lost Searcher Competitive Logical Sleepy Unsatisfied Happy Academic Inven...

The following entry was started in late November but was never fully published. I can't for the life of me remember why I stopped writing but I'm sure it had to do something with Thanksgiving break at home, graduate school finals, Christmas break at home, and finally New Years here in the city. At any rate, I hope you enjoy it. *     *     *     *     * It was about six weeks ago, on a Friday night, that a fellow graduate classmate spoke to me about a club soccer team at The New School. The next day I got up and made my way from Bushwick to the practice site ( pier40 ). It was the first time, since my brief stint living in Buenos Aires, that I took the subway(soccer ball in hand) with the destination of playing soccer. Upon arriving at Pier 40, I was really pleased to see that there was, in fact, a New School club soccer team in the works. There were about twenty players, both male and female, working on ball control drills. They were led b...

If you click on the links throughout the blog, it will make for an exponentially better blogging experience. A link can be denoted by green text. Enjoy! I created this blog in the spring of 2011 as a way "for me to share my experiences with the outside world i.e. friends and family" . At that time, I was writing all my entries from the highlands of Guatemala and my day to day routine was very different, if not foreign , from those of my audience.  So, I wonder if my audience will still find my day to day as captivating as it once was when I was writing from the mountains of Guatemala or the coast of Colombia. I guess we'll just have to find out. However, as I write you from my apartment in Bushwick, Brooklyn , one thing is for sure. While I've returned to the United States of America, I wonder, especially as I'm now a part of the "melting pot of the melting pot", whether I'll ever stop feeling like a tourist? *     *     *     *     * ...

Well, it's been more than a minute since my last post. I'm currently writing this from an academic building at the New School in Manhattan, New York but I'll get to that soon enough. I'd like to first share with you some pictures of my last days in Colombia . . . These photos are from my town "despedidas" - going away parties. The ones from the pool party were with my English class and the others are from my MUEVETE class. Both of these classes are highlighted in this blog entry. Domino Helping Marta with her camera. Preparing the meat. DANCE!  MUEVETE! And again! The next group of photos are from my "despedida" at the Peace Corps office. In true Latin American fashion, I had to "dar palabras" or give some closing thoughts.  JFK. Yes, I'm still talking . . . Finally, I rang the s&#$ out of that bell.  Thank you Peace Corps Colombia. It was a wild 38 months wi...