Nonstop Mexico City
I’ve traveled to Mexico City before, a few times over the last decade. So I had already visited some of the big travel musts, like the Anthropology Museum and the Pyramids of Teotihuacan. I’ve been living in Guadalajara for more than three years now and I didn’t have to time until this Thanksgiving break to…
Migrant Caravan
In the recent weeks, the migrant caravans from the Central America, through Mexico, to the United States border, have received significant media attention. The exodus from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador isn’t new, but traveling in groups this large is a more recent phenomenon. The migrants are fleeing extreme poverty and violence in their home…
Weekend in Zurich
Hopping off the bus in Zurich, I was mentally prepared for a couple of days of solo traveling and hostel staying. So far on this adventure, I’ve been with friends so I prepared myself for the independence and solitude of traveling alone. I walked through the bustling, beautiful city. I first taken aback by the…
A Pair of Days in Munich, Germany
What a treat to spend a pair of days in Munich, where Danielle, my dear friend from Minnesota, has been living this year for work. She was an amazing host and it felt so comfortable to be at a “home” for a few days, rather than cooped up in the campervan or hostel. I enjoyed…
Norway Top Five
#1 Bergen Bergen was an easy place to visit. Right off the plane, we took the light rail into the city. Nicole, Danielle, Amanda and I stayed in the “City Box,” a basic hotel room with couple of beds and a shower. My first impression of the city was how clean it was and it…
Mexico Road: Brothers at the FM4
Originally posted for Teachers Latin America The doorbell buzzes a bzzz-bzzzt as I move to open the small window in the large black door. I look through a window stenciled with the logo of the FM4 Paso Libre. We are here at a shelter for migrants and refugees in Guadalajara. The young man on…
Campervan through Iceland
Five ladies for five days packed into a campervan while we explored Iceland. Let’s go! I had two shocks when I first landed in Reykjavik. First, the immigration official told me that my passport wasn’t valid because she didn’t have room to add a stamp. While I was freaking out on the inside, she eventually…
New York, New York
Has it really been three years? The last time that I was sipping coffee in the sunny window seat of my brother’s home in Brooklyn Heights was exactly three years ago. Both PJ and Julia were still in high school and I was getting ready to move to Guadalajara. Now, we’re all back here again,…
Chacala Beach Weekend
May 2018 While living in Mexico, I’ve been so fortunate to be surrounded by a group of strong and supportive women. Whether we are sitting around the plastic tables of Res publica for our favorite steak dinner or on the sandy beaches of the Pacific, these friends fill my heart and soul. This weekend, the…
En el camino…On their way
Each person that passes through the doors of the FM4 is received as a part of the family “in the house that keeps dreams alive” and is treated with respect and dignity. With over 5,000 migrants and refugees passing through our house each year, I want to share with you all a part of their…