Since I was a small child I recall dreaming of cultures so foreign to my own. I had a thirst to see and attempt to understand how other people lived their daily lives. Growing up in Miami, Florida and being in that melting pot helped form who I am today. I started traveling at the age of 15 (unbeknownst to my parents) and then waiting until 18 to take my first trip to Costa Rica. I took a semester off of college at Appalachian State in Boone, NC but actually got more education in Spanish and life. I taught surfing in exchange for housing and being fed. I fell in love with the colors and monkeys and the Pura Vida vibe that the locals possessed. From there after college I took my first trip to Thailand and that really captured my heart. I couldn’t understand how this culture worked. I still can’t but I love that about it. We can’t understand certain things and that’s what is beautiful about travel and cultures so foreign to our own. We can only admire and sometimes a smile is the best way to communicate.
The markets, the smells, the people, the colors. I started buying gifts for family and friends. I came back home and everything loved what I had brought them. And that’s how this odyssey began and continues to flow as I have explored India and into Dharmsala where the Tibetans, including His Holiness, The Dalai Lama have fled and made their home. Hearing the stories from the Tibetan women was one of the heaviest moments of my life. This is why I love what I do. The stories from women and families about where they come from, what it means to be them and connecting on that deeper heart level is why I continue to love and do what I do.