Rohingyalish Class

Who are the Rohingya? Where do they come from? These children looked so different from my other students. They were Muslim, not Buddhist. They were slightly darker-skinned. They didn’t speak Burmese. They looked so different from my Karen, Chin, and Kachin students who had come from Myanmar.

An Education Disrupted

It took moving across the world for me to realize just how much I took education for granted. And it took moving across the world for me to realize just how hard people fight for their education. Sadly, a lot of times, they lose the battle and end up in the workforce at age 12.

The problem with the Five Year Plan

If you asked me about my Five Year Plan when I was a senior in high school, I would have given you a perfectly rehearsed elevator pitch. I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life and it seemed like there was nothing stopping me.

Introduction

“What in the world am I doing here?”

I stood in front of a small mirror in my room. My face resembled that of a Smurf, covered in blue whiteboard marker ink. My shirt and arms were covered in raw egg.

Gret Glyer | A Tribute

I dream of a world where our poorest members no longer live on the knife’s edge of survival. – Gret Gret Glyer | A Tribute I can think of three conversations in my life that changed everything for me. One of those conversations was with Gret Glyer – someone who impacted my life far greater […]

Week 5: Becoming a Beekeeper

Becoming a Beekeeper Week 5 An excerpt from Nellie’s journal: “Murder took place in the night. It was a quiet evening with nothing to listen to except for the waves crashing down on the beach. Not even the roosters made a sound. All was still. Or so we thought. At exactly 4:10am, I was awakened […]

Week 1 & 2: Roadtrip & Rohingya Reunions

Roadtrips & Rohingya Reunions Week 1 Aaaaand we’re off! Nellie’s gap year has officially begun!  I have been tasked with navigating a gap year for the little sister amidst all of the world’s unpredictable craziness. For the next 9 months, we are going to quite literally take it one day at a time – with […]

Week 4: The Birthplace of Happy Belly, Happy Nellie

The Birthplace of Happy Belly, Happy Nellie Week 4: Las Tunas, Ecuador This was a special week for Nellie because it was the launch of the most important piece of her gap year: her food blog. Happy Belly | Happy Nellie Instagram: @happybelly.happynellie It all started when we sat down at a small cafe in […]