It's Ironic...

I find it a little bit ironic that just the other day I was talking about how these two cultures (Latin America and USA) view death so differently. I know that this blog is supposed to be about my time abroad in Ecuador, but this weekend something so profoundly difficult happened in the USA that I can't be completely present in Ecuador at the moment.

Yesterday morning my dad's cousin, Holly, passed away unexpectedly. I'm trying with all my might to view this passing as a positive thing, knowing that she is in a better place and that death shouldn't really be that scary. So, I'm choosing to celebrate her life.

Life is too short, and we should really live it to it's fullest, whether you are in Ecuador or somewhere else in the world.

Holly, we will miss you.

10 Things That Make Me Happy

1. Second breakfast at Mickey's Cabin

2. Getting to know new people

3. Family (both extended and host families)

4. Knowing that even though I'm in another hemisphere, I'm still part of a huge, interconnected support system

5. Celebrating rather than wallowing

6. Warm sunny summer days in the Aspen groves

7. Smiling (that one is psychologically proven)

8.  Fresh mountain air

9. Rainstorms

10. Knowing that Holly is in a better place