Anything you ever wanted to know about me…the gringa
Who is gringa girl? Most of you who are reading this already know, I am Johanna, a white girl from North Carolina. My friends in the states know me as Hanna, Jo, JoJo, Joj, and the list goes on. My Spanish speaking friends know me as Yohanna, Yoanna, YoYo, and even hoho. (the "j" in Spanish is pronounced as an English "h") Long story short, I have an identity crisis at times.
Second, as my parents will profess, I like to travel. I didn't leave the country until my freshman year of college when we went to a family vacation to the Cayman Islands, but I believe that my travel bug started far before then. In fact my decision to attend Elon University was based on the fact that I wanted to go to Costa Rica and the Teaching Fellows program there included a Costa Rica study abroad. The thought of traveling somewhere new and stretching my boundaries fascinated me. It still fascinates me. I guess you could say that is why I am where I am now. A 1 week vacation just doesn't get me going. I think of all the friends I will miss meeting and the places I may not see. Instead I choose to throw myself into volunteer positions or try and find other ways to stay longer in places I love. Right now I have made my way back to Peru where I will be for a year! It is exciting and frightening all at the same time.
Second, as my parents will profess, I like to travel. I didn't leave the country until my freshman year of college when we went to a family vacation to the Cayman Islands, but I believe that my travel bug started far before then. In fact my decision to attend Elon University was based on the fact that I wanted to go to Costa Rica and the Teaching Fellows program there included a Costa Rica study abroad. The thought of traveling somewhere new and stretching my boundaries fascinated me. It still fascinates me. I guess you could say that is why I am where I am now. A 1 week vacation just doesn't get me going. I think of all the friends I will miss meeting and the places I may not see. Instead I choose to throw myself into volunteer positions or try and find other ways to stay longer in places I love. Right now I have made my way back to Peru where I will be for a year! It is exciting and frightening all at the same time.
Photo used under Creative Commons from Felipe Arias U.