Inspiration

When I was 9 years old, 4th grade in Ms. Taber's class, I did a year long project on Ecuador.  I researched the country and fell in love: the people were cool, animals were unique, clothes were bright and land was diverse.  

For the culminating project we were grouped with classmates from our continent to perform a play.  I was in the South America group, I don't remember much except we were on a boat and I was tossed off the boat and submerged underwater (aka hidden from the audience by a long brown table on it's side covered with blue paper). Here I dipped my hair in a tupperware bowl of water, listened to the frantic cries of my classmates until I was able to spring up out of the choppy water and bound to safety on the boat so we could make our destination.  

It was exhilarating, something about the drama, the peculiarity of being soaking wet in my classroom, and wanting to reach the tropical jungle, see the odd island animals and the towering Andes mountains.  

I knew I would go to Ecuador one day and it would be exhilarating.  Almost 20 years later, unemployed, homeless and free to travel - I'm ready to see how exhilarating.

"Risk more than others think is safe. Care more than others think is wise. Dream more than others think is practical. Expect more than others think is possible"