Although this entire volunteering weekend in the nature of Osaka was magical in itself, this moment stood out to me! Me and this boy I didn’t know and didn’t share any languages with, laughing together as we were walking like little smurfs to the ricefields. A reminder that language is not at all necessary to connect!✨

There is nothing quite like meeting people who are experiencing the same path you are, whose sous are full of light and animation, and who, beyond everything else, are just fantastic people. The São Paulo meetup was all of these things and more. Maybe it was because of the Flight School touch, the city, the spirit of Carnival, or fate - I have no clue. But, what I do know, is that the community and love that I felt in such a short time was nothing short of magical and that I am forever grateful to have crossed paths with such amazing humans.

A huge snowstorm hit Denmark, country basically shut down. Yesterday I went skiing just for fun! people thought I was crazy. after a year in Norway where skis are normal transport i laughed when I saw that this guys skiing became the morning’s top news. i then took a train across the country, to do the uwc selection for denmark. 4 minutes out of the train station.. who do i see???? The guy from the news. he has changed his clothes a bit, but i recognized it well after having lolled at the article earlier in the day. WHAT ARE THE ODDS!?!?!? i went up to him.. We walked together, bonding over our shared lol. The inconveniences of the snow has led to many cute interactions with danish people.

This month, I stepped into service by taking an active role with the Rotary Club of Kitale during the Motosiet Community Safe Water Committee training. I helped leaders build strong governance, ethical leadership, and conflict-resolution skills to sustain their water project.

As I came out of the metro to meet up with my friends, the sky was on fire. What an amazing sunset. I just stood there, accompanied by my friends, in awe at the beauty of the world.

Conveniently, we went to watch Spirited Away in the cinema right after that. Those who have watched it know that it just leaves you feeling like a weird being in a extremely beautiful and bizarre world. It was an afternoon of admiring the world accompanied by the people I love.

This video isn’t a magical moment exactly, but it represents a greater one. I went on a hike with very very poor planning, little food, and no way home. When we finished the hike, there was no one that would give us a ride because it was almost dark. This day, I ended up hiking a total of 32 miles. Around 12 of those where the walk home. I got home around 1 in the morning, 5 blisters, I was barely walking. I don’t really know how to describe how magical this was. It was awful. Several times I tried to cry but couldn’t. I don’t have experiences often that rock me to my core, but there were so many level of myself that completely fell away and I caught a glimpse of who I really am.

"born in the darkness - who brings the light now?"

for a few days this month, my light was a tiny little flame, it was dwindling while i tried to protect form the windy, stormy inner weather. in the song "just for fun" from beyoncé, she asks herself who would bring the light in the dark, just to realize that only her could do that.

driving to the beach, the skies of são paulo were gray and rainy - apart from one big blue stain. from the car, i watched as it followed us until itanhém, getting bigger, the grey clouds welcoming back the sun rays. as we approached our house by sea my dad said: "you see? we bring the sun".

This is a picture of Derin, my friend, and I after we got dinner. Before this night, I had not seen or spoken to him for around 2 years. However, about a week beforehand, I ran into him at a car wash and we made plans to see one another. Talking with him and seeing how much he has grown was so beautiful and heartwarming. Everything, and yet nothing, was different about him. The young freshman, who I always used to joke and say was my son, is a senior now. He just got into his dream school, is making music, and experienced his first love. His humor is still the same, but there is more maturity in his words, more wisdom. Neither of us is the same, yet somehow we still fit, it’s magical.

A few days with an abundance of snow ended up to be so meaningful. Closed schools, cancelled flights. Many kids playing on the streets, strangers building snowmen together, everyone slowing down and taking a moment to enjoy the weather. A strong feeling of community in such an individualistic country. Beautiful!