Travelicious

My Photo scholarship 2010 entry

Worldwide | Wednesday, September 29, 2010 | 5 photos

Upon arriving in South America, I originally felt that my sister had dropped the ball since she hadn’t planned an activity for our first day. We wound up wandering the streets of Quito and ended up having a language mix-up with a taxi driver, who unexpectedly took us to the Virgin de El Panecillo Statue, which rewarded us with miraculous views of the city and countryside. We eventually made our way back to the historic town center, where we watched the locals hanging out and selling various sundries, and couldn’t help but chuckle at the little boys covered in shoe polish who kept pestering us to pay for them to shine our tennis shoes. This moment made me realize that so many places only become destinations because of the people who have lived there over time, and taking the time to zoom into street level and interact with the people is time better spent than getting a distant panoramic view from above. It turned out to be the perfect unplanned day.

I have written travel journals since I could hold a pencil thanks to my English teachermother, but only in the last three years have I started photographing my travels. A lifelong citizen of Nebraska, I know that its residents do not often travel, and I take the opportunity to share my photos and stories of travels abroad with these people, many of whom will never set foot out of the state. I work as an engineer and have not had any photography training, however, I am a self-motivated learner and have learned through reading and practice. The chance to work with Jason in Bhutan would broaden my horizons, both as a photographer and a traveler. I hope to gain from this experience the courage to step out of my comfortable and safe Nebraska life and live a more challenging (yet rewarding) life in this giant world.