Bren

                                                                                                                                                                                    (Photo Edited by Caitlyn Chelsen) There is an unspoken stigma tied to women who are open about their sexuality and the amount of partners they’ve had in their lives. They’re usually categorized as sluts, “easy” , or unable to find love. ...

Photo Credit: Ben Gaffigan. At the top of the volcano. Photo Credit: One of Tom's Teacher's. On our way up the volcano. Before we get into the details I thought it would be important to explain how I got in this situation. I thought it would be a good idea to spend quality time with my fellow PCVs because I had just gotten back from the US. Since I was really homesick I decided to go hiking for the 4th of July because why not? I climbed up a volcano called, “Gunung Gede" . (Don't worry fam the last time it erupted was in the 50s) When I started climbing this mountain, all I thought was, “shit this is harder than the hikes I did back in the US” and the longer we were hiking the more I questioned myself. It sounded a little like, “Brenda why the f* did you agree to this?” . However, the time spent with the volunteers was totally worth it. We talked about our homes in the US, ou...

The content of this website is mine alone and does not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Government, the Peace Corps, or the Indonesian Government. YAAAAAS - ya girl was able to go visit the United States three weeks. Although the time seemed long it went by so fast. Shit, ya girl is sitting in her home in Indonesia listening to the frogs while writing this. However, there are people who aren’t able to visit their family during service, so I tried not to take it for granted.  I was able to be at a family birthday party. The reason why I decided to upload this post was to help other volunteers who are planning on visiting the states. It can be difficult going home and I wanted people to know they're not alone. However, if you’re a family member of a PCV this post can help you understand where they might be in their minds when visiting the US. Before I left I started getting mixed feelings. I cried a little and for some reason, it felt like I was leaving ...

The content of this website is mine alone and does not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Government, the Peace Corps, or the Indonesian Government. So I've been living in Indonesia for over 100 days....to be honest with you all, it feels like I just got here. I mean yes I learned the language and know a bit about the culture, but things still feel new to me. I was recently told by a PCV veteran that the feeling will go away (I can't wait) I’ve been living in my permanent site (Tasikmalaya, Karangjaya) for about a month now (I think)...I haven’t been counting. All I know is that I got here just a few days before Christmas. I was not looking forward to the holidays, but they were better than expected. This is in front of what would be called their town hall. It's absolutely beautiful. For Christmas, I went to Tasikmalaya City with a volunteer named Mahogoni. We had a Christmas Eve dinner and hung out in this huge mall. Since this country is predomi...

The content of this website is mine alone and does not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Government, the Peace Corps, or the Indonesian Government. I wanted to update you all on my life here in Indonesia. It's been a month since I've left America and I have learned about their culture, food, and how to speak their language. It has not been easy. I've dealt with illnesses (YES ALREADY) and of course I miss my loved ones. But let's get to some snippets of my favorite memories so far. This is a cute banner made of my cohort during one of my training sessions. The first few days here I stayed in Surabaya which is a major city that is densely populated. Out the window of my bus, I could see SO MANY people riding motorcycles; they use that here more than they use cars. I even saw three people on one motorcycle with a tiny little baby between them! I was impressed because that takes skill. I can't even ride a bike correctly (I'll get into that...

I decided to write this blog because if you didn’t notice already I am a college graduate! #Lit #Finally #FMLStudentloans Although this is indeed wonderful news there is something that isn’t talked about, so I thought it would be beneficial to address this wonderful thing called post-graduate depression. (Photos by @legaltrapmack) My thoughts: When I was told about post-graduate depression I definitely didn’t think it existed or that it would ever happen to me...but look at me now. This feeling felt like a ton of bricks and they came before graduation. I was worried about my personal relationship, friendships, and life decisions. I had thoughts like: is this the right decision, do I really want to go on this path in life, why did I come to college, and why am I not as excited to graduate college. There was even a moment where I cried because I couldn’t find socks in the morning ( don’t judge me ). It wasn’t until someone told me that they ask themselves these questions and...