在/再

I've been struggling to articulate feelings of sheer helplessness and desolation about everything Trump&the far right has done (especially from abroad). But then today, on a tour guided by members of Casa Kolacho (a local hip-hop nonprofit in Comuna 13), I saw the transformative power of community resilience right before my eyes. Comuna 13 used to be one of the most dangerous communities in Medellin, but now, largely thanks to its own community, it's gotten a complete facelift with a plethora of public spaces, beautiful graffiti artwork, and community projects. Today, I was reminded that humanity is ugly sometimes.. but it can also be incredibly resilient and beautiful. Stay informed, stay woke, and stay strong 💪🏼 I'll be back soon to help fight the fight 👌🏼 (en Independencias 1)

Even with the distance between Colombia and United States, I still feel a mixture of deep mourning and resilience on this Inauguration Day. I wish so, so much that I could have been there to march among others in protest of our new president- in the meantime, I'm doing the most I can by boycotting the inauguration and donating money to critical groups. Sending lots of love and strength from Medellín ❤❤ (en La Piedra Del Peñon - Guatapé)

I've been quiet on Instagram because it's too difficult to describe all the ways I've already fallen in love with paisa culture in an IG caption (I'm sure that there's more reasons to come as I've officially decided to live in Envigado for another month). 😌 But in the past two weeks, I've had basic conversation with Colombians in my broken Spanish, gone salsa dancing 3 times a week, hiked through the forest in Santa Elena, gotten drunk off of guaro (Colombian proper), and ate one too many drunk empanadas. Thank you Colombia, for all these chévere experiences so far 🇨🇴😊 (en Santo Domingo Medellin)

[[Insert sentimental 2016 caption here]]. But seriously, 2016 was a riveting year of discovery on so many personal levels. Feliz Año Nuevo y muchos abrazos de Medellín!! 🤗😌 (at Medellín, Colombia)

PSA to all my dear friends in the US: Medellín is infinitely more than Narcos, Pablo Escobar, and cheap coke. Joseph Stiglitz put it perfectly: "Medellín constructed avant-garde public buildings in areas that were the most run-down, provided house paint to citizens living in poor districts, and cleaned up and improved the streets – all in the belief that if you treat people with dignity, they will value their surroundings and take pride in their communities. And that faith has been more than borne out." More to come later, but in only a day, I've already been so incredibly touched by how much foresight, passion, and resilience can change a city within 20 years. Just imagine if this mentality was brought to the States. 😪 (at Estación Santo Domingo Línea L Metro Medellín)

You know when something just feels absolutely right in your heart? That was me picking Medellín as my starting point on this trip- it literally only took me less than two hours to fall in love with the casual vibe and the natural beauty here. 🙏🏼 So excited to experience paisa culture over the next two months 😊 (at Parque de la bailarina)

Either I'm very unprepared, or I'm finally starting to the hang of minimalist packing.. although I'm pretty sure it's the first 💁🏻 Leaving for my six-month trip to South America in a few hours- hasta mañana, Medellín! 🇨🇴🙃✈️ (at Milpitas, California)

"The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance." -Alan Watts In other words, I'm officially leaving for my 6-month trip to South America next week 😊😱 I've planned nothing beyond Spanish classes for the first month, feel scared/underprepared, know no Spanish.. but most of all I'm hella excited for new experiences. 👌🏼 Te veo pronto Colombia! 🇨🇴 😌 (at Phong Nha - Kẻ Bàng - Hang Tối Quảng Bình)

Somehow, Mother Nature and Chicago knew that I was coming to visit, so they serendipitously willed the first snow of this winter during my last official time as a tourist. ❄️❄️ It's still incredibly hard to fathom (winters including) that Chicago will be my home for four years starting from next July, but with each coming day, I'm even more thankful to be calling the Windy City home. 😌 P.S. Slushy snow is not fun. (at Millennium Park)

Spent my Thanksgiving weekend by honoring quality fam time and my heritage by making dank Chinese food 👌🏼😊Exactly one more month until I depart for my six-month trip in Colombia, so I'm definitely cherishing quiet Bay Area weekends for the time being 🇨🇴😌 (at Pescadero State Beach)

My Chinese name is 谷昀. The first word is my father's last name (gu), which literally means valley. The second character (yun) is a rare Chinese word, which means soft sunlight. So yes, my parents named me after the precarious, beautiful moment when the sun rises/sets over a valley. They told me this when I was a kid, but I don't think that I've realized the significance of my own name until I fell in love with the outdoors. 🙏🏼 It's no wonder everything about the outdoors lives in my soul ☀️🏔 (at Tunnel View)

The heart that breaks open can contain the whole universe. -joanna macy (at Cabrillo Highway)

Like many many others, I've been processing over the past few days, and I still am. But this post is to let y'all know that I'm not silent. On Tuesday night, I was in denial. On Wednesday, I wavered between sadness, fear, nausea, and restlessness- I couldn't sit at work without feeling like crying every five minutes, so I left early to be with my friends/community. I tried meditating, but I wanted to take action, so I walked with thousands of people in protest of Trump in Oakland. Protesting helped me find comfort that others were reacting too, but the (completely justifiable) collective anger wasn't helping me answer how to heal deep divides in this country. So on Thursday/Friday, I took off to the great outdoors to just think. . . . I'm back, and I don't have an answer yet, but I know that right now, it's ever more important to be courageously compassionate, to fight disgust/hatred with love, and to make space for empathy&listening. And above all, I'll be using my voice to work with others to move forward. I got your back, especially if you're a fellow PoC, female, undocumented, Muslim, or LGBT. And to Trump voters who are willing to have an authentic conversation, know that this compassion extends to you too- it's the first step to healing. No matter where you stand/who are you are (even if you don't know me well), I'm always here if you want to talk honestly in a non-judgmental, authentic space. Here's to moral resilience 💪🏼🙏🏼 (at Glacier Point)

"Can you be grateful for everything? No. But in every moment." (David Steindl-Rast) With the coming of Thanksgiving and the nearing end of the year, November is an exceptional month of gratitude (how the heck did 2016 fly by??). Especially with the horrors of Election Day next Tuesday, it's even more important to remind ourselves to be grateful under all conditions. Remember to "stop, look, and then go"- gratitude is a chosen and appreciative response to every experience. 😌 (at Black Sand Beach, Vík)

"We travel, initially, to lose ourselves; and we travel, next to find ourselves. We travel to open our hearts and eyes and learn more about the world than our newspapers will accommodate. We travel to bring what little we can, in our ignorance and knowledge, to those parts of the globe where riches are differently dispersed. And we travel, in essence, to become young fools again- to slow time down and get taken in, and fall in love once more." (Pico Iyer) (at Bagan City)

PSA: Fall exists in California 😌🍂 (at Fallen Leaf Lake)

When I lived in Seattle, there was this one tree outside my bedroom window that would change the most beautifully with seasons. I'm far from an arborist, but I noticed that when spring was at its height, it would be full of flowers. When autumn was in full force, it would have leaves in a color gradient from red to yellow. I didn't really realize it til now, but that tree was certainly a daily reminder to stay mindful of the little things around you 🍂 The subtly of fall in the Bay makes me miss the Northwest so much 😌 (at Snow Lake)