Aquí Se Respira Lucha

My life might be up-rooted, but I keep on expanding.Soñadora, pensadora, luchadora. I write in English and Spanish because I don't believe in false dichotomies. Los idiomas son mi pasión. El español es mi primer amor. Traductora. Aspiring linguist. Hardboiled and alone in the city. Come make me company.

[y-la-vida-continua]

Updates are in order, and it's not all rainbows and sunshine. When traveling, we always must expect the unexpected.

View On WordPress

[y-la-vida-continua]

Becoming a Digital Nomad on Preply

“Language is the bridge that lets us step into each other’s invisible worlds—and teaching has allowed me to cross more of them than I ever imagined.” After two years teaching online from jungle hostels, airport gates, cityscapes, and even my own bedroom, I’m finally ready to talk about what becoming a digital nomad on Preply. It’s been over a year since I came home to live with my parents. It…

View On WordPress

[y-la-vida-continua]

Your best friend is you: Part 1

Self-demanding, my worst enemy There’s no better way to start than with the origin of 90% of all of my emotional woes: perfectionism and demanding too much of myself. In other words, my black and white, all-or-nothing thinking, 100 or 0 thinking. The profound conviction that I was never enough. That I always had to do a little more. I was even convinced that I shouldn’t celebrate or be happy…

Your best friend is you: Part 1

[y-la-vida-continua]

I found this audiobook on Spotify. It's extremely relatable for any person, especially femme, that has felt too much, sacrificed their own authenticity, and surrendered their power to others. I hope you'll find it as relatable and uplifting as I did! Check out my translation from Spanish into English on my latest post.

View On WordPress

[y-la-vida-continua]

My February recap begins with a trip to Manizales, Colombia! Have you ever done hot springs tourism? Be sure to check out my instagram: @acamaleonica29 for more travel insights and posts!

View On WordPress

[y-la-vida-continua]

Here's my latest entry detailing a slice of my month-long adventure in Brazil at the beginning of this year! This was the first resolution and promise I made to myself -- fulfilled. This is includes an excerpt from my travel journal and pictures I took. Please enjoy and leave a comment about an adventure you have had so far in 2025!

Beach Day in Brazil: Reflections from Praia do Espelho

[y-la-vida-continua]

The Handmaid’s Tale: A Cautionary Tale of Religion’s Divisive Power

I picked up The Handmaid’s Tale during my travels earlier last year. I finally started it on my way home in August. The timing couldn’t have been more apt with the 2024 election season looming. As I read, I was struck by how Atwood’s dystopian vision reflects today’s struggles with democracy, justice, and the rise of extremism. The Hulu adaptation, released during the first Trump administration,…

View On WordPress

[y-la-vida-continua]

Day 3 in Leticia: Change of Plans (Again)

I’ve spoken till I’m blue in the face at this point on instagram and whatsapp and messenger voicenotes, but I figure why not add to the chronicles with a blog post? I am the living, breathing example that not everything is rainbows and beautiful instagram shots when you travel. In fact, a great many things can stress you out, leaving you drained and frustrated. I woke up feeling tired but…

View On WordPress

[y-la-vida-continua]

Overstaying in Colombia

Today is Christmas, and instead of spending time with loved ones, opening presents, feeling abundance, I’m recovering from beaten down immune system, sitting in a cheap hotel room in the middle of Leticia, Colombia. I was supposed to be spending Christmas on a boat cruise through the Amazon. However, I made a huge mistake, and I am hoping my experience can be of use for others that might also…

[y-la-vida-continua]

Why am I single and will be staying that way for the foreseeable future? A rant that has been years in the making.

You might ask yourself: why is Amanda single? Why is she going to stay single for a long time? Why does she seem, dare I say, even aromantic and anti-relationship?Well, my answer for you is one word: colombianos.Okay, no. No, but really.I’ve bit my tongue about all of the absolutely audacious bs that goes on in relationships and gets normalized — not just in Colombia, but especially in these…

[y-la-vida-continua]

Survival Mode and Learning to Slow Down to Thrive

I wrote this on October 15th, almost a year ago when I was over two months into working at a jungle hostel. The transition from living in a city working at a private school and working and living in the middle of the jungle, in the middle of nature, in the hospitality industry, was not an easy one, as much as I wanted to be there and felt blessed by circumstance. There, I reflected and wrote…

[y-la-vida-continua]

Hard Lessons and Harder Knocks: Living as a Naïve Foreigner in a Foreign Country

Welcome to Polombia! The happiest place on Earth (according to conventional stereotypes, more than statistics). Ironically, it is also the same country in which “eighty-one percent of the population believes that political parties are corrupt“. This cynicism is the proverbial smoke that leads to the fire of deep-seated mistrust in institutions and even between individuals. If you want to taste…

View On WordPress

[y-la-vida-continua]

Of Aging

Every wrinkle, like a scar, is part of my story,It’s part of my journey,It’s deeper than the tattoos on my skin,Written into my DNALike the generational trauma,Passed down like family heirloomsThrough the years. It is what I make it,Like my story of–pain, beauty, humanity,witnessing.I can erase my wrinkles,But they would remainAll the same–the wisdom, the hard foughthard won wars with myself–the…

[y-la-vida-continua]

One if by land, two if by air: A Gamble in Ecuador (a recap of my time in Quito in 2021)

Bear with me, but I am going through my drafts and trying to release a few. I wrote this back in 2021. I decided to leave out the cringe-worthy prologue about the plans I ditched that year reminding of how naive I used to be. But the information and experience I had in Quito as I described it was worth recounting, so here you go! Currently, I’m sitting in the airport in Guayaquil, Ecuador. I’ve…

View On WordPress

[y-la-vida-continua]

El discurso de la lluvia / Translating Félix Molina Flórez

El discurso de la lluvia / Translating Félix Molina Flórez

¨Los cuerpos son definiciones perdidas…¨ Los cuerpos son definiciones perdidasen los diccionariosSin brazossin piernassin ojossin memoriatratan de recobrar su rumbo Los cuerpos que transitan este paraísohan perdido su significadocomo una tilde dibujada en el vacío Somos esas piedrasque lavadas por la crecientehan perdido su piel My Translation: Our bodies are lost definitionsin…

View On WordPress

[y-la-vida-continua]

Entre Comillas: Chapter 2, Dreamer's Disease

A throwback of some old writing I did, as well as a reflection at the bottom. First post of 2022, here we go!

Millennial naivety. Dreamer’s disease. I never was set up for low expectations. With my marketing degree and my 4 years working at Kohl’s, I was sure setting up shop would be easy. The real struggle would be establishing myself. Since I was young, I fancied myself a writer. An artist. All that was missing from my wave of whimsy was the “starving” epithet in front of the “artist.”  Some might…

View On WordPress

[y-la-vida-continua]

From the Archives: Poesía de Resistencia

From the Archives: Poesía de Resistencia

Vida Desértica – El Desierto de la Tatacoa, el Gris Esperanzas Caídas: la Flor Transplante Puedo embrujar con mi belleza,Una mirada coqueta, un vistazo de mielY carne y hueso y sangrePero eso no me completaNo me define.Mis venas se convierten en raícesBuscando tierra fértil en la queSe puedan sentir en casaPero sólo encuentran huecos,Lugares donde se pueden quedarSin angustia, sin molestia, sin…

View On WordPress