This year, I walked through more grief than I thought I could handle. There were many moments when I was sure I would break. Sometimes I still feel like I might. This was not a year of gentle transition or peaceful endings. It was a year that felt cruel. I willingly left an ecosystem I loved more dearly than I had ever loved anything. I left a life that had grown thick with meaning and texture. I miss my dog and my old cat Hector with an ache that doesn’t leave. I miss feedin

Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And never brought to mind? (Should old friends be forgotten and never remembered?) Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And auld lang syne? (Should old relationships be forgotten, and the time we shared long ago?) For auld lang syne, my jo, For auld lang syne, (For the sake of old times, my dear, for the sake of what has been,) We’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet, For auld lang syne. (we’ll still share a drink of goodwill for the sake of old tim

I learned this morning that I may be living among remnants left by the children who followed the Pied Piper. The streets I walk each day in Brașov, the walls, the churches, the heavy thirteenth-century stone—this city was built meticulously by people who arrived from Germany. The Eastern Migration brought the Saxons who settled in Transylvania, and many of them were wooed by recruiters who visited towns like Hamlein. The truth is, we do not know what happened to those childre

Immigration is often framed as a decisive break, the before and the after, but that framing hasn't matched my lived reality. What I have experienced instead is a long, unsettled middle. An experience where one foot remains planted in what I lost (or still attempting to untangle from), while the other figures out how to step into a life that is still forming. This in-between space is not dramatic or cinematic. It is quiet, demanding, and persistent. It follows me through ordin

People often ask how I ended up in Romania, and I have trouble finding the words because my brain is flooded with all the reasons . There isn't one main reason or one moment that decided our direction. It was a long process of research, noticing what felt solid and what kind of future felt possible. Romania revealed its welcoming charm and promise of a dream through a lot of curiosity and thorough questioning. A Landscape That Felt Familiar Before It Felt Foreign The Carpathi

I’ve been carrying a heavy mix of emotions lately. Back home, in the streets where I grew up, innocent and hardworking Mexican immigrants are being taken into big unmarked trucks — disappeared under the cover of night. Families are left wondering where their loved one is and if they will ever see them again. Dreams are erased. People who have built lives among people they thought were friends are treated like they don’t belong anymore. Watching those videos makes something in

Thanksgiving used to be one of the most intentional days of my year. Not because of patriotism or tradition—actually the opposite. For a decade, I opened my home to anyone who wanted a place to land. My table wasn’t about turkey or spectacle; it was an annual practice in truth-telling and community. I cooked Indigenous foods, played PBS’s We Shall Remain , and held space for conversation about the real history of the holiday. It was part education, part ritual, and part quiet

There was a time when my voice was loud. In my younger years, my confidence filled rooms. I carried my opinions like torches that were bright, sharp, imposing. I confidently asserted my limited knowledge, often reinforcing ideas that make me cringe today. But life has a way of tempering us. Not diminishing, but refining. Over time, my fire settled into something steadier and more grounded. Quiet, but far more powerful. These days, I don’t need to announce my direction. I simp

When College Stops Feeling Like an Option In the United States, higher education is supposed to ignite our passion for deeper learning, potential, and possibility. For many people, it feels more like a locked gate with a price tag hanging off the handle. Families watch tuition climb into numbers that would once have bought two houses. Students do the math and realize they are being asked to mortgage their entire future before it has even begun. Quietly, a lot of people simply

Romania stands at a cultural crossroads — modern in law, traditional in spirit, and still deciding which part of itself will define the future. The Contradiction at the Heart of Modern Romania At first glance, Romania seems firmly part of the European modern project. It is a member of the European Union, bound by human-rights conventions, and home to a young generation that travels, studies, and works across a continent that increasingly values equality. Yet beneath that Euro

This isn’t about fear—it’s about discernment. Across history, people have faced the impossible question of whether to stay and fight for their country or leave to escape the oppression. It’s a question layered with emotion, loyalty, and grief. The stories we’re told about heroism often glorify the ones who stayed—those who defied tyranny from within, who risked everything for the chance to reclaim their homeland. But those stories, as moving as they are, rarely tell the full

Freedom of movement rarely disappears in one day. It erodes through a slow tightening of systems, long before the public recognizes what’s happening. The Warning Signs Always Look Ordinary Every era believes it will see the signs coming. People assume that if things ever turned dangerous or authoritarian, it would be obvious. There would be soldiers in the streets, televised declarations, unmistakable rupture. But history shows otherwise. The loss of mobility, the quiet seali

This message is an invitation to stay awake. The world is shifting quickly, and people are beginning to feel it — the tightening of systems, the quiet disappearances of benefits, the growing unease about what happens next. While no official order says “you can’t leave,” the truth is that exit windows rarely close with a public announcement. They close through small, invisible steps that make leaving harder and harder  until the option is gone in practice. The question keeps s

If you’re carrying U.S. student loan debt and dreaming of a life abroad, you probably feel overwhelmed by the idea of carrying your debt burden into your new life. For many, the burden of student loans feels like a locked gate, barring access to the kind of life they long. It’s common to feel torn between settling financial obligations and following the deep call to build a life that actually feels like home. The prevailing message in American financial culture is this: pay o

This message isn’t meant to alarm — but I write because I wholeheartedly believe in informed self-determination. We all know American feels uneasy. There’s a quiet (and sometimes not so quiet) tension under the surface politically, socially, and economically. I’m not sharing this to create fear. I’m sharing it because awareness gives us options and wisdom. Recently, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) increased its spending on weapons, explosives, and tactical gear

Most foreigners arrive in Romania with a D-type long-stay visa in their passport. They’ve spent months preparing paperwork, mailing apostilled documents overseas, waiting for consulate appointments, and hoping they’ve understood everything correctly. What many don’t realize is that there is another way for U.S. citizens and other visa-exempt nationals. You can enter Romania under the standard 90-day visa-free allowance and apply directly for residency from within the country,

Once you realize that life abroad is possible, not just for the wealthy, not just for the lucky — then the next question naturally is: How do I make it real? Money is often the last wall standing between people and their freedom choice. Not because they don’t have enough, but because they’ve never really seen how far what they do have can go. The moment relocation becomes a tangible option, it stops being a fantasy. The next step is to break it down into real numbers. It's no

Walk through any Transylvanian town and you’ll find echoes of another world such as fortified churches, cobbled squares, pastel guild houses, Latin inscriptions, and names like Kronstadt, Hermannstadt, and Schäßburg. These are traces of the Transylvanian Saxons, the German settlers who came nearly nine centuries ago and shaped the cultural heart of the region. Arrival of the Saxons The story begins in the 12th century, when the Hungarian kings invited German colonists to sett

Many Americans grow up believing the United States is the safest place on earth. We picture flashing sirens, neighborhood watch signs, and the comfort of knowing that law and order are part of who we are. And we grow up assuming that many far away countries are dangerous, corrupt, and unpredictable. But as I started learning about Romania, I found the truth is practically the opposite. When you compare the numbers and the everyday lived experience, Romania is statistically sa

If you’re living in the United States on $2,000–$4,000 a month, you know that it’s barely enough to get by in America. You’ve felt the tightness of rent swallowing half your paycheck, groceries that double in price without warning, and a sense that no matter how carefully you plan, one unexpected bill could break everything. But here’s what most people don’t realize: that same income, which leaves you gasping for air in the U.S., can stretch in much of Eastern Europe. The sam