When I first graduated high school, my aunt was living in the Dominican Republic. At this point, I had only left the US one time for a week long vacation in an all inclusive resort in Barbados with my mom and brother. I had a trip booked with my brother and two cousins to visit my aunt and after their first week, I would stay for another two. They all had bets on how long it would take for me to call my mom crying and ask to come home. The original plan was to stay the extra two weeks and go through a life coaching, yoga retreat before returning to New York to start college and attempt to model. After my second week in the DR, I realized I wanted to stay a bit longer and extended my trip by two weeks. I already met friends, I was doing yoga everyday, I was going to the beach, and living a life I hadn't experienced before. I was loving my new found independence. I had this feeling inside me that I couldn't leave yet and two days before I was supposed to head home and lead a normal life- I told my aunt that I had to stay. She turned around to me and said, "Are you sure? I'm leaving so you are going to have to find a job and a place to stay before you call your mom". That same day- I headed to a town called Cabarete and found TWO jobs and an apartment. When I am determined to do something, I find a way... and I did. My mom was unexpectedly accepting of it, my dad not so much. A few days later, I moved into my new two bedroom oceanfront apartment in a hotel as an 18 year old fresh out of high school. I continued living in the Dominican Republic for 4.5 years after this and the memories and experiences I had living there will shape me for the rest of my life.

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The initial trip I took back in September 2011 is what sparked the fire in me to travel, to learn about new cultures, to learn about and meet new people and to explore the unknown. I wouldn't say I'm a rebel by any means, but I do love adventure and exploring beyond my comfort zone. Every place I have visited has felt like home and I can picture myself there for a lifetime. That is the only thing that makes traveling difficult. You meet people who make a mark on your life and then you may never see them again. The bright side is with social media and video calls, you can keep in touch and when you do see them again years later, it is like no time has passed at all.