Emily Hwang ecuador 2013
An active member of her community, Emily has worked with such organizations as Girls Inc., NEDA, and Girls Helping Girls in an effort to empower young women to become confident, effective agents of social change. She was an involved and dedicated leader in her high school, where she gave much of her time to a student-run Peer Support group as well as to the Drama Department. Her passions include theatre, women's empowerment, literature, and psychology.
Our Bodies are Our Testimonies
May 14, 2013
Below you will find a link to my capstone video entitled “Our Bodies are our Testimonies.” As my seven month journey in Ecuador draws to a close, I want to thank the people of this country for leaving such a profound impact on my mind, body, and spirit. You’ve changed my life for good and I will never forget you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ydqfLOZHVU&feature=youtu.be…
Also, thank you so much to all of my friends and family who have followed my bridge year from America and supported me with your love. I am grateful to have you all in my life and am so
Home
May 8, 2013
Today is April 6th, which means that in two weeks time, I will be home. And I wonder what will remain of all this when I’m in my own house with my own family, lying on my own bed at night, struggling to see the stars through the LA smog. In two weeks time, I’ll be back where I started and I might even wonder if all of this was just an insane dream. All that I’ll have to assure myself that it wasn’t are these alpaca sweaters, bug bite scars, and the vacant space where half of my heart…
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Preparing for Departure: A Feelings Post
March 19, 2013
Words are elusive to me now. Perhaps the effects of the monstrous exhaust fumes that billow out from behind Riobamba buses like parachutes and dissipate into small portions of carcinogens to be inhaled by unsuspecting townspeople are manifesting on my tongue, because it feels ashen and heavy. I lack words.
The titanic shadow of the impending transition back home looms over all of my thoughts and even threatens to mar my vision of what the past six months mean to me. What matters most to me is accuracy and speaking my truth with authenticity.
But it isn’t easy when the…
Midpoint Reflection: What You Expected
January 7, 2013
What you want
is romance.
unpretentious country folk with toothless grins and simple dreams of owning a washer
and my 10,000 watt, bicultural,
hot-off-the-college-prep-academy grill complexity quieting to a dull
ommmmm
Eat, Pray, Love style.
What you expected were children
and my 19 year old, non-Ecuadorian hands molding them like clay into my idea of
model citizens.
No, Carlos. Your dreams are wrong.
Don’t be a farmer.
Be a vet, since you like animals.
In 3 months time,
I’m on a plane, though
and Carlos, here, with his uncle’s cows and the dreams I planted and
abandoned.
I know that “Third…
Reproductive Rights in Latin America
November 27, 2012
Read the original publication in the Stanford Social Innovation Review by clicking here.
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Just last month, Uruguay became the third Latin American nation subsequent to Cuba and Guyana to legalize all first-trimester abortions. Although a newsworthy move, the new legislation, which was passed with a 17-14 majority, is not as transparent as it seems. Prior to proceeding, a woman must first justify her decision before a panel of at least three healthcare professionals to discuss health risks and alternative approaches (i.e. adoption), and then reflect for a period of five days (The New York Times…). This
What I’ve been up to…
November 27, 2012
Hola amigos!
Below, you will find a photo gallery that hopefully provides you with a glimpse into my life here in Riobamba, Ecuador! Also, here are some links leading to projects I recently worked on.
Here is a blog post I wrote sharing my observations about reproductive rights in Latin America:
And here… is a video I worked on during my first month in Ecuador about my “definition of home:”
Thank you for stopping by and hope you are well!
Besos,
Emily
Seeking Identity in the Company of Family
November 27, 2012
I came to Latin American with various disclaimers in tow about possible impending struggles. The majority of them- the ones concerning safety, Ecua-time (the cultural phenomenon of national tardiness), Machismo, and the drinking culture- were anticipated and unfortunately, warranted. But I also received a few notes of caution about the intense unity of families here, to which I paid no heed. “How could that possibly be a challenge?” I thought, starry-eyed, basking in my last few moments of naivety. Was I in for a treat! Although I am now into my second month living in Riobamba, the capital city of the…
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