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Sophia Pandelidis

Sophia is passionate about writing, culture and languages. She is involved in many singing groups and is co-president of her school's gender equality club, Herstory. She believes that the only way a person can truly grow is by gaining new and different experiences. In the coming year, Sophia hopes to form a strong relationship with her host family, become fluent in Spanish, stretch far outside her comfort zone, and remember to notice life's small moments. Her favorite quote is "Change occurs only when we stop living the expected life." --Unknown

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The Whole Story

Sophia Pandelidis

2017-03-28

So I made this video way back in November but had a lot of technical difficulties getting it posted ? Just a snapshot into the beginning portion of my Bridge Year in Ecuador! As I enter my final week in my host community, I realize that so much has happened since then.Try watching until the...

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A Week in Food

Sophia Pandelidis

2017-03-10

Wondering what I have been eating for the past six months? I decided to record a week of my eating habits just for you!   Tuesday, February 21 Banana, Hardboiled Egg, Tomate de Arbol Juice This is a very typical breakfast for me. You’ll see it come up pretty much every day.   Met Melisa...

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This is Ecuador: Musica

Sophia Pandelidis

2017-02-08

Music is an integral part of my every day life here in Ecuador, whether it be listening to "Safari" ten thousand times with the teenagers in the kitchen where I work, dancing to Widinson Bomba with my three year old sister before dinner, diligently learning the lyrics to "Chantaje" with my ten year old brother,...

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The Epiphany of Utterly Underwhelming Travel

Sophia Pandelidis

2017-01-24

With my stomach lurching at each swell in the waves, jellyfish welts running up my arm, and my skin prickling with cold, I thought, This cannot get worse. The nauseating boat ride back from Isla de la Plata was absolutely the cherry on top to an utterly underwhelming, sometimes hilariously horrible trip to Southern Ecuador...

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On Building Yourself from Scratch: Notes from Quito, Ecuador

Sophia Pandelidis

2016-09-29

I am not myself here. At least not yet. They say your identity may change or be challenged outside your context. They say you might be a different person–but maybe for a while you don’t feel like a person at all, just an outline with blank space in the middle. A clean slate may seem...

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PDT: Listening to Learn and Learning to Listen

Sophia Pandelidis

2016-09-04

Quotes collected by Sophia Pandelidis Photos by Jasen Lo (Thank you!) At first, I planned for this project to be focused on small visual snapshots in order to contribute to my larger goal of living in the moment over my Bridge Year. However, as PDT progressed, I found myself listening rather than looking. I was...

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Searching for a Home

Sophia Pandelidis

2016-08-03

I’m losing The Purple House this summer.   When I walk out the front door on August 19th with one magenta suitcase, a backpack, and a guitar in hand, I will never get to walk into my home again. It will never be mine again. This will not merely be a mental separation, created by...

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