It’s 1983 and I’m standing in the Arrivals area of Guadalajara International Airport in Mexico, heart pounding, disoriented. I’m 20 years old, and completely alone. “Jenni,” I think to myself, “You are definitely NOT in Kansas anymore.” My arrival in Mexico marked the beginning of a 10-week study abroad experience to supplement my Psychology and…
Jen's Stories
Mastodons and Memories: Reflections on a Road Trip Adventure
I stepped over the threshold and the scent of a Northwoods gift shop greeted me like a long-lost friend. Part birch bark, part pine scent, it’s the olfactory welcome-wagon greeting of any trip I’ve ever taken to northern Michigan. Normally that waft of tree scent means that I’ll find some fascinating trinket that accompanies me…
To Christine, With Love
Some stories don’t reveal their meaning until much later. This story begins with a phone call and news I wasn’t ready to hear and took years to unfold, eventually setting the stage for a professional turning point I could not have imagined. The news: my Aunt Christine, youngest sister to my mother (and my beloved…