About Me

About Me:


Hello friends! Welcome to my Blog. My name is Emily Green and I am a senior at Washington & Jefferson College. I study Spanish and Latin American Studies. I am also the captain of the Women's Tennis Team here at W&J. I can be found giving tours for prospective students, sitting at baseball games, or off on an adventure somewhere around the world. After studying abroad in Costa Rica, I also traveled to Nicaragua and Panama. Afterwards, I helped to coordinate and translate a medical missions trip in the Dominican Republic. From there I went to Easter Island, Chile for my Magellan Project.

I want to see as much of the world as I can and meet every person I come across. My plan is to just go: Go across the street and share a smile and go across the world and share a lifetime of experiences. After completing an intersession trip to Spain, and a semester-long study abroad program in San Ramón, Costa Rica, I realize how much I want to visit places that are not fairly represented or understood. Easter Island, Chile, is well known for the giant stone heads greeting everyone who crosses the Pacific Ocean. Aside from that, most of the culture and people are underappreciated. I loved the chance to change that. I learned about their culture and history that spans the entire age of the island. I came back to educate the people around me about the polynesian culture that is far south of us. I now also have the chance to represent the United States as a respectful, curious, and cautious traveler. I did not want to be merely just a tourist, I left the island as a friend.

Around the world, culture and religion are compacted into one-minute segments shot from GoPros and plastered onto Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. People, as a whole, long for the feeling of adventure and knowledge about a life different than their own. However, sociology, political science, and religion classes fall silent when professors and students ask certain questions. Once the adventure is taken out of the equation, no one wants to be offensive or wrong about other cultures and religions. I do not want to be that person. I never want to add my opinion on something that I have no perspective in. I want to be able to confidently talk about culture and religions. I believe no one should blindly accept beliefs or information; we should be able to see it for ourselves. Knowledge is the greatest power we have. Most of my adventures and perspectives come from a modern world. By experiencing the modern culture mixing with the ancient culture of the Rapa Nui people, I gained entirely new definitions for religions and cultures. I had the chance to talk with the people of the island about religion and culture, as they are not always separate distinctions. Also, the people of the island were very, very cool.

As a senior at W&J, my “adult” life is quickly approaching. This trip will be added to my resume as nothing but a positive addition. With this solo trip, I will be able to understand language, archaeology, engineering, and people more than I could on any other trip. I was pushed out of my comfort zone, but in an area that was safe and reliable. This trip was truly be once-in-a-lifetime. The island does not get too many visitors each year, and those that do go are not usually so young with ambitions as big as my research proposal. I came back to the United States with a book of experiences and a blog of historical and archaeological finds. I hope to share my findings and ideas with anyone who is willing to listen.

About My Magellan

About Magellan:


The Magellan Project is a student-led project only found at Washington & Jefferson College. It allows students to plan, organize, and pursue their own independent research study. Students can choose just about anywhere in the world to go!!


Through a Magellan Project, students can develop their educational, language, and independent research skills, all while staying within a budget and itinerary. It looks amazing on resumes and really teaches more than you could ever think. If you have any questions about the Magellan Project, feel free to contact me or to visit washjeff.edu/the-magellan-project for more information!


Friday, August 31, 2018

Day 14: June 17

The last two days rained like crazy. It is technically winter in this part of the world, but the island has warm wind at all times. I have had perfect days here thus far, so two days of rain is nothing to complain about! It gave me time to catch up on my journal and hanging out with my local friends some more!

Today I had a big hike planned.  I was going to do the entire north end and north-western coastline. HOWEVER, I made it 40 minutes into my hike when I was chased by wild steer!! Not a good feeling!! Two large bulls moved at me with their giant horns and that was enough for me! Even this farm girl was scared of them, so I started to hike away from them.  They chased after me of course, so I ran like hell out of there! I am sure I looked like a fool running through the rocky terrain haha!

I made my way back to the beach, avoiding all wildlife at all costs.  Anakena Beach is wildly gorgeous. Legend says this is where the Rapa Nui king first made landfall and lived.  This is the only sandy beach on the island. There is a huge coral reef off the northern coast.  This reef allows different creatures to live within the volcanic coastline than of the rest of the island.  The different ecosystem here allows for the seashells to be abundant. Then sand is created! After hundreds of years, the beach is quite beautiful.  I wonder what it looked like when Chief Hotu Matu’a landed here with his fleet.

There is an ahu with moai just along the tideline as well.  The grande moai and the white sand make the beach so tranquil and serene.  It reminds me of Costa Rica quite a bit. The wind is fierce today, but the sun is shining down.  The water is like bathwater. It might only be 65 degrees, but there are plenty of people enjoying a nice swim in the perfectly clear, warm water.  The water is outstandingly blue here as well. The white sand makes it a true “ocean” blue. I love it! I swear no one loves the ocean more than me.




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