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!


Monday, August 20, 2018

Day 5: June 8

It’s 10am and I am sitting ON the coastal cliffs. Right in front of me are crashing waves, a battered coast, and ruins of ancient moais guarding their island.  The ones here have suffered the most damage on the island, mostly just due to their location. There have been several recorded tsunamis that have hit this side of the island and this is the direction the wind blows. These great replicas of chiefs and tribal leaders (not gods as most people believe!!) suffer the brunt of the wind, salt, and wars. I am so at peace here just looking at them.

I walked around the entire town in under 45 minutes.  The town is now mostly tourist-centered which makes me sad. There is a feria (market) and artisan market that I got to take a peak at.  I also stumbled upon the building that houses the organization for keeping the indigenous life alive. Outside of it were two men speaking Rapa Nui.  The language is soft, but also has a few harsh phonetics. It sounds sort of similar to other polynesian languages.

The entire island has a polynesian feel to it. Tiki huts are everywhere, flower necklaces and leis, and a form of hula dancing is often seen on the playgrounds and on the coastal cliffs.  There are many places for tours and diving that I hope to venture during my last week here. I really enjoy that this isn’t “prime” season to come, because only researchers and serious backpackers are here. It is a bit lonely, though.  I will have to make some local friends soon!
The water here is so so so blue.  It’s clear (no sand, just cooled lava rock), but it is BLUE.  I guess being in the smack center of the Pacific Ocean will do that to you.  


El Museo de Rapa Nui (The Rapa Nui Museum) its only 0.7mi from here and I have the whole day to kill, so I will visit that! Check out my next few posts to read what I learned there!
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