The Girl Behind the Blog

In Process...

Heya, I'm Mandiee and I'm almost 16 years old (April 25th, wahoo!) I'm just a small-town girl who's on a mission to be the kindest she can be to herself and the world around her.

For me, that means being vegan and following my dream. And what's that? Simply put (although there's nothing simple about it), it's to unite different cultures through friendship and understanding. Sound a little hippy-ish to you? Maybe. But I've got to admit I'm definitely a realist and natural-born analyzer, too. I have big dreams but I'm ready to back them up.

It all started with my first international exchange at 11 years old. I traveled to Germany to meet up with 11 other countries' worth delegations of the same age and make-up as ours (two boys, two girls, and a leader). We all lived together for a month and played games that allowed friendships to flourish. Having such a strong connection with the other delegates and learning of a bigger world was truly a life-changing experience.

Since then, I have done a few other international exchanges, including ones with Denmark, Greece, and England. This summer I am hoping to go to the Faroe Islands to be a junior councilor for a group of 11 years olds. All of these experiences have shaped my personality and outlook on life. Because of this, I hold certain values very close to my heart. Kindness is needed for peace so naturally I hold that in high esteem.

That's where veganism comes in. I believe in kidness in all aspects of my life and one day I realized that the food I eat was not exempt. I'm not saying that meat-eaters are horrible or anything like that and I fully recognize that some people just run better on certain diets. Anyway, this was the right choice for me.