Saturday, January 23, 2010

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.


9 comments:

  1. Congratulations! You won my lavender cookies! =)

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  2. Wow! Your life experiences sound amazing! I was an exchange student in Argentina two summers ago; it was a trip of a lifetime! I plan on going back this summer to help teach English to students possibly. :)

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  3. I loved reading this and your reasons for being vegan :D You seem like such a compassionate person and that is something that is to be truly appreciated in this world.

    XO

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  4. People to People program? I went on one when I was 12, truly was an amazing experience. You seem like such a smart girl! Keep at the yoga and baking (my two favorite therapies as well) Love love love the blog girlie :)

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  5. Wow - you've already got so many amazing life experiences under your belt at such a young age - and an amazing and unique outlook on life. You're goin' places, girl! Never lose that enthusiasm and drive.

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  6. You are an inspiration! I am happy to know you, Mandiee! Oh and the photo of you is very cute! Can't wait to talk to you again!

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  7. i love this! do what works best for you and let no one stop you. xo. you're beautiful <3

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  8. This is so cool! I didn't know you were my age. Awesome! Let's be friends. :) hahaha.

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  9. Mandiee....We loved your cookies last week -- thanks for the treat:>) can you tell your mom -- that we missed her at H20 Bootcamp this morning and ask her to send me an email at gdwarren@comcast.net.....thanks gail

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