If you’re reading this, the street-wide music blaring outside my grandmother’s apartment must have finally stopped playing. Because in Colombia, after Ash Wednesday (Feb. 18) there’s no more parties, no more fun costumes or parades until Holy Week at the earliest.

Until then, everyone’s back on the grind, although your esteemed editor is still stuck here until next week. Definitely not complaining though.

This week, since I’m still out of the office, I’m trying my hand at being a foreign correspondent, which is a job all the cool kids in my graduating journalism class at UGA seemed to want because it sounded super interesting: who doesn’t want to be the next Richard Engel or Christine Amanpour? Not me, though: I’m not fond of getting teargassed in a war zone and flying makes my stomach feel queasy. That’s why I get so excited when the airplane stewards on American Airlines flights pass out rations of ice-cold carbonated beverages and Lotus Biscoff cookies to passengers; it helps with my nerves.

Being away from home and the cold weather has surprisingly helped me realize just how much I do like my job, all things considered. Who else would write columns while on break, or answer work-related emails about a magazine?

My grandmother says I care so much about my job because I have an American work ethic, I say it’s because I have lots of anxiety about the future of journalism and my 401K. Who knows?

Despite my worrying, I do pride myself on my fabulous work ethic and optimism. To survive as an editor/foreign correspondent/ amateur columnist, you have to try new things and never give up.

Words cannot express how thankful I am that I’ve had so many folks in my life who encourage me to do so without fear; from family and friends to professors and colleagues.

In the future, younger editors/foreign correspondents/ amateur columnists might look to me for advice, much like how I do today with my interim editor Jeff Whitten and my co-worker Pat Donahue.

If I had to pick, I’d say I take after Pat the most, except I do have better hair than him. (Relax, I’ll bring him a novelty keychain from the airport later).

If you’re still reading this postcard, looking for my words of wisdom, my unsolicited advice to young editors (and anyone really) would just be to work hard, be kind, and take the time out of your paid leave to visit your family elders, who love you more than you know...as evidenced by the tasty food they cook for you. Life is too short to do otherwise.

Andrea Gutierrez is the editor of the Bryan County News. She loves carnivals, dancing, and free snacks on commercial flights.