Blessed in Israel

Blessed in Israel

The people are everywhere. We pass each other and I nod my head in a  “what’s up?” or “hey” kind of way. The nod is returned, along with a smile. My eyes are round and blue. Some have eyes that are mere slits. Others look back at me with oval, brown eyes. But the smiles. … Continued

Closing Time in the USA

            It’s mid-afternoon and you’re exiting Woolsey Hall. Maybe you’ve just had a late lunch at Commons or maybe, like me, you’re coming out of a mandatory student safety lecture on your third day of college. You exit Woolsey the ugly way—away from the libraries and sculptures—and cross the street. Walk a block to your … Continued

Finding a place to rest in Tanzania

Looking down into the crater of an ancient volcano, vast enough to hold a small town, brings a sense of euphoric freedom. My feet perched on the crater rim, it felt as if I could take off like a bird whenever my heart desired. The thin air on Mount Kilimanjaro makes one feel light headed, … Continued

The Trapeze Artist in Canada

On a recent trip I was forced to wait for paving work partway across the eight-mile bridge connecting my birthplace, Prince Edward Island, to Canada’s mainland.  Perhaps the Travel Gods had a purpose. I needed to slow down after driving over the speed limit since crossing the border in Maine three hours earlier. My red-streaked … Continued

St. Francis and Me in Israel

There is a quote by St. Francis of Assisi sitting smack dab on the very same page in the journal where I began scribbling the happy and illegible notes for this submission. What I call a “paper sandwich,” my journal has sat before me as a confidante for as long as I can remember, most … Continued

AsiaNOMALY in Taipei, Taiwan

My eyes scanned words my brain barely managed to process and instantly blurred with tears.  I was having a “Miss America” moment. A whirlwind of joy and excitement whipped through my chest because the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office had graciously granted me a scholarship to learn Mandarin in Taiwan, my foreign motherland, even though … Continued

My Journey Back in Time, USA

My Journey Back In Time, USA               Two rivers meet, and two cultures clash. At the convergence of the Ohio and the Kanawha rivers, lies the small town of Point Pleasant, West Virginia. The history that occurred here belies its size.  Called Tu-Endie-Wei by the Shawnee and Point Pleasant by the soon-to-become Americans, the … Continued

Invisible in Serbia

I am on a lumbering train, heading north from Belgrade through the desolate Serbian countryside. A tail of thick smoke follows behind. I imagine it is visible from very far away, a guiding beacon for anyone who might be in the game of tracking trains across Serbian fields. Occasionally, the train comes to a halt. … Continued

Lost in Amsterdam, The Netherlands

  Futile – the one word which sums up efforts to impart life experience on my ears. Of course I love to listen, but until I experience the utter frustration of a foiled plan, or the crushing realization that I really should have taken that cautionary word a little more seriously, I rarely seem to … Continued

We Said Go Travel