I had less than 48 hours. At 3am I was off work and on an airport shuttle by four. I lived on Oahu and was meeting a friend on Kauai. She had two weeks off and, a few days in, had decided that the beauty of the Garden Isle was meant to be shared. I … Continued
After many years of travel, my first trip to Cape Town brought the rush of excitement that experienced travellers don’t often get. I went there on business and fell in love with the city, the beautiful beaches, the view of Table Mountain out of the office window and… outdoor adventures. I used to be the … Continued
All around me I see the red dust of the Zambian earth. I look down and see that my feet are completely covered in it- this is nothing new, the dust here gets into everything and after two months in the village I am used to my feet being permanently caked in red. Sitting on … Continued
What is an inspirational place to me? I can think of only one. It takes me to emotional places that I’m never at. It makes me feel unique and special. This place makes me feel confident like I have wings and I can fly anywhere. In this particular place, I am optimistic because it motivates … Continued
It’s a land I get lost in, emerging fuzzy headed, unsure where the time has gone. One, two, six hours can pass, clicking from one screen to the next, getting sucked ever deeper into a maze of trivia, gossip and stories I can’t say no to. It’s an addiction – something I know doesn’t feel … Continued
Around six a.m., Sol Invictus awakens to greet Rome’s citizenry, his soft sunlight illuminating two thousand years of a parabolic empire. I too rise, my well-worn running shoes resolving into focus as I touch the window to get a sense of the morning’s chill. Outside, my journey awaits. Stones the color of old dimes – … Continued
I arrived in the painful, bitter cold of winter. It was far below freezing! It was the first day of snowfall of the year and school was cancelled. I walked my little Bhutanese students’ home as we shielded our wind-burned cheeks against the stinging frost. However, my layers upon layers of clothes couldn’t stop the … Continued
Tripe Soup My husband and I were wondering through the Beyoğlu district of Istanbul, a few streets from the now infamous Taksim Sqaure. The multi-colored flags strung diagonally across the intersections and alleys waved calmly with the Bosphurous breeze. We came to this part of town on a tip from a friend. We were hunting … Continued
“Om Mani Padme Hum, Om Mani Padme Hum . . . (Hail to the lotus one!).” For several months, every morning I blissfully woke up to the repeating hums passing outside my window; the beloved morning routine of a vibrant seventy-seven year old Buddhist nun circumambulating the nunnery with a prayer bead in her left … Continued
Finland is a country that is so familiar yet so foreign to me. I have to admit the idea of going there did not fascinate me greatly and I would have never ended up there, until an offer to participate in a summer school and later, a 3-month exchanged period in Turku, Finland appear on … Continued