We gingerly made our way across the jagged rocks, in the hopes of finding a spot to watch the sun go into hiding behind snow-capped mountains. James, the Australian dude who ran the hostel for food and lodging, was walking with us. You stopped to admire a tree, smooth and dry in the dead of … Continued
Growing up in one of the biggest cities in Eastern Indonesia left many questions in my mind. Well, I spoke the same language as many citizens nearby, I shared the same cultural stories every time I met, and experienced a city life like other teenagers in my age every day. There are questions to answer … Continued
Hanuman It was early, around 6:00, when we took a narrow turn down a crowded street. It was beginning to fill with vendors, carts, cows, and tuk-tuks. But it was winter, and cold, and many people were starting their small fires on the sidewalks outside their businesses. I saw clusters men taking Chi and waiting … Continued
Sitting on a log overlooking the blue Pacific waters, time seems irrelevant. One minute, one hour, only the changing tide and movement of the sun hints at a waning day. Trees shade the log and our bodies. Occasionally a slight breeze tempers the heat. Waves smash beyond the rocky, gray sand beach. Surfers paddle out … Continued
My best friend and college roommate, Debebe Theodros, was well on his way back to the states. He had an exam the next day, so the minute he stepped onto the plane, I’m sure he pulled out his Anatomy textbook to read about gastroenterology. The rote memorization tasks of medical school made me sick to … Continued
I met her in the small village of San Jacinto, El Salvador. My heart aches when I think of her because I only see her face. I failed to learn her name. Her eyes revealed her identity as surely as her fingerprints: one-of-kind, cherished, beautiful. The gaze emitted from her piercing brown eyes, big and … Continued
Most of my life felt like I wanted to crack the door and let it all escape, like visiting a pet store and having an urge to free the puppies. A split second image comes to mind of prisoners running free while standing in slow motion satiated. I needed out. It started with a broken … Continued
It was the green that caught my eye, the first time I saw photos of Batanes in a book as a teenager. I knew where the Batanes Islands were, of course, we had studied it in school: the northernmost province of the Philippine archipelago, nearer to Taiwan than to Luzon. This point was always emphasized … Continued
“This is the womb of the world,” he says, looking out at the sea which forms into waves so clear I can see the silver fish carried inside them. Water churns around our shins in foamy currents, threatening to destabilize our footing. “People are re-born here,” he continues, his gaze firmly on the sea. Daniel … Continued
It’s the winter of 2009 and I find myself eager to take a holiday, to abandon my work and leave the cell phone and computer behind, but mostly to have a Christmas (since the death of my parents) that doesn’t involve my being an orphan at someone else’s table. It’s always a difficult decision, how … Continued