Usually the metro is far from an inspiring place. It’s to be passed through, as quickly as possible, on the way to somewhere else. It can often be hot, shaky, cramped, and/or uncomfortable. Optimistically, we can describe metro systems as useful; At worst, they are inefficient and perhaps even dangerous. Despite these utilitarian-at-best connotations, the … Continued
My City’s Muse in Nigeria Every year I go for an annual pilgrimage in this lovely town. Lazily calm and quietly peaceful. But every year I learn something new. I take something or maybe more than one thing along with me on my sojourn on this earth. Although I may say the events that unfold … Continued
The Bleached-Sea in Tanzania They hadn’t told us much about the place, just that it was a safe haven. I suppose that made things worse, because it moved my expectations even further away from the truth. I have always been a “rainer-complainer”. Grotty weather irritates me. Despite the lack of rain, I had already spent … Continued
Two Rivers through the USA I was in a bad place recently, a bad place of the kind you can’t get to by plane or leave a bad Yelp review for. There was a Sylvia Plath quote I kept repeating to myself (can you ever be in a good place if you’re quoting Plath?): “Is … Continued
Shopping in Rome, (well in most of Europe) there are different social norms and customs that patrons are expected to know. In the United States, people paw the merchandise, carry it around and then usually leave it somewhere it doesn’t belong. This. Does Not. Happen. In. Italy. Entering into a shop is like entering into … Continued
I had a decision to make. To step off of the plane in Guatemala City, forget all the turbulence that I had just endured, shaking up my emotional state, releasing feelings of doubt and insecurity alongside memories of past failure. My stomach was churning and my mind was racing. “It’s not too late.” I attempted … Continued
Ten White Knuckles on a Passage to India by Simon Rowe The sub-continental bus equation goes like this: for every two hours of road travelled allow 30 minutes for breakdowns, meal stops, smoke stops, pee stops and no-reason-at-all stops. This formula took effect the moment I pulled out of Kathmandu. The Bus—a barge on … Continued
Being brave is not the opposite of being cowardly. Being cowardly is letting your fears paralyze you. Being courageous doesn’t mean you aren’t afraid; it simply means you take those fears in stride and keep moving forward. We learn from an early age that soldiers and firefighters are brave. We watch Marvel superheroes fight … Continued
Brave Girl in 15A over the Ocean Seeing the bullfights in Portugal (they don’t kill the bull, mostly), dancing the tango in Argentina, diving the reefs in Australia all have one thing in common for a girl from Illinois. First she has to get there. If you want to head out across this big blue world, … Continued
Hopscotch to Christiania Christiania made me feel brave because I came there cowed and disillusioned and the experience of it brought me to a more courageous state. I hadn’t even wanted to be in Copenhagen. My boss had announced he had tickets for a “weekend trip” and couldn’t go so I said I’d take … Continued