It’s 7 o’clock and as I leave the house the dawn-lit eastern face of the Sierra Nevada mountains looms above me. A wide path through golden browns of brittle sages leads me to my first stop, a small abandoned bungalow, and then on to a small workshop filled with barely used tools and unfinished projects—all … Continued
My headlamp swings like a pendulum, hanging from a carabiner clipped to the top of my tent, casting a cone of light on the void of space next to my sleeping bag—the naked nylon of the tent floor reminding me of one thing—this time, I am alone. I had been crafting the ten day Sierra … Continued
Saudi Arabia is not the first place one thinks of when asked what place represents gratitude, especially if one is a woman. I moved to Khobar, a large, industrial city in the Eastern Province of this controversial Kingdom, over a month ago to teach female students English as a Second Language in the Preparatory Department … Continued
Dear Mt. Fuji, I first saw you during the first sunset of 2011—fierce, beautiful. On New Year’s Day, my friend and I walked into the Yokohama Sheraton Hotel and took the elevator to the top floor to see the city stretched below. Beyond the city lights you stood, a symmetrical cone framed by an apricot … Continued
SELF DISCOVERY Gratitude according to oxford dictionary is the feeling of being grateful and wanting to express your thanks. Gratitude won’t occur if there was no first occurrence of gratification-The state of feeling pleasure when something goes well for you or when your desires are satisfied. It is that pleasure from a satisfied desire that … Continued
To the east of Georgetown, Long Beach appears to be a miniature Somme. It’s as though war games have been played out by an old general. I can picture him, a handlebar moustache, liver-spotted hands moving figures here and there. The wasted eggs of green turtles akin to dead men. Broken shells scavenged away … Continued
Jökulsárlón Christina van Deventer When I first came to Iceland I had barely entered adulthood. I was young, unemployed and scared to death of the gaping hole that was where my future was supposed to be. Thus far, everything had been pretty much pre-ordained. I would go to school, have certain kinds of friends and … Continued
It was a familiar sensation – the stroke of humidity, the potent smell of car engines and sights of families sitting on the floor, talking and laughing with one another. Arriving at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport always engenders two contrasting feelings – a sense of belonging to and detachment from the culture that is my roots. … Continued
The Road Less Travelled I spent 4 years in Nsukka, a small town located in the Eastern part of Nigeria- Enugu State to be precise. I won’t forget the time I spent there in my lifetime- the rich brick red sand, the soft green hills, the everyday sight of elderly women riding motorcycles and of … Continued
Welcome to Tiger Kingdom High-pitched horns wailed in the chaotic traffic on the outskirts of Chiang Mai, Thailand. The exhaust from rickety jalopies and revving dirtbikes was captive in the congestion. I covered my nose and mouth with my shirt, which was damp with perspiration from the prominent humidity, because I sat in a windowless … Continued