My life changed the night I met a camel named Sky. We met as I led him from the trailer in which he crossed the German border, under an Austrian winter darkness blank to heat and shattered with stars. I arrived at the camel farm, in the miniscule town of Eintental, Austria, around midnight. Gerda, … Continued
I never knew Great Uncle Ron. He was killed in Malaya (as it then was) in 1941, serving with the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. But the very mention of his name to any of the older members of the family would elicit the same response. Verbatim. “You would have loved, Ron.” He had suffered from … Continued
Leaving the Comfort Behind in Thailand My Thai taxi driver and I zoomed down the highway from the airport at record breaking speeds. Passing through tollbooths so fast that if you blinked, you’d miss the exchange of money. There wasn’t much to see out the window, so I attempted a conversation with the driver. He … Continued
I arrive in Sarajevo knowing practically nothing about it. Tired and disorientated, my friend and I joke that it must be a decent place to visit since Bosnia and Herzegovina has competed in the Eurovision. Disembarking the rickety train from Serbia, we have no map, but the name and reservation number of a hostel. Amna, … Continued
Injasuthi – Hair of the Dog The wild little dog snarled and nipped at my heels as I manhandled the two-man croc into the water. Overhead the clouds growled like a large, plaintive stomach as the Injasuthi river snatched up the rafts like small, yellow treats. The well fed dog, or rather the Injasuthi, winds … Continued
Walking straight straight ahead amidst the busy people and streets of Senado Square area in Macau lies a breathtaking and impeccable “Ruins of St. Paul.” People from different walks of life, busy merchants selling their own goods and products, very friendly vendors that offers free taste of their fresh delicacies, simultaneous performances in Senado Square … Continued
Gratitude opens the world—it is the lingua franca of our species. Even if we grasp no other words in a foreign tongue, we will always strive to master please, thank you and where is the bathroom? the last of which implies the very definition of gratitude in its hoped-for relief of urgency. Once removed from … Continued
Instafriend At thirty-thousand feet, I was reading about destruction. I admit: it’s not the most pleasant subject matter for someone who’s facing her fear by confronting it. But I needed a plan, before landing, for how I could burn away everything that had been holding me back: frustrated relationships, insecurity about my career path, a … Continued
Is there a moment more inspiring, a time or a place more appropriate for feeling hopeful than at sunrise? There is always the sunrise, no matter what the day before has brought to each of us, and that light brings hope and inspiration with its multicoloured hues. For me there is no better moment for … Continued
I have always appreciated a good metaphor, and when I need to reflect, it only seems fitting to be near a body of water. It was May 7th of 2012, possibly one of the worst days I have ever lived. Yet it was beauteous outside. I couldn’t go to work, not with the realization that I … Continued