“Independence: A place that allows you to feel free” Leaving The DPRK We don’t often associate freedom with China; an authoritarian one party state which heavily censors the internet and the press, and highly restricts civil liberties. China is not a very free country. Yet for me, arriving there in mid-February of 2014, it was … Continued
A Final Goodbye in Thailand Forks were a luxury in a place without toilets or running water. When your daily existence depends upon the secrecy of your location, survival itself takes precedence over dirty hands. I’d been living in Mae Hong Son province for three months, used to scooping up rice with a bare hand … Continued
I’m sure my parents won’t like to hear this but taking risks is part of experiencing the world. To quote a favorite movie of mine, “A life lived in fear, is a life half-lived.” I keep reminding myself of this when I question putting aside my anxieties and having faith that something will work out … Continued
Cairo’s Tahrir Square is an uninspiring sandbox, lacking any color or foliage. It is surrounded by unloved concrete and internationally-notorious traffic. It is a feeble place to launch a revolution. But in 2011, Tahrir Square became an Earthly portal linking mortals and the Olympus gods. We jammed drinking straws through the sand and sucked up … Continued
Freedom fog in the USA I woke up early on that magical morning and looked out the window of my grandparents’ lake house in Manitowish Waters, Wisconsin. That is, I tried to look out the window, for all I could see was a wall of white. The window squeaked as I rubbed it with my … Continued
Independence: Feeling Free In the USA Sometimes I feel as if the world isn’t spinning for me anymore. It’s as if the world is spinning but I’m not moving with it. I begin to feel congested with shallow thoughts that ultimately don’t matter, but I know how to always bring myself back. I know how … Continued
Do you know that a bird on hand is much better than many on tree? At times, giving eyewitness account only reduces a story to nothing but understatement or exaggeration. In the past, I’ve heard too many stories from my friends about their tour to various places where they could be themselves however it only … Continued
Free to Swim or Sink in the USA The water on the Ocoee River in eastern Tennessee was higher than usual. Luckily, higher water on this river meant my chance of meeting a rock while upside down was lessened. I sat in my borrowed whitewater kayak and, just below me, there was a fall aptly … Continued
When was the last time you were in complete and utter silence? The last time you saw nothing but nature surrounding you with nothing man-made besides the clothes on your back? Have you ever been in such a place? This may all sound very underwhelming…but in fact in can be one of the most overwhelming … Continued
Telica Roars in Nicaragua Now and then, we come across a place that is so awe inspiring it brings back your entire lifetime in front of you. It reminds you of every choice you made and every decision you took. It convinces you that when you arrived at various crossroads of life, you chose one … Continued