Values, Principles, and Love
Photo by authorThe little round sign above the door told me I was at the right place: Aldea Yanapay – Otra Forma de Vivir. As I searched for the corresponding buzzer, a voice approached from behind.
Airplane Smell
Photo: Flickr/Felibarrientos
Airplane smell. It hits you before you make it past the phony smiles of the flight attendants stationed at the door, the ones who don’t trust you to locate your seat without their guidance. Symmetrically, your journey through the plane begins and ends in cramped space. Between the crowd of boarding passengers, pilot, and attendants stationed at the entrance of the aircraft, and your own tight little seat at the rear, there is a brief interval of spaciousness: first class. It’s the aisles between the rows that really strike you; you could do a cartwheel in that amount of space. Inevitably, there will be a small child sitting in one of these wide leather armchairs, his small legs dangling, unable to take full advantage of the bed-like reclining ability. The degree of bitterness this unworthy occupant causes you directly correlates to the length of the flight.
The Importance of Good Spanglish Skills
Photo by author
Out of respect for the Mexican culture and my love of the Spanish language, I tried to learn a bit of the vernacular prior to my first of many trips to Mexico. My cousin let me borrow her computer and I bought course books and tapes to practice speaking in a foreign tongue.
Cruise Vacations
Photo:Flickr/Tiffanybrucepsyd
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Are you thinking of your next holiday and want it to be different from the harried stop-photograph-go trips that seem to pass for vacations? Cruise vacations are attractive to all ages and interests…singles, couples, families and retirees. There are cruises that cater to special interests and those that cheerfully serve all groups. Cruises are fun and it is not long before the lively atmosphere on board lifts your spirits and puts you in vacation mode.
Superbowl, Senegalese Style
Photo : Flickr/Cirdan
All day there was a palpable excitement in the air. My students were even more restless than usual, for today was the Africa Cup, and Senegal played against Tunisia at 5 pm. The final score was 2:2, so there was no glorious celebratory roaring in the streets (only the drone of the ubiquitous muezzin).
The Boat Trip
Photo : Flickr/good_day
I have loved boats since I was a little girl. My Boppa had a huge fishing boat (well it was huge to my 6-year old mind). It was an adventure every time we stepped onto the Muz Too. Since then, whenever I had a chance to get on a boat or take a boat instead of walking, I always, hands-down, chose the boat ride.
Humanity in the Mountains of Morocco
Photo by author
It was my final day of a backpacking trip in Morocco and I was in the city of Agadir which sits on the west coast along the Atlantic Ocean. It is important to understand that Morocco is an Islamic nation ruled by a king; a country that gained its independence from France and Spain in 1956 after struggle with both countries. My flight out of Agadir did not leave until that night so I decided to hike to the Kasbah (the old Muslim town that sits outside the previously Christian city established by the colonial empires). It just so happens that the Kasbah of Agadir sits atop a mountain to the north of the city, about a seven or eight mile hike roundtrip. I was with my close friend and travel companion, Frank, and a New Zealander, Ian, whom we had met the day before.
Travel Picks of the Week - 01/25/08
Photo: Flickr/star_trooper
The 2008 Summer Olympics will be held in Beijing, China from August 8th to August 24th. As the Olympics fever spreads across sports lovers in all countries, China has stepped up public conveniences like mass transit system and tele networks. Tickets and lodging are still huge expenses for visitors, and contractual teaching work might just be the resource to provide for living expenses and enjoying the Games. Daniel McCrohan provides information about Teaching English in Beijing.
A Hostel Look at Life
Photo: Flickr/Buteijn
And the warrior continued her war, albeit a peaceful one in which she alternated between assuming the contrary roles of victor and loser, but nonetheless a war waged on soil familiar to battles much greater and certainly of a character more devastating. I returned to Utrecht from Brussels, which had been a looming desire of mine for the past two weeks, following a trip there with my visiting older sister – someone capable of ridding any experience of the quality of enjoyable. A birthday present to yourself, I thought in planning. That said, I splurged and booked a hostel - dorm accommodations, 24 hour breakfast buffet (a world where muesli reigns free), with free musical instruments for hostel dwellers.
Imbibing English
Photo: Flickr/Sunshine Hanan
