Going Postal
Photos by author
The month of December happens to be a special one for me, because it is the month in which I was born (along with two other siblings). Plus of course it is also the month in which Christmas, Chanukah, Tabaski and other major world holidays happen to fall. It is therefore perhaps not altogether surprising that in the months of December and January I received a number of gorgeous packages from friends and family around the world, containing all sorts of lovely things including gorgeously scented soaps, floaty scarves, CDs, books, a calendar, post-its (always in short supply, along with digital camera batteries) and delicious homemade anisette cookies.
It Never Rains in California
Photo by author
Last night, I took a red-eye from Los Angeles to Chicago so I could see Sunday appointments as usual. FD stayed on a half day more because he hadn’t joined me in L.A. in December when I ran away for a long weekend with the first degrees. So he needed a little more time to get his fill.
Death to Blogging
Photo by author
It’s been 37 days and 6 hours since I last blogged. And every hour is painful. This form of creative expression started for me very innocently back in a hostel in Rome, Italy in 2002. After sending the obligatory mass emails to friends I gatewayed into asking for writing/story feedback from strangers online. And then it happened:
Travel Picks of the Week - 02/08/08
Photo:Flickr/Muha
If you and your partner share as much passion for each other as you do for travel, Valentine’s Day might be the perfect time to express those mushy feelings. Viator has ideas to share your overwhelming ardor for travel this 14th of February in Viator’s Love, Romance, Travel: Valentine’s Day for Travelers.
My Africa: Biking Through the Dark Continent
Photo of author with locals
“Alllllllllaaaahhhhhhhhhh….” The booming voice of a muezzin reciting the morning prayers from a mosque loudspeaker jolts me awake. The first attempt to open my eyes proves unsuccessful, as the sand that has accumulated in them (as well as every other orifice in my body) presents an obstacle. When I’m finally able to blink out the crust, I can make out the luminous Sudanese desert night sky through the ceiling of my tent, stars free from competing against pollution and skyscrapers.
Traveling in Packs
Photo by author
Our family travels the same way wolves hunt. We do it in packs.
Can I Get Your Number, Baby?
Photo by author
I’ve just turned twenty-two and I’m still in high school. This is my fifth year enduring the popularity contests, the mind games, the lunch groups, the bungling adolescents– just like Jerri Blank in Strangers With Candy I will see it all again. Only this time, I will be on the other side of the world. I will be on the other side of the desk. I will not understand a good ninety-five percent of what is going on around me. I will be a lone girl occasionally looking out over a sea of salacious teenage boys. I will be…an English teacher in Japan.
Attaya
Photo by author
The Senegalese ritual of attaya is no less solemn than the Japanese tea ceremony, I think, often lasting well over an hour as strong gunpowder tea sold in tiny boxes is boiled not once, not twice, but three times. On a recent visit to a Senegalese family, we spent most of the afternoon under a shady tree in the front yard, first preparing and then enjoying the customary three rounds of tea.
The Concept of Havuu
For many Americans, their ideal vacation is to visit a big city–e.g. New York, San Francisco, London, Paris, Rome. For most Mongolians, it is quite the opposite. The perfect vacation for residents of Ulaan Bataar, the capital city and my home while teaching at Chinggis Khaan University, is havuu, a Mongolian word that roughly translates to ‘the countryside’. It is that seemingly endless expanse of land that begins at the city limits and extends far beyond the horizon. Mongolia is the most sparsely populated country on earth with a land area of 600,000 square miles, more than twice the size of Texas and almost the size of Alaska, but a population of only 2.5 million–roughly that of the Denver metropolitan area.
Roma - City of Sports Lovers
Photo: Flickr/Paolo Margari
Alessandro sits with his head buried in the pages of the Corriere dello Sport waiting for the barista to bring him his gran caffé. AS Roma play Catania at the Stadio Olimpico in less than five hours and he can’t wait for the match.
