Flight Frustration
Courtesy of the BBC News article "Heathrow passengers 'waiting for a miracle'" To help me get my two suitcases and whatever else I managed to acquire during this past semester–and because I convinced them this was the perfect time for the long-awaited trip to Europe–my parents had booked a tour of Europe. At the end of my classes I was supposed to fly to Rome to meet them. Heathrow had other ideas. My first flight out... Read More
On baggage, weightiness, and traveling light.
I’ve had a lot of trouble writing this post. I had trouble deciding what to write about, and finally settled on writing about the idea of “traveling light:” what the phrase really means, when one pauses to think about it, and how it applies to the way one lives one’s life, not just as a traveler, but as a human being. I’d hoped to approach this through writing about packing and “pack-ratting”, and about the ways in which traveling a... Read More
Friends All Over the World, Part 2
I will not go into the reasons for me not being allowed to board my flight home– God knows if I talk about it again I might begin to throw things. I had just come from São Tomé and was in transit to Boston. But let’s just say I found myself in limbo, otherwise known as Lisbon, Portugal, at 3pm on a Friday, $300 poorer and with a new flight booked to the States on Sunday evening. And man, was I not happy. Breathe in, breathe out. Things... Read More
Milestones- Beth
It’s noon and I’ve been working for hours at my kitchen table. It’s a bright table – I purchased the fabric from a market in São Tomé e Príncipe this past summer and when I sit there, a little bit of my beloved São Tomé is with me, too. I work from home with Waveplace Foundation now, a really remarkable organization that works to bring digital media skills to kids in the Caribbean, Latin America and Africa by incorporating... Read More
Reverse Culture Shock
Reverse culture shock is tricky. I’ve been back in the U.S. for about a month now. In many ways, I am still in the honeymoon period. I am thrilled to have hot water, I love grocery shopping, the array of available hair products at CVS almost made me cry. And it’s beautiful to have family and friends close by (or at the very least, a domestic phone call away). This is where my “real life” is, and I am glad to be back to it. But other things... Read More
Some Thoughts on Going Home
The night before I travel long distances, I tend to feel anxious and even slightly ill. I’m filled with a vague, unsettling nausea and a sense of impending disorientation. I’m nervous and shaky; I sleep poorly and eat little. As soon as I start moving, however, I usually feel better. On a travel day, I wake up knowing that I’m going somewhere, and that I don’t have to wait any longer for the journey to start. I eat breakfast and brush my teeth... Read More
Missing Go Girl
I was just passed on the news this morning of Aubrey Sacco, a 23-year old from Boulder, Colorado, who went missing in early May after setting off on a solo hike through Langtang National Park in the Nepal Himalayas. Aubrey had been backpacking through Sri Lanka, India, and Nepal teaching English and yoga for the past several months. But I’m not here to offer a news story. I don’t know Aubrey, I don’t know her family, and everything... Read More
Breathing Through the Fear
If crocuses can bloom in the snow, then so can I. By Day Two in Germany, I’ve already fallen in love with it. It’s beautiful here- chilly, yes, but the sun is nice and the neighbours are friendly. The town is quiet on Sunday, because everything is closed, and every evening at Vespers we get a beautiful chorus of bells from the church across the valley. Every day we try something new- German yogurt that’s a rich mix of tangy and sweet,... Read More
Never Fear Firsts
Ski instructor Mark and my brother Nick on the chair lift My new ski instructor, Mark, watches me for a moment. I’ve been practicing my new moves (these consist of walking forward, standing still without sliding down a hill and sometimes- just sometimes- gliding from one side of the bunny slope to the other). I’m skiing down the hill — aka, the “Magic Carpet” — with five year olds and adorable parents with toddlers... Read More
Must Haves: Studying Abroad
Attributed to: Wonderlane Over four years ago I embarked on one of the most life changing endeavors of my life…I studied abroad. This was actually my first time ever traveling very far without any friends or family. I hadn’t experienced anything like this before, so I really didn’t know what to expect. I searched and searched for tips and advice on what to take with me on my journey, but, as luck would have it, I still overlooked and procrastinated... Read More
