Heard ‘Round the World
In the Peace Corps, we are not supposed to discuss politics. Not local ones, not ones back home. In the most neutral of times at my site in Barranquilla, Colombia, this can be difficult: what to do when a local insists that the United States caused the Holocaust? Or that 9/11 was God’s punishment for [...]
Johannesburg…At Dawn
Is Johannesburg beautiful? At first glance, One may not think it so, but this is one of the most difficult questions to answer. The story of the global metropolis as a “loved one” or a “lover” is not a foreign concept. I think of the passion evoked when New Yorkers, Parisians and Romans talk about [...]
The Plight Of Australia’s Indigenous People
I was handing out flyers in Perth, Western Australia, when an indigenous woman sporting a devilish grin and with her right hand raised and curled into a fist began walking purposefully towards me. I looked away, certain that she couldn’t have me in her sights; I’d never seen her before let alone had a chance [...]
135 lbs
Hi. My name is Samantha Wu and I weigh 135 lbs. I’ve got tummy fat and the remnants of sprinter legs (for those who have little experience with track, that means my thighs are thick. The better to push off the starting block with). I’ve got a younger sister who is skinnier than me despite [...]
. I’ve got a younger sister who is skinnier than me despite [...] "Pin It")
Traveling Identity
I have a weird relationship with my birthday. It falls right at the end of the school year, so rather than celebrating me, it tends to call attention to goodbyes and elicits the quiet solitude that is somewhat central to my sense of self. This year, it fell a few days after our semester officially [...]
Going Back…Home?
A little over a month ago, my family sat on a plane for hours and landed bright and early in Taipei, Taiwan. The last time I had visited Taiwan was probably 3 to 4 years ago. I’ve never actually lived in Taiwan but somehow, it is so familiar and welcoming. My parents grew up [...]
You Don’t Get to Tell Me How I Feel
The same-sex marriage/civil union/domestic partnership kerfluffle that’s been rocking the U.S. lately has been dredging up the good, the bad, and the ugly in a lot of social discourse. President Obama finally came out (har!) in support of same-sex marriage, right around the same time that Mitt Romney reaffirmed his dislike of the same; North [...]
 in support of same-sex marriage, right around the same time that Mitt Romney reaffirmed his dislike of the same; North [...] "Pin It")
Another Brick in the Wall
When I was in school, I remember a red brick wall there. It was massive and had thousands of bricks in it. My school was a very special place for me, simply because I felt I belonged to it. I loved to look at the red wall and visualize my name written across it. I [...]
We Are Travelers
I gotta hand it to him: my boyfriend hates mornings, and he sleeps in every second he can (well into the afternoon, sometimes), but if he has to get up and out of the house at a certain hour, he does it with military precision. So it’s not a minute past 6am that we pile [...]
, but if he has to get up and out of the house at a certain hour, he does it with military precision. So it’s not a minute past 6am that we pile [...] "Pin It")
Farewell to the City of Dreaming Spires
“Friends are the sunshine of life.”—John Hay I cheated, and nearly twenty minutes before my graduation ceremony from Oxford University was set to commence, I ripped open the contents of a farewell card from my closest British friend, Johnny. The John Hay’s quote that greeted me, despite its seemingly trite sentiment, brought me to tears. [...]
