When I first stopped eating meat (which was back in the mid-1980s), most people in my native US had heard the term “vegetarian.” However, they didn’t necessarily fully grasp the concept – as evidenced by the number of times I was asked if I could just pull the chicken out of the soup or would be okay with fish. Eating at restaurants was often a real challenge, and my meals frequently ended up being a combination of side dishes or…
A postcard from a past place My formal debut as a tourist attraction took place in Beijing about 15 years ago. I was on a business trip with my then supervisor, who decided it would be a shame for me to spend my entire first visit to China in meeting rooms and fancy restaurants – and subsequently requested our government host to organize a day of sightseeing for me. I felt a little guilty that I might be shirking…
When I headed out of my accommodation here in a small resort community on Sri Lanka’s south coast today, I had no clue where I was going or what I was going to do. I ended up wandering around town for a while before deciding that sipping on a coconut in a beach café was about all I was up for in the midday sun and heat. It was definitely a good call, despite the fact that I’m surrounded by…
Years ago a friend announced that she had a simple resolution for the new year: Eat more cake. Her rationale seemed straightforward. We were living in Germany on a year-long program and knew we had to return to the States in six months. She had become a big fan of both the German style of baking and the tradition of taking a late afternoon “Kaffee und Kuchen” (coffee and cake) break; so why not enjoy them as much as she…
A postcard from a past place The routine was inevitably the same in every small village that we visited. As we arrived, we were enthusiastically greeted by clapping and singing women who walked alongside our two large 4WD vehicles for the last few hundred feet of the drive. The village elders were waiting for us the center of the community, where we piled out for a quick round of introductions followed by a very long round of welcome speeches….
Last year I broke one of my own cardinal travel rules: I flew on two separate tickets to one final destination. After a short visit back in the States, I had one ticket to London and another from London to Zagreb. I had finalized my plans in two stages, and that’s just how the ticketing worked out in the end. I wasn’t really comfortable wth the situation, knowing that if I missed my connection I would have no recourse and…
Many moons ago, I found myself still in a job that was well beyond its sell-by date. I was also living in a city that for a variety of reasons was not the best fit for me. I was applying for positions in other countries, but things were not moving quickly enough – and I found myself fantasizing about just turning in my notice and heading out into the world. The question then was where I would go. I spent…
A postcard from a past place (Note: I’ve made it a goal to write something about all of the countries I’ve spent time in over the years. I’ve decided to start with Albania not as a result of its position in the alphabet, but because it’s a place I’ve thought a lot about since last year. Posts on other countries will follow in no particular order.) My visit to Tirana in June 2016 was only supposed to last a week….
If you were to ask me how or why I’ve made certain decisions in my life, I’d have to say I really don’t know. My own decision-making process is truly a black box to me. I generally don’t have any recollection of taking an actual decision at any point; instead I just wake up one day and realize that I’ve put a certain chain of events in motion. And I’m just fine with that. After spending years chasing academic and…
Today I missed my coffee mug. One of my favorite things to do is take coffee back to bed with me in the morning. I spend an hour or two reading, catching up on news or podcasts, listening to music, or just staring into space. It’s an absolutely delicious way to start the day, and it’s one of the many reasons I am happy I don’t have to rush out the door to make it to a job anymore. The…