When the waitress crushed the fish’s head open with a spoon, Kristin Addis thought she’d have to politely eat brains. Rather, the Chinese woman dug out a sword-shaped bone, cleaned…
When Looks Deceive: Being Biracial in Poland
It was a late December evening and my mom had just arrived in Krakow, where I had been studying for the past three months. We were making our way from…
That Time I Got Covered in Human Shit (and Other Travel Scams)
There’s really no words to adequately describe how it feels to be doused in human shit. Disgusting? Yes. Appalling? Of course. Horrifying. Humiliating. (Those last two get closer to nailing…
I Was Shunned in the Country of My Ancestors (or, When Travel Can’t Heal Diaspora)
“Wǒ shì zhōngguó rén,” is what we were taught to recite in costly Saturday Mandarin lessons. But more specifically, “Wǒ shì HǍIWÀI de zhōngguó rén.” This simple phrase was one…
The “Negativity Bias” and Travel Envy
It keeps you safe, but does it keep you inside? Image from mmorpg.com. Reading my Oprah magazine this month (yes, I subscribe to Oprah magazine in all its self-help glory,…
Visiting Beijing
I arrived in Beijing two days after the earthquake and the tsunami hit Japan in March 2011. Asia was in a state of alert: anything – at any time —…
Let me take you to…India, home of the Bengal tiger
While I wouldn’t exactly call myself a tiger lover, there is however, something deeply captivating about the wild, feline power of the mighty Bengal tiger. With their vivid, fire-like markings,…
Faces of Domestic Violence
I’ve talked about intimate partner/domestic violence in this column before: It’s not simply a beating every now and then, but a pernicious pattern of brutal emotional and psychological assaults capable…
Roots of my Values
When I started school, I was enrolled in a private Catholic school despite being from a family with no religious tendencies at all. We moved when I was 7, before…
Sightseeing in Hong Kong
Hong Kong is a beautiful city with some of the best sightseeing opportunities in the world. Seven venues or events in Hong Kong will easily keep visitors busy for a…
Down with the Sickness
Traveling around the world inevitably means coming down with some form of illness or another. Whether it’s a simple cold picked up from fellow fliers, or the more uncomfortable experience…
These Boots Were Made for Walking
When I recently packed my bags to move to Israel, my hiking boots were one of the only pairs of shoes to make the cut. When I pulled them out…
Street Bike Etiquette around the world
Paige Green shares her cycling experience from around the world: Some of the great things about travelling are, of course, meeting new people, learning about new cultures, trying new food…
Have to be flexible
My first night aboard the MV Explorer was rough. As soon as we pulled away from the port and Nassau began to disappear over the horizon, the ship began to…