A challenge: our safari car getting stuck in a lake bed. Photo courtesy of Ali Rucker. To celebrate the first year of my Peace Corps service, I wanted to incorporate another Peace…
A Non-Fashionista’s Guide to Japanese Fashion
Legs are a go. Image by Flickr user Helga Weber. If you are looking for a nuanced, sartorial guide to Japanese fashion, this is the wrong place. I’m writing this…
The Lowdown for Landing a Latin Lover
The first time I met a guy from South America, I was almost instantaneously in love. Though his English was poor, he knew the important words to get to a…
Guinea-Bissau: a Country Profile
It is going on a week now (two by the time this goes live) that I have been living in Guinea-Bissau. Between inspiration, amazement, loneliness and excitement, I believe I…
Friends, Young and Old: Changing Your Perception of What Makes a Friend
Five months ago, I was sitting on the sofa at a friend’s house. I took a sip of my Bloody Mary and then frowned a little, looking around. There were…
Nature v. Nurture: On Noise and Dancing
After a year and a half of Peace Corps service in Barranquilla, Colombia, I think I’m closing in on about as “integrated” as I will be. Two things I still…
To tip or not to tip, that is the question
“To tip or not to tip?” is a question that William Shakespeare was almost certainly never troubled with, but one that might, nonetheless, give us a spot of bother as…
Adjusting my ‘friendly-o-meter’
I like to think of myself as being a pretty friendly person — that is to say that I’m approachable, chatty and generally pleasant to friends and strangers alike. While…
Love or Loathe: A Taste Of Home When Abroad
So ‘travelling solo’ won last month’s poll by a margin, but as some of you pointed out, find the right person to travel with, and your time away can be…
Bars Abroad
The room is dim and smoky, and a waitress weaves through the packed tables with bottles and glasses balanced precariously on a tray. Music is playing – it could be…
Strangers in a Strange Land
It seems to be a universally acknowledged truth that young women traveling alone are always, in some way, in need of assistance. Of course this is based solely on my…
Nails, Part II
I am in Haiti for the third time. Unlike the first two times, when I traveled here for work, this time I am here for pleasure. Though it’s possibly a…
Begging for the Truth
A young boy with a noticeable skin condition sells boxes of tissues to drivers as they pull up at the traffic lights. He wears a large cap with the peak…
Back to reality – Sydney style
There’s nothing like returning to work after a long holiday to bring you back down to earth with a bump. After spending a month in Indonesia and one…
The Raging Bulls of Seville
There are lots of things that I love about Spain, and although I tend to dodge the coastal resorts that attract British holidaymakers in their Union Jack waving droves,…