I found the Colombian Starbucks. It’s called Juan Valdez and, while it’s a lovely spot with nice spaces for working and socializing, I dislike it for the same reason I dislike Starbucks: They’re wasteful. Oh, so wasteful! Unless otherwise requested, these cafes serve every.single.coffee in a disposable cup. They serve every.single.snack on a disposable plate.…
I had this thought yesterday that, when I was in school, I felt like I should study but actually, I wanted to do anything else. Isn’t that the way life is? You should study. You should work. You should do that thing that’s responsible but you don’t actually want to do. These days, all I want to do is…
Medellin, Colombia is often judged for its history. Shared here are 8 reasons Medellin is a modern city with a good quality of life for its citizens, and why it should be your next travel destination!
Drinking beer and blowing up little packets of gunpowder. Could you ask for a better night, playing the local national sport?
The sun shines, light clouds set on a bright blue sky. I take my sweater because, “Oh, Mother Nature, you can’t trick me this time!” I know this is a tease, those clouds aren’t far away. I head out, sweater in hand. I go to my favorite cafe. And today, I realize that the baristas…
I don’t know when it started. Could have been when one of my students asked if he could stay in during recess to practice “Scratch” (a simplified coding program intended for kids) and I saw how much fun he was having. It could have been when I met a guy who was doing freelance programming…
I’ve been busy. I began to write this a few weeks ago, when I first arrived in Colombia: Colombia – the only South American country to border both Atlantic and Pacific coasts – have proven itself to be a lovely country thus far! Well, I guess it’s really just the city of Cartagena so far,…
Yesterday and the day before, I went to the same cafe, around the same time. I liked their atmosphere, the sturdy table, the big open doors and airflow, the people-watching and lack of people bothering me. I liked that people would come and go, but the place was never crowded, never uncomfortable. Here, my brain-hampster…
All was going as planned. I returned my car, casually grabbed a latte before hopping on the shuttle to my terminal, stopped in the bathroom, strolled through security, sat at the gate and started playing around on my computer. I was at the gate with plenty of time to spare and, just when I expect…
I walk into one of the many tiendas (cornerstores) along the street. There is a couple who has just entered and a man working behind the counter. We each say, “good evening” to each other, then the man proceeds to help the couple as I look at the wine bottles that line the shelves. This…
I hear light drops beyond the walls of my apartment. I step outside to confirm that it is indeed raining and, as I ponder the clouds and my plan to leave in 5 minutes, I notice the way the sun is lighting the distant sky. There are clouds overhead but on the horizon, behind one…
About a year and a half ago, I told you about my experiences using Tinder while living in Kuwait. That resulted in a 6 month relationship that should have lasted only 2 months. Oops. Since then, I’ve been happily single but recently decided to get back into the game. Knowing that there are a wide…
I often read blog posts, articles, or books written by nomadic souls like myself, who talk about how family and friends “back home” view their lifestyle. One person writes about how her friends and family all said she was making a mistake and didn’t think she’d be able to get by without the comforts of…
The other day, I told you a little about the first week-ish of my summer vacation, ending with a luxury bus leaving Livingston. Let’s continue there. Week 2-ish: Guate, Guatemala, The City (but definitely not called Guatemala City) I arrive at the bus station in an air conditioned bus, my seat reclined. I’m feeling well…
Alright. I’m gonna take a short break from Spanish to update you on my summer travels. Then I’ll translate it into Spanish simply for fun and practice (would you like to read that?). I have a total of 5 weeks vacation before I need to be back to work. I stayed at school a week…
