If you know me at all you know I love winter. The cold, frigid air; Girl Scout cookies; puffy winter jackets; snooooooooooow! But do you know where this great affection originated? I have lived in many places. 12, to be exact. 4 countries, 6 US states and the District of Columbia. Not all places have … Continue reading Remnants
It has largely been a badge of honor to me over the past 10 years that I haven't stayed put anywhere. I successfully avoided putting down roots, avoiding the kind of relationships that make one stay, and investing in a place. Investing in people has always been a priority while investing in a place has … Continue reading Roots
Back in April, I traveled to Hanoi with my very good friend Khanh. We were originally introduced over email by her boss who I met at a cafe in town while she still lived in Vietnam, started hanging out after she moved to LP, became friends, and lived together during my second year. She’s easily … Continue reading One Last Hurrah: Hanoi, Part 1
Back in February I had the chance to go to Cambodia. I hadn't planned on visiting Cambodia originally. I wanted to, because one of my grad school professors strongly recommended I visit while I was in the region. So I was delighted when one of my closest friends from the US offered to pay for … Continue reading My Weekend Escape to Siem Reap
I was telling my roommate about my day yesterday and she told me I should write about it. One of my co-workers (ok, maybe my favorite co-worker), invited me to his village for a special celebration they were having to celebrate their traditional New Year. Because I can speak Lao, I told him that I … Continue reading Kmhmu New Year, Indecent Exposure, and My First Hangover
The final two days of my Indonesian trip were spent in Jakarta. I arrived at the train station at 4:30am. After queuing for a taxi for thirty minutes, I drowsily took in the dim sights of the city. There was much more green than I was expecting which was a nice surprise. At 5am, I … Continue reading City Life: Jakarta
Despite everything I just said about Bali, Yogyakarta was my favorite out of the three places I visited in Indonesia. Perhaps it's because I had more freedom to explore and spent less time in cars, or perhaps because it was more than what it was marketed to be, but I really enjoyed my two days … Continue reading Say what? Yogyakarta!
Excursions in World Music , Fourth Edition, Chapter 6: Indonesia. In the fall of 2003, as an undergraduate music education major at Rutgers, I was first introduced to Indonesia through its music. Indonesia caught my attention again in 2005 as I marked up my world map hanging on my dorm wall based on the linguistic and … Continue reading What Happened in Bali
This post will be short and sweet. I went to Bangkok. I spent 12 hours there. I didn't sleep a wink. I left Bangkok. By the time I arrived at Bangkok it was already dark. I took public transportation from the airport to the area of town my hostel was in. Unfortunately, I accidently left … Continue reading Krungthep
I did it! I visited the promised land, the land flowing with milk and honey and it was...too short. That may be the number one complaint I have with the whole trip, but I think that's what everyone says after vacation. I was in Hong Kong for the Asia Society Arts + Museum Summit, a … Continue reading Hong Kong
Feet Cry Mercy 