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LGTBilisi
“Georgia?” My mom’s voice came in tinny and thin over the slow wi-fi. “Where’s Georgia?” “Northeast of Turkey, north of Armenia,” I said. But I knew that probably wouldn’t help. “Where’s Armenia?” she asked, laughing. Our conversation continued for a while like that. I was far away from the typical backpacker routes through Western Europe…
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The Social Network
Several sleepy hours later, we pulled into the beautiful tourist beach town of Varadero. Running the length of a small peninsula in northern Cuba (Matanzas province), with around 20km of white-sand beach, it’s popular as a tourist destination, especially for those coming on package deals or for travelers that stay in resorts and high-end hotels.…
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Spam, and Other Drugs
“We’re here for just two and a half weeks, and then I have to go back to the Netherlands for a battle of the bands. My band qualified for a competition, and I play bass,” Ophir beamed. “Jealous!” I announced. I turned to the other tall blonde guy sitting next to Ophir on the bunk…
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Two Currencies, Two Worlds
I relieved myself for what was maybe the fifth time in a week. I’d never needed to pee in Cuba; any liquid entering my body immediately came out on my skin in my body’s pitiful attempt at staying cool. One soap dispenser was stocked, miraculously, and smelled strongly of gummy bears. I looked at the…
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On Cuba
Going on overseas adventures has sort of become second nature to me in the past four years of on-and-off full-time travel, and several American friends told me Cuba had been great, if not a bit expensive. While nervous, I was excited. Cuba hadn’t been (legally) open to American tourists since 1963 as part of the…
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La Vie en Vert
Every movement of my body felt like I was breaking through plastic wrap. I was surprised when my arm lifted up to grab a fork from the table, and turning my head to the side sent a little jolt of lightning travel down to my toes. There was no more food on my plate, and…
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Walking Tall
On Monday, January 30, I landed at JFK ready to visit a friend whom I hadn’t seen in several years. Like me, she’s from Missouri originally and went to Truman State University. Unlike me, she transferred out, translocated to New York City, and transitioned from “Mitchell” to Michelle. As it turns out, Missouri is not…
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China, pt. 5: Friends and Hospitality
Despite a lot of distaste for Chinese politics and the state of the environment, I have to point out that the people are very hospitable and friendly, even if sometimes it comes across as creepy to someone with a Western background. It’s not hard to make friends if you’re able to communicate at all, and…
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China, pt. 4: Good food, bad food, spicy food, dog food
In Nanchang, southern-style food is the most popular, meaning spicy and salty foods made with lots of chili oil and lajiao (spicy peppers). I cannot emphasize enough that nearly everything is made with oil. Fried foods are in no short supply, and even fresh veggies come swimming in oil. One popular snack is latiao (spicy strips)…
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China, pt. 3: Education and Environment
The sound of chanting voices would often float up into my flat through the living room window. Below, groups of students would be there, standing in circles, chanting the same words over and over again. Sometimes while walking on the street to class or out for lunch, students would be alone, walking back and forth,…
