It hits me suddenly. I start to gasp. I am trying to breath, but I can't stop gasping, and I'm getting dizzy. I sit down on a bench and the tears start to roll. I make myself breathe-- in, two, three, four, hold, two, three, four, out, two, three... It takes a few minutes of … Continue reading Never again
As we pull into the parking garage, I see a line of women in matching dresses, one by each lane. As the vehicles pull up, they each push the button, take the ticket, and hand it to the driver, who could have easily reached the button himself. By our downtown Tokyo hotel at 9pm on … Continue reading Living to Work in Japan
I haven't been posting a lot of pictures from Japan. There are many good reasons to do it: to let friends and family know that I am fine, and having fun; to entertain the many people who tell me they are living this trip vicariously through me; to reflect on the day by looking and … Continue reading Pics or It Didn’t Happen
"Just grab an Uber," he said. I was debating how to get from the airport to my hotel in Chennai the next day. I didn't answer. It wasn't worth the argument. But I knew I wouldn't take an Uber. It reminded me of the video that went around a few months ago, where the speaker … Continue reading SWF, Travelling Solo
"Study in Canada!" An hour and a half drive from the costal tourist town of Fort Kochi, on our way to the tea plantations of the Western Ghat Mountains of India, the roadside billboard caught me by surprise. Then I saw it again, beside an ad for Milwaukee Academy, apparently the solution for high scores … Continue reading A Thirst for Learning: Education in Kerala
"Hello. Selfie?" And so I pose again with as many members of their family or friend group that they can fit into the photo. Occasionally, to their delight, I ask for a picture on my phone too. Sometimes their English is excellent, and others times it does not extend much further than "Where from?" And … Continue reading Just Another Tourist Attraction: Blonde in India
First a little quiz to see what you know about driving in India. 1. How many vehicles can fit abreast on a two lane road? A) Two cars B) Six motorcycles C) Three cars and two motorcycles D) One car and four tuk-tuks E) Two cars, two tuk-tuks and a scooter F) A tanker truck, … Continue reading Stayin’ Alive: Driving in India
I love being lost. Not the phone-dead, shops-closed, only-other-person-in-sight-is-picking-scabs-and-shouting lost, or the bears-will-eat-me-and-no-one-will-ever-find-my-bones lost, but the I'm-not-quite-sure-where-I-am lost. The coming out of the underground and not knowing which direction to go lost. The heading in a general direction but no particular path kind of lost. London is an easy place to get lost, of course. … Continue reading Lost in London
I wander the backstreets of Wimbledon and Morden, on my way to the train or underground station, going to the post office or just ambling, and am struck by the row houses. Space is at a premium this close to London, but I've seen row houses in small villages where there would be room to … Continue reading The Row Houses of Merton
I've had a pain in my chest, on and off for the last two days. I try to think of anything I might have done to strain muscles. Playing pinball? I hadn't done that for years. Maybe deconditioning, after not going to the gym for two weeks? I climb to the top of the dome … Continue reading Uncoupling
Brave Travels 