“Tell me, Legolas, why did I come on this Quest? Little did I know where the chief peril lay! Truly Elrond spoke, saying that we could not foresee what we might meet upon our road. Torment in the dark was the danger that I feared, and it did not hold me back. But I would not … Continue reading
Note: Peace Corps requires all volunteers to take anti-malarial mefloquine pills, which can often produce intense dreams. Regardless, I have pretty strange dreams –and here’s a small window into what I’ve seen in these for the past 20 months. Rainbow parachutes and bouquets of stars (echoing the spectrum of the white sun) rise and fall … Continue reading
Warning: This post has a lot of numbers. I love my counterpart. Sometimes, we get into the most random discussions on a strange topic of my fixation. No matter what, he will sit patiently and explain every little detail to my heart’s content. I’m not sure how we went from discussing tomorrow’s English lesson to … Continue reading
You know you’ve been in a place for a long time when not just one, but TWO babies have been conceived and born. In a blink of an eye, 17 months flew by. Here’s to enjoying the next 9 months of Peace Corps Indonesia livin’ – and coincidently, there’s just enough time for another baby … Continue reading
1. When a little bit of food turned into a flock of birds standing on my brother’s head. 2. Flirty peacocks. 3. Dancin’ Elephant – A Music Video I wish the quality of the video were better…but the HD version would take FOREVER to upload. 4. Rollin’ like Indiana Jones at the Monkey Temple in … Continue reading
Oh, Cambodia. We got off on the wrong foot, but your charm shined through in the end. Continue reading
I never thought I’d do this, I think amusedly to myself as I climb down a mountain at two in the morning with nothing but moonlight to brighten the darkness. I’m not thinking of scary movies, I keep on thinking, I’m not gonna get bitten by snakes. I’m just gonna get down and sleep in … Continue reading
My last blog post was primarily about exchanging time for money (i.e. jobs), or in my case as a PCV, exchanging time for experiences. However, there’s another element to this thought and that is how time is best spent. I’m generally content with all that I have accomplished in a year in Peace Corps. One … Continue reading
Leaving Indonesia after almost a year of Peace Corps was more needed than I could’ve imagined. Right before parting, I was feeling rather irritable at everything here, mostly the food, the rain, the mold and the motorcycles—one, which crashed into me while I rode my bike the day before my trip. (I’m fine, it was … Continue reading
For a multitude of reasons – some of which are admittedly strange – elephants have been on my brain. So when I encountered this poem back in January, I paid extra attention. This poem then led to an entire month of English Club focusing on poetry, which culminated in some pretty decent rhymes (for the … Continue reading
Note: Writing posts like this is how I celebrate major Quito holidays – Que Viva Quito! In many parts of the world it is the most wonderful time of the year, but being in a primarily Muslim community—where the weather is perpetually hot, where the mango season is ending and mostly, where no commercialism is … Continue reading
The other day I arrived to my site from visiting nearby volunteers in another city and it was pretty late—meaning after 6pm. It was already dark out and I didn’t feel like walking the several kilometers between the bus terminal and my house, so I decided to take a becak. A becak is basically Indonesia’s … Continue reading
1. I go many consecutive days without spending any money and I still live well, eat well and have fun. The bad part: Having to spend no money is a big indicator on how much there actually is to do in my very small town. 2. When I treat myself to something non-Indonesian, I go … Continue reading
Peace Corps volunteers get many praises for going to a different country and facing all the challenges that we do. However, I think the people that have amazed me the most so far are all the host families who are generous enough to open their home to a total stranger—who is also completely different in … Continue reading
in the land of dragons 