Mannequin Chests and Rumps Worldwide: Miami Update

Hello. Ahem. Pause ogling that photo over there for just a moment and look over here at these words, please.

The image you see to the left is a real Miami mannequin, which boasts (as you may have noticed) somewhat un-real proportions.

What you observe over there is merely one of about forty-thousand Bust-a-licious Mannequins in Miami. These top-heavy plastic ladies are in EVERY South Beach window these days!

You see, at a certain [...Read More!]

An Instant Way to Add Flair to Your Travel and Tourism

My dear friend Meg and I were sitting in an open-air Spanish restaurant in Washington DC earlier this month when we noticed it.

“Women here in DC dress well,” declared Meg as she chomped into a garlic shrimp and gazed onto the street. My friend was feeling particularly fashion-conscious that week, as an article had just come out declaring her native San Francisco one of the sloppiest-dressed cities in the U.S.

“I mean, [...Read More!]

Join This Discussion to Uncover the Heart of Bullying!

This article is dedicated to the 150 eighth and tenth grade Boston Public Schools students I have the pleasure of teaching this year.

I figure the odds are pretty good that some of my sweet students sometimes experience the stress that comes with the middle and high school social scene… and so it’s time at last to start unearthing the photos and stories of my OWN skinny self in 8th grade, to [...Read More!]

What We Can Learn from the Hubris of Teenage Boys

I began to write this article in my head as I bounced around the back seat of a car careening down Commonwealth Avenue during rush hour.

“What’s that woman’s problem?” scoffed the young man behind the wheel as I held on for dear life. “Sheesh, learn to drive, lady!” he hollered out the window as our car lurched around the lane.

I had just finished my own one-hour driving lesson (yes, I’m 29 [...Read More!]

A Former Student's Against-the-Odds Egypt Travel

It was late at night last month, and I was power-walking through the tunnel between the Red Line and the Orange Line in Boston’s Downtown Crossing. Suddenly a radiant grin appeared in front of me.

“Ms. Marshall!” my former student, ShiSha, hollered, and we fell into an embrace.

“How have you been?” I asked, breathless from the coincidence.

“I’m still working at Artists for Humanity,” ShiSha replied, referring to an amazing urban youth art [...Read More!]

On Being Voted Top Travel Blogging Diva of 2010!

Before we left on winter vacation, I forced all my students here in Boston to write Appreciation Cards.  We defined an “Appreciation Card” as a letter (decorated nicely) telling someone why you appreciate and admire them.

The power of such a card is massive!  We think people around us know how much we care about them and why, but how often do we actually say it? In fact, our loved ones may [...Read More!]

Losing Weight: Another Perk of Long-Term Travel

We often think that embarking on long-term travel will cause everything in our lives to deteriorate, from our safety to our waistlines.

Having almost been blown up back home in Boston this week, however, I assure you that’s not the case.

For nine straight months of travel, I was perfectly safe on rickety Southeast Asian buses, in creaky Ghanaian hotels, and on the streets of notoriously mugger-friendly Southern Spain.

And yet, in month one [...Read More!]

Coordinating Boston's Meet Plan Go Career-Break Travel Conference

The Meet Plan Go career-break travel conference rocked out this past Tuesday evening, September 14, in 13 cities across America and Canada… and I coordinated the Boston chapter!

The next article will dive into the play-by-play of the event itself, but for now I’m vibrating with eagerness to share four overall revelations.

“Are you nuts?” gasped my friend a few months ago, “Why would you agree to coordinate a giant conference when you [...Read More!]

Headscarves in Schools: A Gorgeous Perspective

The world’s relationship with Muslim culture is one of the most intense and important topics around these days.

And thus it is with joy and hope for all humanity that I bring you an absolutely beautiful story from last week in our multicultural ESL class.

Let us allow the story to unfold through the words and pictures of three women in our class: Mafer from Venezuela, Yuri from Japan, and Meaad from Saudi [...Read More!]

Mei’s Article: Life in Boston Versus Life in Taiwan

Article #12 in the ESL Student Life Stories Project, by Mei from Taiwan, age 35.

Pedestrians First!  The cars stop behind the white line whenever I cross the road here in Boston.

I am so surprised by the street action!  I come from Taiwan, where drivers and passengers always contest each other.

Sometimes in Taiwan, a driver will curse at you if you don’t let his car pass.  He will [...Read More!]

Copyright 2010 Around the World "L"! Suffusion theme by Sayontan Sinha