What magic, the advancements that have occurred within the past few years in our “Developed” country! I’m astounded at the changes that have taken place in the United States within my lifetime.
We in America like to prance around and declare ourselves “Developed,” while we proclaim poorer countries “Developing” or “Less Developed.”
But terms like “The Developed World” make us seem fixed, finished, and all set. In fact, no, we sure aren’t! From [...Read More!]
There’s at least one moment every few days when I think to myself: “Teaching really is the best career in the world.” Sometimes this thought is spurred on when a student finally understands a concept. Other days it’s activated by the zing of a vibrant classroom discussion. Sometimes it comes from the intellectual buzz of making a tough text like Shakespeare accessible. But, in the case of this week… my [...Read More!]
I had a lot of reasons for leaving my career and home to travel around the world in August of 2009, and one of them was a vision of starting a new life abroad. For the first eight months of my voyage, I was convinced that (after rockin’ out Asia and Africa) I would find the endpoint of my dreams in Barcelona, Spain.
When I arrived in Spain, however, I realized Barcelona [...Read More!]
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!]
Currently the #1 article on this whole site, with over 5,000 views, is a little piece entitled: “The 7 Most Delicious Foods of Around the World 2009.”
Yum!
Now another year of voracious eating has passed, bringing my munching mouth through Ghana, Spain, Portugal, New York, Philadelphia, and Boston. Burp! And a world culinary update is due.
Without further ado, let’s dive into the 10 Most Yummy Foods of Around the World Travel, 2010! [...Read More!]
Imagine you are schlepping a bulbous suitcase down the stairs in New York’s Penn Station on Christmas Eve, squeezing through hundreds of stressed travelers to board the train for DC. Imagine you’re sweaty and cold at the same time, irritable and achy, overwhelmed and jostled, when suddenly:
HAPPINESS!
Look to the left to see the conductor who greeted us!
People of the world, how can you NOT smile upon seeing such a sweet smile, [...Read More!]
Exactly one year ago, I was almost arrested in Bangkok, Thailand for bringing an illegally smelly fruit onto a public train.
You can read the whole dramatic story by clicking here, but the short version is that durians (giant, monstrously spiky fruits common in Asia) smell so horrifically bad that there are signs all over public transport in Southeast Asia warning against carrying them. And I did. And a Thai policeman nearly [...Read More!]
“Waahhh, I wish I could draw!” is a lament I’ve heard from mouths across the world.
If YOU have this same complaint, listen now and listen good: You CAN draw, and you can, if you work at it, eventually draw WELL. The only thing that’s stopping you is… practice!
As a teacher, I firmly believe that people aren’t born smart. Rather, people work hard and get smarter and more skilled with practice. So [...Read More!]
So you dream of global understanding, connection, and communication. What better way to create this than to have students across the world write letters to one another?
Ahh, the romanticized International Penpal Exchange idea: so beautiful and so grand!
And yet, as those of us who have tried it often soon realize… so full of potential mayhem and chaos!
During the three months I volunteered in Sogakope, Ghana, I helped run the Youth Creating [...Read More!]
The resounding song in my universe since returning from nine months of travel has been entitled: “Appreciation!”
There is nothing like being away from something for a time to make you re-see it in its original glory.
That said, life isn’t always a happy-shmappy song. Right now, for instance, I’m in a nutty mood. My daily 5:30am alarm this morning was not enough to force me out of bed fast enough to catch the [...Read More!]