Before I moved to Porto I looked up the logistics of shipping my goods from Thailand to Portugal. Reviews and blog posts screamed: DON’T DO IT. My packages were held up in customs for months, one man said. I had to pay extra tax, despite already paying tax when I bought the item, another blog … Continue reading A Tale of Two Boxes: Don’t Ship to Portugal
Leaving Bangkok: Thank You, Next
Last week I moved from Bangkok, Thailand to Porto, Portugal. This marks the 19th move of my life, a number which includes moving state-to-state, country-to-country, and just from one neighbourhood to the next (I only did that once; every other time I’ve at least moved out of state). Each move is relatively the same: right … Continue reading Leaving Bangkok: Thank You, Next
Why I Hate ‘The Beach’
Many people told me to watch The Beach before moving to Thailand. The scenery was to die for, they said, and the story was a classic expat-moves-to-Thailand tale. Maybe I would relate? I saved the film in my Netflix cue, but never got around to watching it before my move. During my year and a … Continue reading Why I Hate ‘The Beach’
Welcoming 2019 with Tenacity
For the past few years I've listened to friends choose 'anchor words,' which they use to ground themselves for the New Year. They choose words like "courage" to remind them each month to be brave, or "persistent" to encourage them to strive for what they want. Since being surrounded by wordsmiths in graduate school I've … Continue reading Welcoming 2019 with Tenacity
How To End Up In A Sexy Convertible VW Bug In Hawai’i: A Short Story
When you’re jet lagged and running off maybe two hours of sleep, you forget to check the open/close hours of the place where you booked a rental car in Honolulu (which you only booked because it was so much cheaper than picking up at the airport). You take a city bus to the rental place. … Continue reading How To End Up In A Sexy Convertible VW Bug In Hawai’i: A Short Story
Broken Hearts and the Power of Women on the River Kwai
The blue destination dot on Google Maps seemed far away as my two friends and I crawled out of the minibus at the Kanchanaburi bus station. It was nearing 8 p.m. We'd left Bangkok around 4:30 p.m. The driver shut the door and drove off, leaving us standing dumbly in the street. My two friends, … Continue reading Broken Hearts and the Power of Women on the River Kwai
Trekking Through Sapa
When a desk agent from my Hanoi hostel asked if I wanted to book a hiking trip through Sapa I thought, Sure. Why not? I'd hiked plenty of times. I had a limited amount of time in Vietnam and Sapa was supposed to be a "must see" place. A hike seemed like fun. The journey … Continue reading Trekking Through Sapa
Expectations in India
While flying down an Indian highway at 100 km/h, I didn't have the normal thoughts someone would have during their first trip to India: This is awesome! I'm in India! On a motorcycle! Why is there a cow in the road? Instead, at nearly 11 p.m. at night, after driving 470 km, all I could think was: Oh … Continue reading Expectations in India
Sick in Bangkok: Old Habits Die Hard…Until They Kill You
My first professional publication was an essay about how I am unable to ask for help even when I need it. In the essay, I took a 12-hour long ferry from the city of Lerwick on the Shetland Islands to Aberdeen, Scotland. A typhoon had just passed over the North Sea, creating waves so large … Continue reading Sick in Bangkok: Old Habits Die Hard…Until They Kill You
A Quick Catch-Up: New Job, New Places, New Trips
I can't believe it's been over two months since my last post. That's mostly because I got a new job, which consumes my working week. Any free time I have has been spent with friends or writing for various publications. When my new job's Board of Directors offered me a position, the President said, "You … Continue reading A Quick Catch-Up: New Job, New Places, New Trips
The Wandering Writer 