Paris is like that first love that will always hold your heart. You two can fall easily back into each other’s arms, where everything comes quickly, lasts long, and feels right. Canada is like that guy from your hometown that you paw around every once in a while just to feel alive, or to remember … Continue reading
Say it’s for respect, say it’s because of religion, say it’s just a rule and don’t ask questions, say it’s arbitrary and sexist. Just don’t say we need to wear high necklines and low hems so that we are not sexually harassed. Don’t do it. Don’t victim blame, don’t lie. In harassment-heavy countries like Cuba … Continue reading
Sometimes we forget that the totally normal things we do at home can be seen as totally not okay elsewhere. Before going to Egypt, we were asked not to go running through Cairo. For one thing, between the smog, the traffic and the craterous sidewalks, it’s quite dangerous. And for another, it’s insulting. Some people … Continue reading
We crossed the ocean with them. We flew over the Mediterranean and the Maghreb with them. We took them in a bus to a boat and now up a dusty dirt road, into a women’s organization in a rural area that was lucky enough to produce a Mama Benz. Benze as in Mercedes, meaning that … Continue reading
When I first heard about the Benin trip, and how it had a one-week France component, I was a little bummed. I had already been to france, I already had that stamp. But I think a lot changed when I was in Cuba. As the trip got closer, I thought of paris as a comfort, … Continue reading
I try to make the most of what I buy. I’m generally pretty frugal, with occasional bouts of Target, Old Navy and H&M madness. I’m also secretly a hoarder. As in, at almost 22 years of age I still own clothing from middle school. Now that I finally can’t fit into it all anymore, I’m … Continue reading
By far, the majority of my traffic centers around these search terms. That worried me. It says that there’s a need. There are these women out there with Cuban boyfriends, or wanting them, and not knowing how to handle it. What to buy them, how to get one, how to know if they’re cheating, what … Continue reading
You will have at least one nervous breakdown. People don’t really want to hear that much about your trip. 30 seconds or less will do. Other countries are really not that scary. The people are pretty much just like us–they just dress, talk and act different, and eat different food. Some days, it will suck. … Continue reading
I often find myself on the wrong side of a lot of debates. I dislike hand sanitizer, sunscreen and bugspray, in favor of a boosted immune system and not experiencing the negative ramifications of abstaining. I think we shampoo our hair too often, shelter our kids too much, and give google too hard of a … Continue reading
When I was in Egypt, we often joked that we were in Fake Africa. When asked if I had ever been to Africa before Benin, I would say yes and explain Egypt, which elicited much doubt. I was told, in one way or another, that Egypt didn’t count, or wasn’t really Africa because it was: … Continue reading
