From My Bike Seat
With handlebars wobbling and heart pounding, I pushed my foot down on the pedal, easing my way out into the flowing river of whizzing bicycles and motorbikes. Adrenalin pumped a laser focus to my brain. My students formed a protective bubble around me on their bikes, motioning with their hands to tell me where to […]
The Spaces on the Way to the Places
I once threw up on a goat on the side of the road. It was my first pregnancy and I’d been rendered useless for the previous couple of weeks on a mattress on the floor of our tiny sweltering compound living quarters. Making a trip to Monrovia meant sitting upright in a moving vehicle on […]
The Risk of Going Solo
Have you ever stopped to evaluate the risk we as foreign women take when we navigate public transportation alone? Maybe you haven’t because ignorance is bliss. Initially, the adventure and excitement of exploring the city with only a few Chinese phrases and a bus pass at my disposal outweighed even the thought of danger. However, […]
A Driving Lesson
My first Sunday in Portugal I drove to church on the main highway, through city streets, and across a major bridge. The teammate I went with disliked driving so much she entrusted her life to an early twenty-something who had never driven overseas. In the following months I traversed the traffic circles and narrow streets, […]