Cari e d away

There’s sunshine in the streets of Madrid these days and the rays work miracles on restoring my energy to enjoy life lived in the city. I have been living in Madrid for six months now, and I can truthfully say that I no longer get nervous at the thought of having to hold a legitimate conversation with someone in Spanish. And while I can now actually pick up on humor, sarcasm and a sense of someone’s personality through the way the speak, as far as small talk goes, I’m still as terrible as usual. English or Spanish, it doesn’t matter. Trying to think of something to talk about in awkward situations, or perfectly normal situations for that matter, will be the end of me. You can’t imagine the kinds of purely elementary conversations I hold sometimes. ... read more

I have been in Spain for a little over two and a half months now and, little by little, I continue trying to figure out the method to the madness that makes Madrid the city that it is. Some days are simply fabulous, and some days are, well, some days are better than others. It seems to me, every time somebody starts new in an unfamiliar place, they go through ‘un período de locura.’ A period, for me, in which I’m more prone to freaking out and letting the small things make me crazier than usual. Case in point, the last three weeks. I’ve been letting everything hit me right square in the face, quite definitely harder than it should, and I’ve been having trouble trying to convince myself that everything that inconveniences and makes me ... read more

Life Without Stopping I started work at Santo Domingo on the 3rd of October and life has been non-stop since I walked in the doors on the first morning. Most days there’s always something that sustains the smile on my face. Whether it’s shoes on the wrong feet, shirts on backwards, or Brian, who persistently writes “Brain” on the name line in his workbook, I love the kids and the school more and more every day. Though, some days I do want to scream, and all I can think of is the minute I can go drink some more coffee or escape to the sunshine on the streets or the quiet of my room. It takes me 15 minutes to walk to the metro line I need to catch to get to Santo Domingo, and then ... read more

Madrid is an exhausting and fabulous city. There is a distinctive energy and flavor on every street and it’s so easy to jump right into the life of this place. I have been struggling to find the time to sit down, to take a breath and to write since I arrived in Madrid. So, in my apartment on Calle de Toledo, with a glass (well, a coffee mug) of red wine, I have made the time to marvel at all the details that have swept me away in the last three weeks. Madrid is a beautiful city, both old and new, with cobblestone streets and ritzy stores, glam discotecas and easygoing tapas bars. The streets are lined with flowing curtains, small balconies full of plants and flowers, and a bright mixture of colors that come from ... read more

In the last few days of work at the Chronicle before my trip to Kenya, I covered a protest march to stop the violence in the Gambia, I went to a climate change symposium that was more like a 5 hour Nokia promotional meeting and a lecture from a journalism 100 class than an actual symposium, I went to a grant contract signing ceremony at the Embassy of Japan, and I got caught in a mob during a 2,000 person march to protest the recent spike in utility tariffs in Ghana. Just another day at the office :) I was sad to finish with my work at the paper, and I have a feeling I am going to find it quite difficult to sit in a classroom “learning” about the job I have been living for ... read more

After a very rough 5 and a half hour flight across the African continent, I looked out the window to see us flying over Lake Victoria and into Nairobi. “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Kenya.” I got my luggage without any problems and then found out very quickly that they drive on the opposite side of the road in Kenya when I put my bag into the back of the taxi at the airport and proceeded to get right into the driver’s seat. Oops :) I made it to the bus station in the center of Nairobi without any problems and took the 8 am bus from Nairobi to Mombasa. The bus ticket cost half as much as the taxi ride to the station from the airport. Oops. I chose to take the bus because I ... read more

So much has happened in the last couple of weeks. In case you’re curious… Work, work, work. I went to a forum for women’s rights at the Institute for Economic Affairs last week. While it lasted a few too many hours, I could tell how important it was to a lot of women, so I really did enjoy it. One thing I have noticed is people’s inability to turn off their cell phones during public events. Every few minutes the women’s forum was rocking out to someone else’s ringtone. And it happened, again, and again, and again… You would think we could learn. About a week ago I also attended an event at the business school on the University of Ghana campus. For Pete’s sake, don’t write 8 am on the invitation if you really mean ... read more

Wow, it’s been a while. Where do I start? I guess football once again takes center stage. First of all, the USA vs. Ghana game was wild, as you can imagine. I took a lot of heat every time I clapped for the US, whether intentionally or out of habit. Although at first it was hard to grasp that we lost, once I put my pride aside, it was much more fun to be with such happy people during and after the game. Like always, a dance party on every street corner ensued after the win. All the street sellers were grouped in celebration everywhere you turned. I watched the game at Champ’s Sports Bar in Accra and I loved it. There were about 75 nationalities in one room and the excitement was so catching. The ... read more