Jenni Jen - La Vagabonda

"As long as possible live free and uncommitted. It makes but little difference whether you are committed to a farm or the county jail.... If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away." -- Henry David Thoreau (Walden)

So I did it, escaped the conformity of the corporate ratrace while I still had my youth and sanity, to see the world with my own two eyes and embrace all its beauty and ugliness. Central America to Europe to Southeast Asia in 2005; 2006 will find me exploring Seoul, Korea and environs in depth, since my travels never did bump me into those trees on which money grows....Escaped just when the culture shock became unbearable for some travels in Taiwan, Vietnam, Eastern Europe, and Peru before coming back again twice in 2007, with some Caribbean, European, and East African hopping in between! Got hitched to my TravelBlog soulmate in September 2007 and welcomed our baby boy into the world in December of that year. Spent a year towing him around Asia, Europe, the U.S. and South America bringing his passport stamp collection to 19.

The latest music I heard, however, has not exactly left me free and uncommitted! The backpack has been gathering dust in the storage room of our townhouse in our new semi-stable life as graduate students in Alberta, Canada for two months now, and will likely stay there until our western Canada tour with family and friends in spring, when we will also welcome a new baby! But in anthropology, foreign fieldwork is the name of the game, so our semi-nomadism will resume in Ecuador next summer. Now back to the books....

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Joined on: November 11th 2004
Last Login: October 31st 2009

Blog Entries: 46
Photos: 594
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Blogs & Travel Journals

by Jenni Jen, order by Date newest first.

By Jenni Jen
October 7th 2008

Beach Hopping with Baby Asia » Philippines » Boracay

Guimaras sunset

As with any couple expecting their first child, the excitement, anticipation, and the challenge of the learning curve were colossal. Unlike most couples expecting their first child, we were living a drifter’s lifestyle and had none of the traditional logistical groundwork laid, not even a particular country we could call home. Pragmatism was the new name of the game; our four months in Africa were scaled back to six weeks, our plane tickets to Turkey and Nepal were binned in pursuit of practical considerations like health insurance and jobs with flexible schedules. Our guidebooks were re [View Full Entry]

By Jenni Jen
September 18th 2008

The King and We Africa » Uganda » Western Region » Lake Bunyonyi

Passing time in Rweetera
Near the Crater Lakes

Peeking out from over the yellow grassy bank, seven little sets of brown eyes widened, eyebrows and mouth corners arching upwards in unison as the rest of their bodies whipped into motion, waving, pushing, laughing, and running down to the road. “Mzungu!!!!! Mzungu!!!” Having rallied dozens of their fellow red and blue uniformed classmates with the call, a fusillade of high-pitched “OW are YOU?”s rained down on us. When a camera surfaced, their unbridled vivacity displayed itself in alternating games of one-upping each others’ ridiculous poses and silly attempts a [View Full Entry]

By Jenni Jen
January 13th 2007

The Teaching-English-in-Korea Blog Asia » South Korea » Seoul

The trials of teaching
As you can see, it's a tough crowd...

"You speakee English? You want easy money? Come work my school!" -- (Excerpt from my third phone interview) OK, actually that was about the WHOLE interview. The bank account was looking rather paltry and I jumped on the train of easy employment, teaching English in Seoul along with tens of thousands of other native speakers. Despite my cynicism on life in Korea, I have to admit that the work itself was surprisingly pleasant and rewarding, even given my initial hand-wringing at the thought of having to entertain children all day long. And, while it is easy as pie to hop on [View Full Entry]

Danyang -- National Heritage Site #174927340?

By Jenni Jen
July 28th 2006

Memoirs of a Geisha Chaser Asia » Japan » Kyoto

The Geisha at Yasaka Shrine
And their many admirers elbowing for a photo -- Setsubun Festival, Kyoto

So .... do they or don' t they? This question undoubtedly enters the mind of many a tourist that strolls the narrow alleys of Hanamikoji Dori at night, while a soft golden glow inside the buildings lets them snatch a quick glimpse of those lucky few being entertained in the “world of willows and flowers.” Admittance beyond the quasi-impenetrable gates of the geisha houses generally requires a personal introduction and invitation from existing clientele, and, from what I hear, getting into the inner circles of wealthy Japanese businessmen is a pretty lofty achievement for a foreign [View Full Entry]

By Jenni Jen
April 21st 2006

A Tokyo Teaser Asia » Japan » Tokyo

Dragon Water Fountain
Sensoji Temple - Tokyo

“The Land of the Rising Sun” … it really evokes a mystical romanticism, doesn’t it? But as with all clichés, one can’t help but expect that it has been over hyped. So I hovered outside the airplane lavatory with nose pressed to the frosty emergency exit window to make my judgment. (Of course, anyone with a little bit of forethought would have selected a seat viewing east to catch Japan’s namesake in full swing.) I scrutinized the dark bubble-gum pink ball bringing the Pacific Ocean slowly into view. Frothy white foam slept on the deep blue waves below, with [View Full Entry]

By Jenni Jen
April 2nd 2006

Malaysia Truly Asia? Asia » Malaysia » Wilayah Persekutuan » Kuala Lumpur

Pyramid of Perfection
A beautiful day at Sri Mahamariamman temple, Kuala Lumpur

Hustling hawkers, exhaust fumes, international fast food chains, neon lights, traffic…. Though this was not the vision I had conjured up with Malaysia’s tourism mantra, perhaps Kuala Lumpur was a good microcosm of Southeast Asia’s cities. For the bad and the ugly in this part of the world were also accompanied by the bright and beautiful …colorful tropical fruits and flowers in the marketplace, the bold saris and skirts of the women, artistically carved temple decorations, eternal t-shirts and flip-flops weather, softly glowing paper lanterns, and the smoky aroma of t [View Full Entry]

By Jenni Jen
March 13th 2006

1000 Kilometers Down the Andaman Sea Asia » Thailand » South-West Thailand » Railay

Boats at Tup Island
Near Railay Beach, Thailand

In a candlelit room in Kanthaya, the beach that seemed to be isolated from the rest of the world, we learned via BBC radio that Burma had secretly changed its capital. Overnight the generals pulled out of Yangon and snuck 400 km farther north to Pyinmana, an out-of-the-way blurb on the map where plans for new government and army headquarters would be accompanied by fortified bunkers and tunnels. The official reason for the move given to the BBC Reporter in Thailand was to protect itself from a military attack by the U.S... ???? Arriving in Yangon one day before our visas [View Full Entry]

By Jenni Jen
January 7th 2006

Private Sector Torture and the Crowning Glory of Myanmar Asia » Burma » Thandwe

Cute Ngapali kids
Waiting for the next bodysurfing wave

It is said that one can only know one extreme once she has known its opposite; such as sorrow carving out a space in your heart so that you may also know love more deeply. And so it goes with life on the road as well, for the plucking of a travel pearl increases in value with every tight-lipped sea creature you have to battle in pursuit of it. Since the buses only run at night, getting from Bagan to Ngapali Beach overland is a two and a half day journey via Pyay. In theory, each journey takes about 10 hours, [View Full Entry]

By Jenni Jen
November 2nd 2005

Time Travel and the Tourist Warp Asia » Burma » Mandalay

The She Monks
Alms collecting in Amarapura

Upon finally reaching the big city, I somehow feel tricked; for instead of springing into the modernity that metropolises often bring, it seems that I stepped back into a bygone decade. Bus videos censor through the “love scenes,” music videos depict a would-be suitor trying desperately to wrest his young love from her parents’ ever-watchful eye for an innocent handhold, the after-dusk city streets are empty save for the occasional ice cream parlor patrons making their way home. The movie theater is showcasing an American film featuring Angelina Jolie, who might find the plum [View Full Entry]

At least the clouds are good for something...

By Jenni Jen
October 21st 2005

Bewitched! The Wonders of the Shan State Asia » Burma » Kalaw

Floating out of the fogs
One of the first barges in the procession

The night could be described as nothing less than magical…sitting on the veranda of a restaurant in Nyaungshwe after dark, I watched the town slowly come to life as each restaurant, home, and shop lit dozens of candles and paper lanterns on their streetfront sides. The chanting coming from the main pagoda in town had been going steady for the past 24 hours, and the faded sing-songy mantra gave a sense of direction to the countless bicyclists and pedestrians making their pilgrimage towards the glow coming from the lambent golden stupa. Inside the temple grounds, worshippers found the shr [View Full Entry]

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Jenni Jen - La Vagabonda

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