Maestro the Vagabond

Djibouti is extraordinary in several ways; it is a country that is virtually unheard of (so in that way it’s a perfect destination) and if people have heard of it, they remember it as a mnemonic for an ample backside. It is also remarkably dry compared to its western neighbor from which we arrived, so much so that I asked if the trees become any greener during the rainy season (which for Ethiopia runs from late spring to early autumn). Our guide looked at me matter-of-factly, but replied incredulously that this was the rainy season. To describe Djibouti’s geography as scrubland would be as generous as the country is dry. Surely, it is a sun soaked and rain starved country. The third, and most extraordinary fact about Djibouti is that it is expensive in the extreme. ... read more

We arrived late in the evening on New Years eve after a long sert of flights from Boston - Frankfurt - Addis Ababa. Flying Lufthansa was a treat and on the way from Boston, because this is our honeymoon, the woman who checked us in offered us the exit rows and the flight attendant poured sparkling wine for us on the house. It was nice to be treated like this. On the flip side, Lufthansa's vegan fare is, well, hopefullu a work in progress. Most of it was vegan, but lacked flavor (although the polenta dish was really nice) The dessert was jello - which is really just fruity hooves. So, we gave that a miss. Jenn was just grateful they had any kind of offering. We arrived and found we were quick to get off ... read more

Porto Fortunately, my departure to Portugal was less eventful than that of mine to Mallorca. It was perhaps unfortunate, however, that my departure would have to begin at 02:45. Not realizing the hours of the first tube departures in the morning, and thinking only of the cheap airfare, I booked without consideration of the logistics at hand to actually get to the airport for a 6:30 flight to Porto. As it turns out, this may have been fortuitous, as had it been any later, I would have had to count on the tube, rather than having to figure out which bus to take; this would have left me in deep doo doo when the tube strike took effect as of 19:00 the evening before. And as it turns out, the station where I had to catch ... read more

Prelude: Willimantic After a year of diving back into the plenary experience of graduate school, my first year of "doctoral college," with its thrill and exhaustion, my parents decided to venture down to Connecticut for a visit. UConn, as it's known here (which is often mixed up with the Yukon - people are either very polite and mention that they didn't know the Yukon had a uni, or ask me what in the hell would make me go up there?)" It's a slip I make frequently. I have the fortune to live in the small town of Willimantic, the nearest actual town to UConn, which is really a campus in the middle of nowhere. Willimantic, however, has the misfortune of being known as the methamphetamine capital of the Northeast. While it's act has been cleaned up ... read more

A Short Stop in the Bay Area My return to California for the first time following my move back to Canada has proved an interestingly enlightening experience. I have to admit that I've had a difficult time in letting go of California, and the life I was living here during my time as a teacher. I arrived with excitement, full of exuberance and nostalgia, but that sense has faded quickly like the marine fog under the hot afternoon sun. I can't really explain why, but I feel the same way now as when I returned to Calgary in July. I was suddenly a stranger in a place I had once called home. It was the first of what proved to be a string of events that would require me to "let go," of sentiments and fantasies, ... read more