Pinning My Map

When you let go of fear, when you release yourself from the ties of your safe, secure routine, you may find yourself upon a koppie overlooking elephants in a riverbed under the setting Namibian sun. You may find yourself forming strong, intimate bonds with a group of people who yesterday were strangers. You may find yourself. I did. ... read more

Portland to Atlanta to Johannesburg to Pretoria to... wait - stop here and turn around while you still can. As it turns out, I can't tolerate antimalarials. Went a bit nutty, I did, on top of the worst nausea I've ever had and an absolute inability to sleep. After days without food or sleep, with vertigo, fever, and increasing paranoia (yeah, paranoia), which all led to increasing homesickness, I chose the only good option and came home. No vervet monkeys, no safari at Kruger National Park. While I'm certainly disappointed, I don't regret anything. I'm so fortunate to have had the opportunity, and I have learned many things, both leading up to and during the trip. I am grateful for all who helped me along the way. Tomorrow I leave for Albuquerque, New Mexico, where I'll ... read more

When my husband was a young boy, his family lived on a sailboat, docking here and there while they made their way south from Oregon and north into the Sea of Cortez. His favorite place was La Paz, and he promised himself as a boy that he would return one day. As soon as I stepped out of the bus station and looked up from the broken sidewalk, seeing for the first time the beautiful malecon dotted with palm trees alongside the sea, I understood why. La Paz is nothing I expected it to be, and so much more. It is slow but steady; relaxed but not at all casual. It's joggers in the heat of the day wearing full track suits and cologne. Extended families enjoying ice cream outside the corner shop. It's roosters crowing ... read more