Asia: A Traveling Chalkboard Champion

Asia: A Traveling Chalkboard Champion

Lisa Niver Rajna: The Chalkboard Champion Who Teaches Her Students That Science and Geography Isn’t Scary Lisa Niver Rajna, an elementary science teacher from Los Angeles, California, is an amazing chalkboard champion. Lisa was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1967, and earned her master’s degree in education from the University of Pennsylvania. In addition to her career … Continued

Uoleva, Tonga

12 Must-Experience Tonga Moments, Part 1

Brass notes hit us before the heat, rushing loudly through the opened airplane door. “Who called out the band?” I asked my boyfriend.  Polished tubas and trumpet bells glinted under the airport floodlights.  Above the instruments, locals cheered and waved frantically from a second-story deck. Smiling graciously, I felt like a celebrity, not a tourist. … Continued

Vanuatu is What?

I can barely open my eyes without squinting as hours passed as I lay in almost a complete daze of whiteness. A rhythmic crashing keeps lulling me in and out of consciousness as life on Champagne Beach in Vanuatu passes me by. “Vana what?” “What country is that in?” “Oh, it’s a country?” “Where is … Continued

Dominican Republic: 27th Biennial of Visual Art

  27th Biennial of Visual Art, Dominican Republic The Biennial of Visual Art in Santo Domingo is a competition which is decided in August, but the exhibition stays open to the public for much longer, into November usually. The prizes are awarded by a panel of three; this year the panel were Chus Martinez, of … Continued

The Thiruvannamalai temple has several temple towers pointing in the four cardinal directions, each exquisitely carved.

Two “Foreigners” in Thiruvannamalai, India

I had a lot of trouble pronouncing the name of this town: “Thiruvannamalai”. It required me to roll my tongue too much and too many times. It had too many syllables. Hailing from North India, living in the south Indian city of Bangalore, I initially found south Indian names to be tongue twisters – especially … Continued

Fiji: From Mold to Sun

Foul smelling, damp and also a little crusty, Chris and I were starting to feel like the inside of a teenage boys soccer bag that had not been cleaned for weeks on end. Night after night we laid on our backs looking at the expanding patches of green, fuzzy mold on the ceiling of our … Continued

John at Tiger's Nest Monastery

Return to Bhutan

RETURN TO BHUTAN Yet again I find myself at the Drukair check in counter of Bangkok’s Suvarnhabumhi airport, at the unreasonable hour of 4:30 a.m. Twelve Bhutan bound clients make up my entourage. The usual grumpy Thai staff processes our bags and tickets and scrutinizes visas, not the best introduction for the happiest place on … Continued

Philippines: Caves, Coffins and Clouds

I was at the end of my trip of Asia. 10 hours from Manila, 3 hours through Banaue and Bontoc. 13 hours in total. I had little time left in the Philippines so I had one day to do Sagada. I actually remember first hearing about the place when I was in Laos. A couple … Continued

Baltic Pride, Vilnius: Different People, Same Love

  I was sitting in Cathedral Square when the drum circle arrived. Or what looked like a drum circle. If drum circles also had clocks, like the kind of clock you would hang in your kitchen. Large roman numerals, round. Gold frames. They were walking straight toward me, carrying white blocks the size of trumpet … Continued

Slovakia: Devin Castle on Bratislava’s Doorstep

Devin Castle was built on one of the finest pieces of real estate in Europe – atop a cliff 212 metres above the Danube, at the confluence of the Danube and the Moravia rivers. My friend and I took a boat from Bratislava to the ruins of Devin Castle in May, on one of the … Continued

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