I have always known I wanted to lead the family Seder when I grew up. My father took the reins of this sacred ritual from my maternal grandfather, and I have always found power in its symbolism and storytelling. Each year, I find new wisdom in the timeless themes of the Passover story, and as an experiential educator, I love that intergenerational lessons are so...
We have had quite a unique return from our 8 month adventure around the world. After moving to a new country every 2-6 weeks, we are now hunkered down in my parents’ house in Baltimore, riding out the unanticipated, uncertain storm of Coronavirus. Just like after 9/11, the world order shifted this month, which doubles the disorientation we have felt re-entering...
Wedged between the booming regional economies of Thailand and Vietnam, Laos is a far less-developed agricultural society with a small and dispersed population. Laos has a vibrant oral culture which its people have used for generations to pass on their stories. During our time in Laos, we visited Garavek, a traditional storytelling project. There, we had the pleasure...
We hope you are staying safe and connected, despite social distancing. We returned to America a few weeks ago! We feel very grateful for our timing and, like you, are now hunkered down, weathering the Coronavirus storm (and looking for jobs). We were able to reunite with a few family members before social distancing took force (see below), and are staying in touch...
While Baltimore is famous for crabs, there’s another summer treat that every Baltimorean looks forward to all year long: the snowball. Snowballs are distinct from other forms of icy treats like Italian ice and the far-inferior snow cone. It is shaved ice (not chopped or ground), topped with a sweet syrup (never fresh fruit), and served in long cup. (Sometimes...
Australia had the perhaps unenviable task of being our last country before returning to the States. While we knew we were starting in Melbourne to accomplish Victor’s longtime dream of seeing the Aussie Open, we allotted ourselves a month here because we also wanted to see as much of this massive country as we could. (It’s quite a long flight to come...
Kia ora! After our classic Kiwi roadtrip, the second half of our month in New Zealand was spent traversing different parts of both islands with Genine and Josh. Whether via engaging local guides or peering out the windows of helicopters at alpine and volcanic vistas, we saw New Zealand from more varied perspectives than we had in...
While all of Melbourne reminded us of Brooklyn, the neighborhood of Brunswick really gave off the bohemian, immigrant-rich, verging on gentrification vibe that defines the Brooklyn archetype. We loved basing out of Brunswick for our week in Melbourne because it was an easy tram ride into the CBD to browse the laneways and catch the Aussie Open action, but it also had...
In my childhood, a few hours in the car brought out endless “are we there yets?” from me and my sisters. We mostly arrived at our vacations by plane or train. However, early on in our relationship, Victor introduced me to the joys of road tripping. I soon learned that authentically seeing a place requires observing the connections between all the map...
We thought we were prepared for our overnight tramp on the Tongariro Northern Circuit. We reserved a campsite at Oturere Hut months in advance. We checked out the map, and arranged to trim off a boring 7km from the 43km loop by parking at Whakapapa Village and getting a transfer to the Mangatepopo Car Park. We also planned to hit the trail at noon to avoid the...