Travel Articles
VAGRANTS IN GHANA
You see, the problem is that you stamped your passport on the Togo side of the border, but not on the Ghana side...
Originally published for the Juneau Empire, December 2013
SPRING BREAK SENEGAL
“I know it costs more, but this taxi’s more expensive is because it’s BIGGER and NICER than others, trust me!” reasons Mouktar, the Senegalese taxi driver as he...
Originally published for the Juneau Empire, June 2013
TOGO TALES: US ELECTORAL ADMIRATION IN AFRICA
Seated anxiously, sweaty hands gripping their knees as if ready to pounce, the eyes of the Togolese crowd are fixated on the screen with almost magnetized gazes...
Originally published for the Juneau Empire, February 2013
TRANSLATOR’S TALES PART 2: SOMALI PIRACY, A DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD
“Ready! Aim! …. FIRE!””
The crackle of gunshots ripped through the air, and small spouts of water...
Originally published for the Juneau Empire, September 2010
TRANSLATOR’S TALES PART 1: AN UNORTHODOX APPROACH TO INTERNATIONAL TRANSLATION
Racing down the street like a bat out of hell, horns blaring wildly, swerving around cars like a 16 year-old fresh out of the DMV, I was positive we were going to die...
Originally published for the Juneau Empire, August 2010
EDUCATION IN AN AFRICAN CONTEXT PART 2: REVOLUTION THROUGH OWNERSHIP
Brazilian educator and pedagogic theorist Paulo Friere once said, “to incite revolutionary change in a group of people, efforts must be imbued with a profound trust...
Originally published for the Juneau Empire, July 2010
Education in an African Context, Part 1: "Behind the Veil"
Hassan wakes up around 6 a.m. every day. After breakfast he catches a 30-minute bus from his town in Balbala to Djibouti City....
Originally published for the Juneau Empire, June 2010
The Great Grad Bara 15k of Djibout, part 2
I’m surrounded on all sides. My legs are on fire, my side hurts and I’m having some trouble breathing. But I have to push on...
Originally published for the Juneau Empire, May 2010
The Great Grad Bara 15k of Djibout, part 1
Everyp..........
Originally published for the Juneau Empire, April 2010
six reasons why dubai is not like your home
Everyplace in the world has its claim to fame. Paris has its crepes. Thailand has its Pad Thai. And Alaska has its Xtra Tufs....
Originally published for the Juneau Empire, March 2010
THe unsung heros of travel
I stretch out with a big yawn before turning on my personal television. After a few flips through a couple channels, I debate between the newest “Fast and the Furious” film, or Eddie Murphy’s “Imagine...
Originally published for the Juneau Empire, February 2010
Egypt Unpackaged
Vacation time has arrived in the east African country of Djibouti once more. For this break, I again had a yearning to go somewhere far off and exotic...
Originally published for the Juneau Empire, June 2009
Surprised to find an Ethiopian utopia
“Alaska, I’ve been there three times!”
“Really? When?”
” … in my dreams!”
Originally published for the Juneau Empire, April 2009
An english teacher in africa
As I greet my neighbors in Somali, I open the gate to my apartment complex and begin heading to work. However, outside I find the neighborhood kids frozen in place, staring in awe at something I can’t see....
Originally published for the Juneau Empire, February 2009