Sometimes it’s hard for me to grasp that other people have such an ordinary view of their own existence. I’m still somewhat jaded as a world traveler who is well past his first year abroad, but when I’m in a new environment, I still tend to look up and see the wonders around me....
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I’ve often spoken in this blog about finding the right balance in life to excel in travel yet maintain a sense of home and family. Although I am currently on the road with no responsibilities, I could have imagined a time when I would consider travel secondary to a stable job, mortgage help and...
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I’ve sampled cupcakes the world over, from Yummy Cupcakes in Santa Monica to the closest equivalent in Japan… Asia is not really into the cupcake craze at the moment. When I landed in San Francisco after more than a year abroad, my old sweet tooth flared back into action. From Kara’s Cupcakes in Ghiradelli...
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Whenever I’m back in the US, 90% of the jobs and gigs I work come from Craigslist. I’ve found plenty of opportunities abroad as well. How did I find a position as the caretaker of a Buddhist monastery in New Zealand? Auckland Craigslist. How did I wind up teaching at a hagwon in rural...
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I have a problem. It’s one I’ve faced many times before for different reasons. When I was working on the Kenai Peninsula of Alaska for a summer between semesters, I found myself running 8+ miles daily and avoiding unhealthy food at all costs; this included beer and salty snacks. As far as the other...
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There’s a game I’m forced to play with drivers whenever I walk across an intersection, and no one has the clear right of way. In America, I’ve noticed cars will dance with you if you try to cross the street: moving forward, thinking you’ll wait, seeing you won’t, moving forward anyway, being forced to...
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I recently had the chance to host a beautiful young lady as she was passing through Austin for the first time. As is often the case between Couchsurfer and Couchhost, we exchanged travel tales, and horror stories of Couchsurfing. Since she was a lovely woman, I asked her if she had ever had a...
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I need to be extremely careful in the coming weeks so as to avoid injury. My last serious workout in San Francisco was Fleet Feet’s Divis Up or Shut Up challenge in the Marina, which left my legs sore for three days… I still hope to do a few more loops in October to...
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I was extremely fortunate to be able to find an apartment in San Francisco – not the Bay Area, but the city – for less than $500/month ABP, and I didn’t have to be anyone’s man-whore. Bayview wasn’t exactly the ideal area and the house could have been cleaner, but I had my own...
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As many readers are aware, a few months after the earthquake and tsunami struck the Tohoku region of Japan, I volunteered to assist with cleanup efforts in Ofunato with All Hands, one of the few foreign-run organizations to make it past the Japanese bureaucracy. It was a remarkable experience, seeing the kind of people...
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