Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Wander.
Why I Live In Mississippi
Behind every name, there is a story. The ones we recall are lucky enough to be written down and repeated; these narratives resonate with others and through continued storytelling, people determine the history of our past. 2017 finds us as the chosen ones to transcribe what the future will know about our time and the people who laid the groundwork for the lives of those to come. As William Faulkner succinctly explains, "The past is never dead. It's not even past."
Virginia CarterPublished 7 years ago in WanderMoscow Muled
My older brother Tomas, a keen enthusiast of Russian literature suggested one evening that we go to Russia on holiday. At the time I certainly felt I needed a break and maybe Mother Russia was the trip I needed. The kind of trip that wouldn’t be easy, the kind of trip that would remind me of the loose cannon, reckless travelling I did in my early 20’s. Moscow was the place.
Learning to Love Vietnam
A while ago, I was living in Chiangmai, in Northern Thailand, while writing a book. Every three months, I had to leave Thailand to renew my visa, so I'd take a trip to one or other of the nearby countries, stay a week or two, then come back. These visa runs were special - a quick infusion of the new to break up my routine in Chiangmai
Roger WellsPublished 7 years ago in WanderBehind the Sky
One day a driver is headed home from a usual work day. Most drivers listen to music as they travel from point A to point B, but this driver often likes the sound of her own thoughts. Surrounded by the symphony of life, busy streets, high wind, and rubber tires against the concrete road, the driver also hears thoughts passing through her mind and then very subtly vanishing into the abyss until something finally stuck. It was an epiphany. This epiphany appeared as the driver stopped at a red light. Past the interior of the car, past the windshield, past the stop lights, the driver saw clouds, light, and space. What a beautiful sight...what a wonderful thought. To ponder on something greater than the existence of one life and focus on the beauty of the world is priceless. The driver became filled with excitement as she thought freely into the atmosphere. She was grateful for the life she had now, though it grew monotonous. But, experiencing the beauty past the interior of her life, past the windshield of her anatomy, and past the stoplights of her mind, forced her to appreciate the ability to think freely. To have thoughts about what lies behind the usual sky, as unusual as the sky can seem allowed her to express a kind of gratitude that was genuine.
Jamiah SandlesPublished 7 years ago in WanderColonial Williamsburg
When you think of the Revolutionary War and the colonies fight for freedom, what cities come to your mind? Most people go straight to Philadelphia, Boston, and even New York City. However, hidden on the eastern coast of Virginia, right by the very spot where the colonies began their foundation in Jamestown lies the little town of Williamsburg, Virginia. Named after King William III of England when the state capital was moved from Jamestown in 1699, today Williamsburg is a bustling city with theme parks and history all around. No words can describe the magic you feel while there, I'd compare it to that childish excitement you get when going to Disney World for the first time. However, few people seem to realize what a crucial role that this small-ish city seemed to play in the founding of our nation.
Kristin HicksPublished 7 years ago in WanderThe Sweet Pain of Leaving
Ever since I was a child in the 1950's, standing on the wharf of Melbourne pier to board the immense ship that was to take us to Europe, I have never recovered from the excitement of embarkation.
Roger WellsPublished 7 years ago in WanderMost Beautiful Airports in the World
When people think of airports, they probably already have a certain idea in mind: a spacious, utilitarian venue that has businessmen everywhere, police dogs, and families on vacation rushing to the nearest terminals. Most people really don't think about the airport's architecture, and that's a shame.
Mackenzie Z. KennedyPublished 7 years ago in WanderJumping Off Kiwi Bridges
Francesca Peterson was thirty-eight years old the day she made her decision. Thirty-eight years of life, and now, a day to change all that had gone before. All the heartache, so many broken hearts along the way. The debt; credit really had been much too easy to obtain. The daily drudgery that was her work, so many wrong decisions taken there too. Today would change all that.
Buenos Aires: Live Like a Local
I’m not quite sure what I expected to find in Buenos Aires — perhaps some kind of old-world city full of faded glamour and suave, stylish men who lived life full of tango passion.
Gareth JohnsonPublished 7 years ago in WanderFor the Love of the Game
One of the best things about living in a foreign country is exploring and becoming immersed in the local sports scene. When you’re living outside the U.S., a different kind of football takes precedence over all of the sports combined. Football, in most countries, is the national sport and one in which kids from an early age learn to play and master over the years. Whether it's a city street, a dirt field, or turf glass, football is an adaptable sport to any kind of climate which is why it's such a famed world sport.
The World's Scariest Landings
I consider travel to be the most rewarding of pastimes and welcome its mind-expanding experiences. Having visited more than 70 countries, I feel qualified to write with some authority on airports, specifically the approaches to them from the air.
York to Cork and Back Again
It began one Friday afternoon. I was just thinking about my schedule for the following week, which I needed to send out to some online students in order for them to book some slots with me the following week, when the phone rang. It was the company I do TEFL teacher training for. I usually teach once a month for 20 hours in Hull, East Yorkshire and another 20 in York. This month I’d been lucky and had spent the previous weekend delivering the course in Liverpool too. This was because the teacher for Norwich was ill and it was easier for the Liverpool teacher to cover Norwich and for me to teach in Liverpool. Now I was asked if I would like to teach 20 hours in Cork, Southern Ireland.