humanity
If nothing else, travel opens your eyes to the colorful quilt that is humankind.
Ghana a peaceful country unless you're dreadlocked, light skin, Arab, Asian, tattooed, poor, Nigerian, South African, not Christian, foreigner, dark, gay, taking their jobs, fat or write negative about the country
Today a Ghanian man claimed via Twitter that he and 5 friends tricked a man they 'claim' as being gay, to a house and beat him severely. The unknown man posted that he beat a grown man as if he was a 10 year old boy. He then claimed that he was doing God's work.
By IwriteMywrongs4 years ago in Wander
When Jesus didn't answer me.. Top Story - January 2023.
I was standing alone in a desert. It was windy and dark. The sun had already gone over the horizon, and night had come down to face me. By then I understood that darkness is inevitable and that we are only passing through as guests. I could only spot a few specific lights in this seemingly abandoned little town. Hopefully, there was someone to help me find a place where I could spend the night. My first stop was usually a fire station.
By Oleksandr Matvyeyev4 years ago in Wander
Thank You Mexico
As I approach the 9 month mark of living in Mexico (Baja, California) I have been reflecting on lessons learned, and thinking a lot about the various mistakes and missteps I made in this first year as a US expat in a foreign land. While there are a few things I would do differently, I do not regret at all my choice to move here, and given conditions in the United States at the moment, from an economic perspective at least, each day that passes makes it seem more and more like a very smart move. That said, I have not been sparing in my critiques of various aspects of the country, particularly its immigration system, which makes the process of obtaining residency about as simple as triple integrals. However, when looked at in comparison with the US system, about which I have heard a host of nightmarish tales, it does not look all that bad. I also was a bit unlucky with my timing as an influx of Haitan immigrants flooding the system at exactly the wrong moment greatly complicated my own situation. There are other aspects of the country I have critized as well, and though I believe in all cases those criticisms were fair, I do not want them to overshadow all the very good things I have come to know and love about the country of Mexico. I have also written at length about some of these, and they are the reason(s) why I have chosen to stay. With those in mind I woud like to offically say thank you so much to the following:
By Everyday Junglist4 years ago in Wander
Kenyan MP Tweeted that Africa is home to 'Morality & Values' while inciting violence towards gays
It is unknown if he's saying he won't allow gays to travel to Kenya or any African nation or not. However his Tweet was followed up by calls to violence towards homosexuals. One person in a Tweet told another man to "hang yourself."
By IwriteMywrongs4 years ago in Wander
The Journey Starts
I said goodbye to my parents in the driveway. The summer of 1974, I graduated from high school, turned eighteen and, with money earned at the mall, bought a round-trip ticket to what seemed like a shimmering fairytale across the Atlantic: Europe.
By Vivian R McInerny4 years ago in Wander
Getting Over the Fear of Going
Imagine, the moment has arrived. You’ve finally packed up the car, left the job you couldn’t stand and are about to begin an adventure that has been years in the making. It's about to happen, the key is in the ignition, but suddenly- you’re stunned with fear. The question “What the hell am I doing?” reverberates through your mind, and it paralyzes you. On September 15, 2022, that moment came for me.
By Emelia Beam4 years ago in Wander
Snowy Mountain Solitude
The air felt fresher than it did in Michigan, taking that initial step out of the Colorado airport. My husband and I were kind of blindsided by the nuance of feeling different, not knowing that later it wouldn’t be such a good thing and we’d be sick from the change in altitude. It wasn’t the vacation we intended on taking, but it was the one that we didn’t know we needed. We were planning to stay in Cancun, Mexico but thanks to the company setting up our reservations it didn’t all necessarily work out despite speaking to the CEO whom I refer to as, “Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater”. He didn’t like it when I called him that, but at that point he’d already ruined our hotel stay. Call it serendipity, but it would be that night that an article bounced across my phone, claiming a successful mass shooting in the hotel he failed to book us.
By Gabrielle Kelley4 years ago in Wander
Waterfall Wonderings
The late morning sun dappled through the trees, casting thin beams of light through the understory while painting small white patches of light. Patches shift one way then another dancing as the breeze moved the branches above. The stream ran past the trail on its inevitable destiny of absorption with the sea over ten thousand steps to the east. The adventurer’s mind released worries, released confusion, and released pain with each step ascending the sloping path into the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains.
By Kelley Kemp4 years ago in Wander
Life Lessons From Our Off-Grid Honeymoon in the Woods
Next week marks three months being married to my partner of 9 years (yay!). Our wedding was a small and intimate affair with only two dozen people. Despite this, the costs still added up and life has just been too busy, so we opted for what I keep referring to as a “mini honeymoon,” while we wish and hope for a bigger trip. My fingers are crossed for Hawaii.
By Erin R. Wilson4 years ago in Wander
The Worst American I've Ever Met
I’ve been waiting for a good time to write about this; as an essayist, perhaps I wanted to find a good thematic through-line to assign to it. But, I don’t think I want to wait for inspiration to strike anymore. Here’s your thematic through-line, Steve: there are some real stinkers out there in the American expat community. I’m going to tell all of you a story about a man I met abroad, a man who at one time I thought could only exist in the microcosm of sitcoms and sitcom-adjacent media. Let me tell you, dear reader, about the worst American I’ve ever met.
By Steven Christopher McKnight4 years ago in Wander
