Category: Travel

Moving to Germany: Ich Komme Aus Amerika

“Steph! STEPH! I NEED A NEW TOWEL!!” Mark’s voice jarred me awake. Groggy, I peeked into the bathroom. “There was a BAT in my TOWEL!” Wide awake now, I leaned over the tub, and, sure enough, there was a small black little body on the floor of the tub about the size of my palm. I ran out to put my glasses on and fetch Mark a new towel. Apparently during the night, our winged friend decided to roost in Mark’s bathsheet that was hanging by the bathroom window that was cracked open to luft.

While I rummaged, Mark had tried to wrap the bat in toilet paper to toss the carcass out the window. Only, it wasn’t a carcass. It was very much still alive – it was probably sleeping and fell, stunned, when Mark grabbed his towel. The bat flew away, and we gained a new worry about life in Germany.

Prepping for a Japan Homegoing and Addressing First Gen Guilt

Japan in the late 90s, early 2000s is what comes to mind most when I think of home. I think I look back often on this time because when we next PCSd to the U.S., I faced some of the most isolating and painful years of my life. Two decades would go by before I felt ready to return.

Crayfish (小龙虾) in China: A Popular Dish with a Corpse-Eating Past?

Everywhere I went, it seemed as if people of all ages were waiting in agonizingly long lines outside popup crayfish-themed restaurants. Advertisements claiming “exclusive new innovative fresh” crayfish dishes plastered shop windows. Limited edition crayfish-flavored snacks replaced the regular Lays, Pretz, and Pringles chips at my grocery store, and even KFC was jumping on the bandwagon with their own roasted chicken and crayfish creations! Why was everyone suddenly so crayfish crazy? I had to know more.

It was while researching crayfish in China that I stumbled upon a surprising truth: what I had been eating is invasive species from the USA! No wonder they seemed so familiar. Yet, how did Louisiana crayfish invade China? How did China become the world’s largest producer of crayfish? Is there a connection between crayfish in China and the dead?!

My post seeks to answer these questions and more! So, let’s grab a beer, put on some cheap disposable gloves, and delve into the saucy, steaming bucket of crayfish history!

The Fake International Taekwondo Tournament, A White Monkey Job Story

Confused, we looked at each other and felt a sense of growing apprehension. Yet, it was only when the first of many children started filing in (and we were told to hand out the medals and certificates and pose for pictures) that it truly dawned on us: we weren’t invited here to be a part of the competition…We had been tricked into doing a White Monkey Job!

Cloudcroft and Hiking the Mexican Canyon Trestle Trail

A village in the clouds – sounds romantic, no? Cloudcroft, an old English word meaning covered or shrouded in clouds, is a sleepy little town nestled in the high alpine region of the Sacramento Mountains. It played an important role in expanding the rail line during the early 1900s, and still remains a popular summer and winter getaway today.

In this post, I take a short look into Cloudcroft’s history and how the nearby Mexican Canyon Trestle Trail came to be.

A Tale of Two Pistachio Farms

Many people are familiar with Hatch Green Chiles, but did you know that the area around the Southern New Mexico town of Alamogordo is prime farmland for pistachios?

Of course, what would be a small town crop in the USA without a modest feud to go with it?

A Day Trip to Tianjin天津

A port city metropolis situated along the Bohai Sea in Northern China, Tianjin is China’s largest coastal city and currently ranks fourth largest in urban population following Shanghai, Beijing, and Guangzhou. Meaning “heavenly ford” or “the place where the emperor crossed the river,” Tianjin has historically been the maritime gateway to the nation’s capital of Beijing. Because of its location, controlling Tianjin has been of crucial strategic importance in terms of the geopolitics of the area.

My Experience with Harassment in Istanbul

Solo travel can be an eye-opening, enriching experience. You can have some truly amazing conversations with locals or deep moments of self-reflection without distractions. On the other hand, solo travel can open the door to some extremely frustrating incidents, such as this one time I was forced to buy a carpet I didn’t want.

In this post, I look back at my trip to Istanbul and address some lingering fear and anxiety from the harassment I experienced.