I can be hard on myself about certain ways in which I handle living abroad. Awkward language-barrier encounters, not being assertive enough, not having local friends. But one thing I’ll say outright that I deserve kudos for: Driving a car in foreign countries. To know why this is especially commendable in my particular case, we’d have […]
Recent Posts
Do I Need to be Locked in a Book-Filled Glass Cage in Order to Write?
(Warning: Major spoilers below for the television show You). In the Netflix show “You” an obsessive serial killer boyfriend locks his procrastinating writer girlfriend in a glass cage located in the the basement of a quaint New York City bookshop. He has to keep her prisoner there because she discovered all his murderous deeds, […]
The Insanely Good Food of Sri Lanka’s Tea Region
I’m not quite over Sri Lanka, despite being back in Morocco for more than a week now. Yes, the nature and animal sightings were spectacular. But what has really stuck with me is how damn good Sri Lankan food is. It’s similar to southern Indian food: lots of rice and curries and generous use of […]
Sri Lanka’s Stunning Wildlife
For the past few years, we’ve spent New Year’s in Italy. First in Rome, and then in Florence. And I could do that every year. So I tried to push for a chilly European getaway this Christmas and New Year, but Adam wasn’t having it. I’m starting to lean towards wanting to re-visit places I […]
Hats off to Fez’s Magical Medina
Fez used to be the capital of Morocco but today it’s the country’s artisan capital, which is why it was high on my list for a visit. Many of Morocco’s beautiful goods, like pottery, rugs, leather goods, blankets, baskets, and more that I’ve seen all throughout Morocco are made in Fez. In November, I drove a […]
200 Posts Later
Several blog posts ago marked my 200th post, yay! And while no one really liked those montages that sitcoms from the 90s would air when they hit the 100-episode mark, I didn’t want the occasion to go unmarked, so humor me as I present a wee little blogtage. I’ve been writing this blog since 2012, […]
Transitions Are Hard
Sometimes you don’t even realize you weren’t feeling like yourself until you begin to feel like yourself again. A few weeks ago, I started reading books again and cut back slightly on the nighttime Netflix. I downloaded my novel-editing software to my new laptop and began to finally read comments from my novel’s “beta readers” […]
Chefchaouen: The Most Photogenic Moroccan Town
The first view of Chefchaouen is a stunner — pale blue structures with terra cotta tiled roofs situated at the base of the Rif mountain range. And once you’re in this otherworldly town, walking around narrow streets and up uneven stairs, you’ll find it to be just as stunning. Old men dressed in wizard robes […]
A Fall Dinner Party in Rabat
For the first month in Rabat, it was all sunshine all the time. Just when my stateside friends started posting about pumpkins, a chill and rain blew in to Rabat. No changing leaves, but still I’ll gladly take semi-autumnal sweater weather as an excuse to make soup. Around the same time, our stuff arrived! One […]
Moroccan Surf and Yoga Camp
A few days ago I posted about the amazing shopping in Morocco that my friend Neda and I partook in during her recent visit to Morocco. And now, for part deux: Surf and yoga camp in Morocco. So neither Neda nor I know how to surf, but we thought it would be fun to learn in […]