I met Hodan, digitally, after returning from my first trip to Mogadishu. I sent her the blog I wrote on my visit to Somalia. Though it was a risky venture, I found the Somalis I encountered to be friendly, warm, loving and anxious to get to know me. Hodan fit that description as well. She…
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So Close, Yet so Far Away I can just kick myself for visiting Rome and not seeing Vatican City. What was I thinking?! And to think, I was actually “stuck” in Rome for three nights, yet it didn’t even dawn on the 32-year-old me to just walk right over to the Vatican. Years later, after…
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When people look at the giant map-of-the-world mural plastered on my office wall (it takes up the entire wall) they are impressed at the 125 countries I’ve seen, each designated with a pin, but always in shock when they discover I’ve yet to see such a popular destination as Greece. “Wait a minute; you’ve been…
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Living in California certainly has a bounty of benefits: the weather, the beach, the entertainment…but it’s not without its negatives. The two biggest bummers: Insane taxes and a complete and utter lack of Whataburger. I’ll save my detailed Whataburger rave for another time (it’s lengthy), and I won’t even entertain the In-N-Out vs. Whataburger silly…
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Am I the only one who gets nervous sending my passport off…in the mail…across the country??? It’s both a thrill and a concern at the same time. With your help, I’d like to keep an updated tally of visa processing times. Consulate websites are often outdated and incorrect. It’s my goal, with your help, to…
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It’s a Family Affair I’m sure no one wants to hear the details of someone else’s family tree, but nonetheless, I’m going to tell you a story. I will try and keep it short and concise, but I’m writing this with the hopes of inspiring others; others like me: who wondered about their distant ancestors…
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March 2019: I didn’t necessarily mean to fly all the way around the globe…but after all the flights were booked, it just kinda laid out that way. Here’s what the route looked like: San Francisco (west) to Singapore, to connect for the Maldives. Three nights in the Maldives, then a direct flight to Sri Lanka…
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Hong Kong Ding Dong I say “phooey!” because I visited Hong Kong in November of 2016…just before I started blogging seriously. So I have only a few pictures and even fewer notes. But here goes! I was on my way to the least-visited country in the world: Nauru—a speck in the vast Pacific that most…
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