Adventures in Separation and Spain

Dare to Dye

Dare to Dye

Sometimes, being abroad isn’t so much about experiencing new things. It’s about being daring enough to do all the things that you didn’t let yourself do when you were at home.

Dos Besos

Who knew that the simplest of cultural differences would give me so much trouble?

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A World Cup Malcontent

Living Tradition

Salzburgers aren't presenting tradition—they’re living it, seamlessly interweaving the past and the present.

A World Cup Malcontent

Brazil, I’ve got some griping to do, and you’re the arbitrary target.

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Then Rain Comes

There is the harsh pleasure of rain, and that of almost raining.

Rainy Day Impression

I spent over an hour with the Impressionist paintings. And when I was done, I left the world of bright villages for the rain-drenched city streets.

Unlocking the Map

I’m not the type to drop the H-bomb. D.C.-bombs, on the other hand, rain down from my lips almost daily.

Saudade, or Nostalgia

The town is spectacular, and yet it is the company that makes the trip truly memorable.

This Morning

I am fairly certain that you can see the entire world here in just your morning commute.

A Gold Bridge

I’ve never tried to convince myself there’s any place I’ll love more than here.

Finding the 'Authentic'

But aren't they doing just what I am: trying to find “the exotic”? What to me is remarkable is to those around me just life.

The Graduate

There’s something bitter about seeing a younger sibling graduate but still not feeling like you’ve graduated yourself.

Culture Shock

Home remained in my thoughts and offered me relief. But now was the time to learn Paris’s rules, to master its language, and to explore its culture.

A Clear View from Far Away

Sometimes you have to climb a mountain to really see where you are in the world.

Hard Realities

As I sit in here in Hartford, reading about jails and wiretaps but blissfully spared from it all, I have found myself thinking of the journalists in the United States and around the world who are taking real risks.

Bloomsday in Sandymount

Joyce’s Dublin is here amid the waves and held in the minds of these once rebels.

Foreign Domain

For locals, the two languages are like two separate accents of the same language. For me, it’s the difference between night and day.

Jelly Beans and Jury Duty

I am playing pretend as an adult, reporting for civic duty on a day when I’d typically sleep in and spend my time on yoga and frozen yogurt.

Stacks

What I think I’m learning is that I’ve got a lot to hoard before I have the phone numbers, legislative missives, and black-and-white printouts—and the relationships these things represent—that my colleagues do.

Alimentación, or “Feeding”

But since taking my first steps into this dusty, golden, hot country two weeks ago, a few things have changed about my relationship with Madrid.