Tag: inequality
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When the Answers Are the Questions
I’m on the 5 month anniversary of my departure from my home, and all I have are questions. Mira: Does a grain of rice cost the same in rupias and pesos, dollars and shekels? If a coffee farmer in Zona de Cafetal makes 600 colones ($0.17) for collecting a kilo of coffee beans, where’s my […]
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Palm Oil Wisdom from Pa
I was hangry, sweaty, and cramped in the back of a local bus in West Sumatra, exhausted from the morning’s jungle trek on little sleep. An older local man (which are all referred to as “pa” in Indonesia) started inching closer to me. “Hello! Where are you from?” He asked cheerily. I was expecting the […]
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Eyes Pried Shut
I’m sitting by the Bosporus in Istanbul, perched on a rock not unlike those that line the Puget Sound at the base of Seattle. I’ve been away from home for two months, pulling my body across continents, over oceans, up mountains, through forests, deserts, and UNESCO World Heritage sites. I’ve been in awe, out of […]
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When Life Laughs At You
I woke up early, ready to seize the day and do a 12-mile trek to a glacier in rural Georgia. Since most of my trip is in warm climates, I was terribly ill-prepared for the 40 degree rainy weather (plus windchill) in a thin windbreaker and sweater. Nevertheless, I jumped out of bed to meet […]
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