“Get down.” Jon whispered, “Lower. Even lower.” I squatted in the dark, my hands planted in the dirt, bracing myself. ‘What would be the best pose to make to blend in with the jungle?’, I thought desperately. I could see the headlines now: Mainland Teacher Gets Caught in an Awkward Position, while Hiding in the Bushes of Puerto Rico. And […]
One night in Lebanon
“If he said he was Jesus, would you have believed him?” Jon’s father asked as he shook his head. We both paused and then I shrugged. “I mean I agree it wasn’t the smartest thing to do but… it did turn out pretty cool.” Only an hour earlier, we had left the hotel in the Lebanese countryside and drove down […]
The Cemetery
The cemetery was fenced in, the six foot wrought iron doors locked. It sat in the midst of an open field on a hillside overlooking the Mosel River. We weren’t searching for it. We had simply left the house to take a walk. But upon discovering it, it was too good to simply pass by. Our family had a strange […]
Icelandic Suds
Ever wash half of a rental car? After parking in front of a small store all night that was, unbeknownst to us, washing their front windows, some of the soap and water from their spray gun had blown in the 45 mph winds onto our front windshield. We had no idea until we had loaded up the car to take […]
One Day in Italy
April 2nd, 2005: I was 15 and standing in the middle of the mammoth St. Peter’s Square. It was incredibly hot. My shoulders were in the process of burning. And there were so many people. I had already stopped into a little shop to buy a miniature copy of the paintings in the sistine chapel so the bag was hanging […]
Scrambling
I hate heights. Watching someone in a movie climb to some inspiring summit makes my legs feel like jello. Standing on a chair to reach something makes me cry a little inside. But here I am climbing a mountain in the Adirondacks with a 30 lb bag on my back to practice for an upcoming hiking trip. I had already […]