Everything I have tried to write, whether on here or in messages to friends, have sounded grumpy the last couple of days.
It should not be so… I am visiting Lake Atitlan for the umpteenth time, and it’s a place that always makes me feel peaceful.
There’s a lot of stuff going on for me [...]
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Posted 11 August 2009
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I was in San Cristobal de las Casas a year ago, and I definitely don’t remember this.
My friends and I climbed the stairs to a church on a hill – one of my favourite spots in this town. The view is amazing, and there are hundreds of colourful plastic flags draped around, all fluttering [...]
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Posted 05 August 2009
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Alright, to give an overdue answer to the question of authenticity.
Here’s the thing: when at home in Canada, do I begrudge Indian restaurants, Chinese bubble tea shops, Ethiopian community centers, and Lebanese bakeries?
No.
I like them. (Especially, hehehe, because of the deliciousness they tend to bring. What a shallow view of diversity but hey, delicious [...]
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Posted 01 August 2009
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Still sick, sick, sick as a dog with the flu that’s going around Xela. I have barely left bed in three days. Nothing much on the news front, as a result.
In class last week, my teacher taught me the proper way to invent words in Spanish.
The formula?
Take a noun, any noun. Best if [...]
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Posted 28 July 2009
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My plan to rent an apartment in Xela starting in September was foiled because it turns out I would have to sign a lease for longer than I am willing to commit to. I’d need to get a lawyer, too.
Sign a lease? Get a lawyer? I thought this was an incredibly unregulated country. According [...]
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Posted 18 July 2009
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I get really attached to certain towns, to the point that I love the places almost as if they were people themselves. Quetzaltenango, or “Xela” – the town that I will call home for the next 8 months – is certainly on my list.
I don’t know how someone could not enjoy living here. This [...]
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Posted 17 July 2009
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Fraud sucks.
At least, I’m gonna assume that what happened was fraud. In order to save on transaction fees, I take out large wads of cash when I go to the ATM. Always the maximum possible – 2000 quetzals, or just under 300 Canadian dollars.
So when I spied a 72 dollar ATM withdrawal on [...]
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Posted 15 July 2009
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I am not a “nester.”
When I hear about friends putting down mortages, buying furniture or cars, or getting married and “settling down,” I feel no urge to do the same. In fact, the whole idea of “settling down” sounds like a silly goal for people so young.
Why then, do I always get nesting [...]
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Posted 06 July 2009
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Actually, sometimes I feel like traveling is just a process of making an ass of yourself in different places… and learning how to make less of an ass of yourself over time.
Maybe this is why I love to travel – I make an ass of myself on an everyday basis (traveling or not), but [...]
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Posted 05 July 2009
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I now have oodles of respect (or should I say, even more respect than I had before) for my favourite travel bloggers. I’ve been writing about travel on this blog for a few months now, and most of the time it’s been easy. I’ve been at home, with lots of time at the computer and [...]
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Posted 26 June 2009
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