Research Assistant Professor
Growing balconies Vines and plants everywhere You cannot stop the growing here. The concrete jungle is no obstacle for green. Balconies overflow with vines and give way to trees that extend up to the next floor. Traffic bends slightly from Continue reading Battle Hymn of the Container Gardener
I’ve noticed that dogs are an integral part of Taiwanese life. Ever since my travels to Rwanda where dogs are not a common household companion, I am really conscious of how people interact with their pets and what exactly constitutes Continue reading Leashes optional
Tonight, in my head, I was on the travel channel. My new friend, Carrie, met me at the train station to guide me through a night market. I’ve heard they’re the thing to do in Taiwan, so I had to Continue reading (Imaginary) Travel Channel Immersion
Today, I took one giant leap toward becoming a “local” by getting to my intended destination using a combination of buses and trains without retracing any steps or asking for help. (Okay, I asked once.) That’s right. What nearly brought me to Continue reading Conquered!!
The frustrated, inappropriate language has been censored from this post for your reading pleasure. I left my room at 7:30 this morning– plenty of time to make it to my conference by 8:30 which is only about 20 minutes away. Continue reading Directionally challenged day- take 2
Yes, I did it. I stalked a monk. But I’ll get to that in a minute. Harbor in Taiwan First off, Taiwan wakes up at 5 am. That’s pretty incredible considering that it stays up later than 2 am. Perhaps Continue reading Monk Stalking
I arrived in Taiwan last night without much incident, thanks to the hard work of a friend. I was greeted at the door with a sign with my name on it– first time ever– and my friend-of-a-friend speaks amazing English, Continue reading Somewhere in Taipei
Perhaps a certain tone has pervaded the entries surrounding the Senegal trip- I have developed a low tolerance for the culture shock experiences of others. I won’t hide it any longer. This entry is my confession. In my defense, I Continue reading Cultural (un)immersion
Perhaps the best feature of traveling with my professor is all the great nonprofits that we get to visit. People often generously carve time out of their busy schedules to meet with us and explain what they do and how Continue reading A moment of joy- children of Senegal
Artisan village at Ndem Up early in the morning and loaded onto buses packed tight with a handful of Senegalese visitors- in particular, Mere-bi, the mother of “all” (Senegal). Honestly I had no idea where we were going. Attempting to Continue reading Ndem and Resistance to Urbanization