Inside Cape Coast Castle and Its History

December 1, 2017

A harsh and sobering part of history is the trans-Atlantic slave trade, which lasted from the 16th to 19th centuries and stole an estimated 12 million people from Africa. These human beings were taken from their families and homelands and sold into slavery in the Americas. By the late 17th century, the British were shipping the most slaves from their colonies in West Africa, including Ghana. One of the their slave trading forts was Cape Coast castle.

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A Day in Foumban, a Cameroon Culture Center

November 28, 2017

My first visit to an African country was a month-long trip in Cameroon a couple years ago. I had no idea what to expect nor any solid plan for my time. I was visiting a friend, serving as a Peace Corps volunteer, and left everything up to her. By a twist of fate, she contracted typhoid while I was there. She went to the hospital and I joined two other volunteers on their trip to Foumban. That experience was a highlight of my trip; Foumban is a place that is just teeming with culture.

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Show Me the Ghanaian Money

November 24, 2017

One of the first things that people think about when they arrive in a new country is money. Having local currency is key to any international experience, not to mention that many countries are cash economies. Ghana is a cash economy and the local currency is the cedi, which has a bit of an interesting history.

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5 Fascinating Things About Scotland’s Bagpipes

November 21, 2017

At the end of my first day hiking the West Highland Way in Scotland, I ended up in the small village of Drymen. On Thursdays throughout the summer, the Strathendrick Pipe Band plays on the village green and as luck would have it, I was there on a Thursday evening. It was my second day in the country and I was delighted to have a chance at this little cultural treat.

You’ve probably heard bagpipes before; maybe even a moving performance of “Amazing Grace.” But I bet there’s some things about this little oddball instrument you didn’t know.

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Falling in Love with Hiking in the Columbia River Gorge

November 14, 2017

Last month, while I was back in the States, I had the chance to participate in Queer Adventure Storytelling. It’s a monthly event were queer people can come together to tell and hear stories about a variety of adventures. It’s hosted by Jenny Bruso, who started the Unlikely Hikers Instagram account and Travis Clough of the Venture Out Project. I told the story of how I came to consider myself a hiker, and I thought I’d share that here.

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Theravada & Mahayana Buddhism: Safe Diff?

November 7, 2017

When people think of Asia and religion, Buddhism is usually what comes to the forefront of most people’s minds. What many don’t always realize is that there are a different schools of thought within Buddhism. Zen Buddhism is pretty widely known, but the two sects that I’ve become familiar with through my travels are a bit less widely known. So, I’d like to explore some of the similarities and differences between Theraveda and Mahayana Buddhism.

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