Tag: museum

What to Do with 18 Hours in Nairobi, Kenya

March 2, 2018

When it comes to flying between the African continent and any other there are a few major hub cities that you are likely to fly through. The two major African airlines are Ethiopian Airways, with its hub in Addis Ababa, and Kenyan Airways, with its hub in Nairobi. Should you find yourself with a long layover in Nairobi, you should know that there are a lot of really fun activities to do that are easily accessible throughout the city.

In 2016, I had an 18-hour layover in Nairobi, on my way from Ghana to Thailand, and here’s everything I did.

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The front of a white house with blue doors and trim and the words Hitsville, USA on a sign

The Birthplace of that Motown Sound

October 9, 2015

D Town. The Motor City. Hockeytown. Rock City. Motown.

Ah, that Motown sound. The label that created that sound, and in 1975 was producing the most 45s, was headquartered in Detroit, Mich., and has been a museum for the past 30 years. Visitors can learn about the start of the label, its rise to success, how they got those rich vocals and see the studio where it all happened, plus a bonus of Michael Jackson’s famous fedora and sparkly glove.

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The Arab American National museum facade made of white stone with a dome

A Visit to the Arab American National Museum

July 31, 2015

Earlier this week, I went to lunch with my grandma. I had wanted falafel and she knew the best place to get that would be East Dearborn, which is home to a large Arab-American population. On our way back, we passed the Arab American National Museum, which until that moment, I did not know existed, and I was intrigued. I resolved to research and visit the museum soon. Thursday ended up being the final day for an exhibit showcasing some of Khalid Albaih’s political cartoons and so I made it a point to go and check it out.

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View of a blue river under a clear blue sky with a green island in the middle and a steep sand dune in the foreground

7 Things on My Michigan To-Do List

July 17, 2015

I’ve been back Stateside for a week now and I’m still getting used to life here. (There’s so much space everywhere! Tap water is OK to drink! Toilet paper exists and is so thick!) But, in addition to getting my bearings here (I’m constantly reminding myself to stay to the right when I’m driving), I’ve also been answering the question, “So what’s next?” about once an hour. There are a lot of things that are next but this is a list of things that I know I will do next.

Michigan is a beautiful state, with the most coastline of any state in the continental U.S., wonderful National Forests, great engineering feats, a booming food and beer scene and a lot more. I’ve been away from my home state for just shy of a decade and I’m looking forward to reacquainting myself with the bounties that are here, and these are the things that are at the top of my list.

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Thai Performing Arts: Nang Yaai, Shadow Plays

July 29, 2014

There is a specialized form of performing arts that is a bit of a dying breed in Thailand: the nang yai (หนังใหญ่) shadow puppet plays. A friend had told me about stuff he had read about this art form and we briefly talked about trying to go to a performance before he left, but it never materialized. However, as I’ve tried to soak up as much of the cultural as I can this year, I made a trip to Wat Khanon in Ratchaburi, one of the few places that has performances this last weekend.

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Bpai Tiao: School Field Trip to Korat

October 15, 2013

I’ve posted about the field trip that I went on to Chonburi with the 4-6th graders, and last week Wednesday was the 1st-3rd graders turn for some end of the semester fun.

I got a message from my co-teacher the day before telling me about it, since school has been out and I wouldn’t have known about it. She told me that they were going to go to the museum and the Korat Zoo. I figured, I haven’t been to the Korat Zoo before and it would be a good opportunity for me to spend some time with some of the other teachers at the school, so I went along.

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Bpai Tiao: School Field Trip to Chonburi

September 27, 2013

In Thailand, a bpai tiao is a trip of any length. I’ve written about some of my more significant bpai tiaos to tourist destinations here, to be used as travel ideas and tips.

On Tuesday in the wee hours of the morning, I made my way to school. The fourth, fifth and sixth graders were to go on their end of semester field trip and rather than spend the day sitting at school in an empty classroom len-ing Internet (playing on the Internet), I decided to go with them. This was the quintessential Thai trip.

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