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Ways to Wander: Terminals
On Terminals, Transience, and Tipping I’m sipping an old fashioned in La Vie, a quiet bar in Terminal 5 at JFK airport in New York, passing the time in conversation with the bartender. Sitting at an airport bar always proves to be entertaining and has become one way for me to stave off the feeling…
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On Pedestrianism: Walking in the 21st Century
What is it that makes a person a pedestrian? By rough definition, a pedestrian is someone who goes by foot or walks, typically in places with vehicular traffic, like a city. Broadly, a pedestrian is a person of any ability who goes by foot or uses a mobility device like a wheelchair, powerchair, walker, or…
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A Study Abroad: Arriving in Tartu, Estonia
After my short, relaxing stay in Riga, Latvia, I made my way via bus to Tartu, Estonia, where I would be staying from late August until some time in June, a tentative date at the time of writing. Over the four-hour bus ride on a two-lane highway, I watched the sun slowly set over the…
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Walking in the Rain in Riga, Latvia
I left Rome, Italy, for Riga, Latvia, late in the afternoon, leaving beautiful weather behind. And entered a small storm. Landing in Riga felt hazardous. The wind toyed with the plane, pushing and tossing it around on the lap of turbulence. It was raining heavily, but shuttles waited nearby when we landed. We made our way…
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Wandering Rome, Italy, Part III: Departure
Sunday the 17th. My last full day in Rome. I managed to sleep until 8 a.m. but again had to cancel the wake-up call; I prepared myself and made my way to the breakfast room, where the morning’s sugary diet awaited. The woman who worked in the breakfast room spoke a few words of English,…
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Wandering Rome, Italy, Part II
At 7:30 a.m. on Saturday the 16th, I was awake. Perhaps it was jet lag, excitement, the people coughing in the courtyard below the open window, or all of the above; I can’t be sure. I ducked my head out to let Matthius, the front-desk attendant, know that I was cancelling my 8:30 a.m. wake-up.…
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Wandering Rome, Italy, Part I: Arrival
On a Friday afternoon in August, 2014, I landed in Rome, Italy. I had been abroad with family in the past, but this was my first time travelling solo. I was 25. Shortly after take-off from Toronto, I fell asleep listening to Bon Iver on repeat. I woke eight and a half hours later, with…
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Family Travel & A Study Abroad: Start Here
My First Time Travelling Solo In 2013, I was convinced to participate in a study abroad program at the University of Toronto, where I had been studying Soviet art and culture, the Russian language, and semiotics. At the time, I was eager to travel but nervous about travelling alone. My previous times abroad were isolated…