Travel

Linnea Ashley on October 29th, 2009

I’m out of practice. I’m out of the practice of living in a developing country. And Liberia feels so different from south Africa. Actually I’m unsure if it is really that different or if I’ve just forgotten or been spoiled. Life simply requires more from you here. From washing clothes to shopping in town…there is […]

Continue reading about practice makes…

Linnea Ashley on October 29th, 2009

I hauled my first water…and my second. Apparently the stuff flowing from the taps isn’t potable so instead, we (or in this case, I) join the ranks of my community members and pump a metal handle furiously for five minutes until the water finally emerges slow and shy and crystal clear –though still not clean […]

Continue reading about getting settled

Linnea Ashley on October 26th, 2009

Cold water is what stays on my mind. Never mind the almost five hour delay in brussles where all 14 volunteers finally managed to find each other (we aren’t that difficult to spot), or  the fact that a man being deported wailed and moaned indecipherably at the back of the plane before mysteriously quieting after […]

Continue reading about cold water welcome

Linnea Ashley on March 5th, 2009

the thing is, I’m aware of my place in the scheme of things. Not place so much as placement. It isn’t that I couldn’t move or change – only that in this instance if there were a mandate to assemble in some sort of order – I’d be fair to middling.   Middling in the […]

Continue reading about writing envy

Linnea Ashley on February 25th, 2009

The bombing of the khan el khalili a few days ago quite likely went unnoticed by most people here in the US. Maybe everywhere that isn’t there. Everywhere that doesn’t share a border or a history with Egypt…doesn’t share a future. But it shook me. Reminded me how small the world is. How small I […]

Continue reading about khan

Linnea Ashley on December 15th, 2008

Ok I’m not anymore but…delta, I guess, needed to balance out my travel karma. With such an amazing trip with so few issues it stands to reason that something had to give…and give it did on my way home.   After breezing through Egyptian customs (something I was told would take 3 hours by my […]

Continue reading about In transit…

Linnea Ashley on December 12th, 2008

tonight is my final night in egypt. i can’t believe 3 weeks went by so fast. i also can’t believe everything i was able to do. today was my final day and instead of laying about M and i got up early and headed out to the red sea. actually we headed to the gulf […]

Continue reading about final night

Linnea Ashley on December 11th, 2008

despite a lousy night's sleep (which should be explained in here at some point) i am going to try to jot down some thoughts about the last few days. they have been busy to say the least. tuesday the 9th was mostly a day of rest. still sore from climbing into the pyramid and from […]

Continue reading about i'm gonna try anyway…

Linnea Ashley on December 8th, 2008

by plane, car, rail, boat, and carriage i have traversed the egyptian countryside. today i added horse. M is a fan of doing things that other people don't do – part of the reason we get along so well – so when i told him i was coming and wanted off the beaten track egypt […]

Continue reading about oh my sore bum

Linnea Ashley on December 6th, 2008

leaning against the side of the metro as we bumped along the track was not a new sensation. even the body in close proximity wasn't new. i haven't ridden in the harem, all female, car yet as i've been riding with M so i just squeeze in with the other men and women into some […]

Continue reading about lewd perspective