Tweet In December of 2003, I was at a crossroads, literally and figuratively. I had been married almost four years. We had been through some good times and some hard things, but we were going through about the hardest thing we’d been through so far. Earlier that year, my husband had been picked up by [...]

Tweet The Basics I get asked all the time if you can WWOOF if you have kids.  The short answer is yes!  Many hosts do allow and even encourage volunteers to bring their children.  But actually doing it can be challenging. What is WWOOFing, exactly?  Willing Workers On Organic Farms or Worldwide Opportunities on Organic [...]

TweetI’ve heard WWOOFing horror stories from both hosts and volunteers, and I’ve seen some incredibly bad behavior.  Most of these things (as with all things in life) could be avoided if people would just communicate and do their jobs.  Here are a few pointers: 1. Not communicating – if there’s a problem, most WWOOF hosts [...]

TweetA book review of Ni Howdy! by Desi Downey I think all expats ask these questions in the beginning.  In Belize, I had an outhouse, the worst toilet I’ve ever had. Even European toilets have their weird things.  Germans have what can only be described as a “poo shelf”, and French toilets are operated with [...]

TweetI’ve always been interested in languages, but in my travels (specifically Belize, France, and Germany) I’ve had to learn some basic Spanish, French, and German to just go to the store and to do the everyday things like take the bus or order a pizza. I’m not fluent in any language except English (yet) but [...]

TweetI knew better.  I really did.  And I thought he knew better.  So when my husband asked me to put his half-eaten chicken burrito hot pocket thing in my backpack on our Air Canada flight just before we got off, I gave him one of those looks that you give your husband after 8 years [...]

TweetI’m not going to get too crazy personal, but this was kind of fun.  28 random things for the 28 years I’ve been alive.  Any of these surprise you? 1. I once had a gerbil named Peter Harold. 2. I love to eat Cheetos dipped in organic yogurt. 3. I’m an only child. 4. I’ve [...]

TweetSome of my best memories are in the backdrop of the natural beauty of Arkansas, especially its parks: Lake Dardanelle, the lodge at Mount Magazine, taking every single out-of-state visitor up Mount Nebo, the little local park at Piney Bay, near where we used to live.  Hours and hours of fishing, family picnics, romantic walks, [...]

TweetAlmost two years ago, I was sitting in the basement of my mother-in-law’s house in Germany, discussing with my husband which country we should try next. US – can’t go there (that’s why we were in Germany) Belize – too hot. And other issues. Stay in Germany – too restrictive Where else could we go? [...]

TweetHappy Garifuna Settlement Day!  What is that, you ask?  Well, if you’re in Belize around this time of year you’ll be hearing all about it.  Especially if you’re in an area with lots of Garifuna people, one of the major ethnic groups in Belize.  Garifunas are also known as Black Caribs, and they are a [...]