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I didn’t grow up riding the bus. Where I grew up, there were no buses besides the nightmarish yellow school bus, which played a large part in the damaged psyches of an entire generation of kids (including me). I could write a whole novel about things I saw (and wished I could unsee) from my…

Tim recently read an article about car colors. Apparently, to reduce costs, most cars are either black, white, or gray, with few other options for consumers. Since he learned this fact, he has been pointing out the color of every car we see and complaining about the lack of variety. Sitting at a cafe drinking…

Before there were remote controls for TVs, I was the remote control. My father, sitting on the couch, would declare, “Change the channel,” and one of the kids would jump up to do it. It was not a polite request but a subtle demand. Not unkind, but just….mandatory. When remote controls were finally invented, my…

Another point of contrast between this year and last is the sense of community. In Abidjan, the people welcomed me with open arms emotionally; however, socially, that welcome was only available Monday to Friday between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. What about nights and weekends, you might wonder? Find your own fun,…

I made a promise to myself that I would try not to compare my experience in Côte d’Ivoire to that of Cabo Verde because it feels a bit unfair to each country. I would never want to diminish anyone’s desire to visit a place, even if the place is challenging (in my opinion). However, I…

I do not like to think of myself as old, because age is primarily a mental construct. However, when I remember that the average life expectancy in Côte d’Ivoire was 55, it makes me feel both ancient and super lucky. Immediately after arriving in Cabo Verde, I could tell that the life expectancy was definitely…

The best part of coming back to Vermont is also what makes it so hard to leave again. No matter what kind of shit is going down in the US, Vermont is a pretty great place to be from an environmental, social, political, and friend perspective. It’s always so bittersweet to say goodbye, but the…

I think language learning is like one of those infinity fidget cubes. The cube makes a square, then it turns in on itself and takes on a different pattern over and over. It is never static and it is not meant to be. It’s the same with language. The infinite number of combinations of nouns,…

As the creator of the Milton Elementary School Weekly World Trivia contest, I spent significant time researching many forgettable facts about world geography. However, of the many random facts I came across in those years, one stuck with me: Côte d’Ivoire is one of the few countries considered to have two capital cities. The economic…

Most Ivorians mention Assinie Beach when they talk about places to see in Côte d’Ivoire. It’s been on my list of places to visit, but it’s not easy to get there without a personal car. Yango will not take you there, and if you find yourself a ride out there, you may not find a…