Today is our first day off. At breakfast, Margret gives Max and I easy verbal instructions to get to Ubud. Then we’re off. Max fits right in with the Balinese driving scene. He winds through traffic erratically just like everyone else. At least he has good control of the motorbike. Except for when the road clears …
This morning, Margret asks the three of us to do a special task for her. She wants us to clean out the trash down at the river that lines the back of Jiwa Damai. Jiwa Damai’s neighbors would dispose of their trash in their backyards. Yes, it was within their property, but often the trash …
Today is Catherine’s day off. It’s weird not having Catherine around. People keep asking where she is. I keep finding moments where I’m really sure what to do because she’s not around for me to ask questions. But I think Max and I are doing pretty well without her guidance. I start off the day …
I’m surprised by how quickly I fall into routine with life at Jiwa Damai. It’s my first official day as a volunteer at Jiwa Damai. I start the day off with yoga and meditation again. And this time Max joins. I can tell I’m a little sore today, but I stick through all the positions. I …
Max and I left L.A. Wednesday night at 10:20pm. Now its Saturday, our second day in Bali but our first full day here at Jiwa Damai. We can’t believe we skipped four days so easily. We definitely time traveled a bit. I woke up 3 times (or was it twice?) to go to the bathroom …
My good pal from high school, Max, and I were lucky to find a round-trip ticket to Bali, Indonesia for only $809. But that also meant we had two stops along the way: one in the Philippines and another in Singapore. Each carrying only a small duffle bag and a backpack, we leave the airport …
You’d think I’d already seen most of Budapest by this point. But, oh, there was so much more. At the ruin bars the night before, Ngoc and I made plans with some other Californians (Ngoc is a Californian as well) to go to Budapest’s famous baths in the afternoon. But first, we had our own …
It was my second day in this amazing city. While everyone at the hostel slept in with a hangover, my new friend Ngoc and I woke up to a full day of exploring Budapest. Having just gone on a tour the day before, I acted as a tour guide for her, and shared whatever fun …
Before returning to home sweet home in California, I wanted to have one last trip…to myself. Inspired by all the solo travelers I met in Berlin and encouraged by the good things I heard about Budapest, I broke it to my mom that whether she liked it or not I was going on a solo …
, My semester in Madrid ends within the first weekend of May, but I’m not ready to leave Europe yet. One of my roommates, Elyse, picked the beautiful island of Mykonos, Greece to celebrate her birthday so I was lucky enough to have a vacation-like adventure after finals. I was ecstatic to go to Greece, …