Pottery for Pets

I woke up the next morning with my heart fluttering. It was the first day of my pottery retreat. I threw on older clothes I didn’t mind getting dirty with clay and hurried outside. I hadn’t really seen the courtyard the night before. We arrived after dark, when little was […]

First Lesson. Rishton.

It was late evening, and we had just arrived at the pottery studio of one of the most famous ceramic artists in Uzbekistan. We were exhausted and sweaty and weren’t sure if our long day of travel was over or if we would now need to look for alternative accommodation. […]

Getting There.  Rishton.

I’ve been talking about doing a pottery retreat for a long time – somewhere I can learn new skills, work with different types of clay and glazing techniques, get some fresh ideas for my craft.  It was always “one day” and “wouldn’t it be cool” type of idea.  I might […]

A Long-Overdue Affair: The Wisconsin State Fair

Last year, it finally happened. I went to the Wisconsin State Fair! Although I had lived in the state for over a decade, for whatever reason, I’d never made it to the festival grounds in West Allis until last year. Ironically, it took me to move out of Wisconsin to […]

Chicago: Keeping the Blues Alive

Today is a special day in Chicago: Buddy Guy celebrates his 90th birthday.  Although we are currently busy writing posts about Uzbekistan, this milestone-and America’s 250th year-makes it the perfect moment to celebrate one of the country’s greatest musical traditions: the blues. At his birthday bashes, Buddy Guy usually tells […]

If I Were a Country: China vs Japan

By Julia / November 20, 2020

If Victor were a country, he would be Japan.  He has a deep respect for traditions, always courteously queues up in line, and can often be found working 16-hour days.  I am China.  I chew my food loudly, sing out of tune in the middle of the street, and can […]

Jamaica: The Wild Northeast

By Julia / November 13, 2020

As we wrote in our Kingston post, our first instinct when planning a trip to Jamaica in 2017 was to avoid what most tourists consider to be essential Jamaica: Negril, Montego Bay, and Ocho Rios.  We opted for the less touristy and less developed Northeast Jamaica and didn’t regret it […]

Flamengo ‘Till I Die

By Victor / November 6, 2020

When Julia and I planned our trip to Brazil, we turned to our friend Will for advice. Will was born and raised in Rio de Janeiro and was a huge help in planning the itinerary. Also, when he learned we were going to visit his hometown, Will offered for us […]

GOOOOOOOAL in Brazil

By Victor / October 29, 2020

As I’ve mentioned, I love soccer and try to visit a stadium or catch a game whenever I travel.  So, naturally, when we went to Brazil in December 2015, I was beyond excited about everything soccer-related in a country where my favorite sport is such a prominent part of the […]

Georgian Food on My Mind

By Julia / October 23, 2020

“You must be happy when making dough,” said Levon. “That’s the most important part of Georgian cooking.  Your happiness will seep into the dough and make it delicious.  An unhappy person cannot make authentic khachapuri or khinkali.” We were in a small restaurant in Kakheti, the type of place where […]

Georgia the Country, Not the State

By Julia / October 16, 2020

There are a lot of things in this world I do not understand and probably never will.  One of the most confusing concepts for me is why, how, and what is going on with Georgia not being on every “You Need to Get Your Butt to This Country ASAP” list […]

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