Nudges from Greece

December 14, 2012 by Meghan Johnson

My recent days have been filled with intense and scattered bouts of reading (from Jeffrey Sachs to Mary Oliver to US Weekly), the writing and re-writing of lists, the stacking and un-stacking of stuff.  How did so much stuff accumulate in my bedroom (and spill into the rest of my poor parents’ house)?  Do I really need to keep my notes from Econometrics, fall of 2006?  How many cardigans are too many cardigans?  And for the love of Zeus, when […]

Categories: Europe, Food, Friendship, Greece, Playtime, Travel, Twins

Twins, Northward Bound

October 12, 2012 by Meghan Johnson

A wise friend recently suggested an exercise to overcome my heartsickness since leaving Cartagena.  She prompted me to think about the things I loved so much about living abroad and what gifts this past year has given me.  She then asked me to think about ways to replicate those elements here in my “normal” life in the United States. I didn’t anticipate maple syrup, seagulls, and frostbite appearing on that list, but that seems to be just what the doctor […]

Categories: Americana, Boston, Colombia, Driving, Food, History, New Hampshire, Playtime, The Great Outdoors, Travel, Twins

A Year of Soulshining

October 2, 2012 by Meghan Johnson

It’s been one year to the day since I arrived in Lima, Peru and began the most amazing year of my life.  I’ve said many times that I feel like I’ve lived out several lifetimes in this past year.  I’ve passed through my share of seasons, emotional states, and border crossings.  I’ve felt alternately like an old lady and a ten year-old girl. I am now more aware of who I am and what I want to accomplish in my […]

Categories: Bolivia, Colombia, Friendship, Israel, Music, Peru, Playtime, Russia

A Taste of Cartagena (or, How I Outgrew My Entire Wardrobe)

September 24, 2012 by Meghan Johnson

I’ve come up with a theory that coastal Colombian culture resembles that of the American South.  I realize that the land of Pablo Escobar and Shakira might seem inconsistent with that of Paula Deen and Larry the Cable Guy.  But hear me out.* The pace on the coast is slower than it is in Bogotá and other big cities in Colombia, and the people are calmer and friendlier for it.  Much like how my Southern friends like to distinguish themselves […]

Categories: Americana, Cartagena, Colombia, Food, History, Playtime

A Series of (un)Remarkable Events

September 10, 2012 by Meghan Johnson

I’ve spent over four months of 2012 in Colombia.  126 days so far, to be exact.  If I had to guess, I’d say that equates to about 35 papayas, fifteen or twenty trips to the beach, and a few dozen (hundred?) Aguila cervezas. Settling in here has been easy, like falling backward into a plush bed and sinking down into the pillows… and then pulling a salamander or two out from under your butt.  And swatting away a couple mosquitoes. […]

Categories: Cartagena, Children, Colombia, Friendship, Playtime, Running, Touchy Feelies, Travel

Las Olimpiadas have begun!

August 4, 2012 by Meghan Johnson

Yes, the 2012 Olympics in London have begun, with much fanfare and a Mr. Bean appearance.  But more importantly (because I don’t have a TV), so have Las Olimpiadas de Cartagenito! The athletes, having trained long and hard, were eager to begin the competitions. They listened attentively to their coaches and stretched their muscles in anticipation of the great feats of athleticism they were about to undertake. Behind the scenes, official Olympic artists worked feverishly to complete the Olympics-themed flags […]

Categories: Actuar Por Bolivar, Cartagena, Children, Colombia, Community Development, Microfinance, Playtime, Volunteerism

Paradise in Parque Tayrona

July 28, 2012 by Meghan Johnson

Packing list: One large yellow backpack stocked with six cans of various precooked meats, too many girl clothes, toiletries, and one towel One small red backpack packed with an enviably small and sensible selection of boy clothes and three books 3 liters of water (which would be sweated out in under an hour) and one bottle of coconut flavored rum One plastic grocery bag full of high-sodium and/or high-sugar individually packaged snacks and one roll of toilet paper (Notably absent from above […]

Categories: Colombia, Friendship, Parque Tayrona, Playtime, Santa Marta, The Great Outdoors, Travel

Beaten at the Banya

June 10, 2012 by Meghan Johnson

There’s nothing like a good old-fashioned beating to liven up your complexion. At least that’s what they told me (“they” being the Russian staff at the volunteer house).  I knew from the start I couldn’t leave Russia without a trip to a bath house, and as soon as I mentioned it to Viktor and Natalya, the decision was made for me.  I was going. On the way to the banya, my mind was full of images of Viggo Mortensen rolling […]

Categories: Europe, Friendship, Playtime, Russia, Yaroslavl

Happy City Day, Yaroslavl!

May 28, 2012 by Meghan Johnson

This past Saturday was Dyen Goroda (Day of the City) in Yaroslavl, a day devoted to celebrating this historic town and the people in it.  I needed this holiday.  After hearing about my friends and family enjoying Memorial Day weekend back home in the States, I felt nostalgic for barbecues, sunshine, flip flops, and flags.  And on Dyen Goroda, I got the best Russian version I could have hoped for. I set off alone from my apartment to the city […]

Categories: Playtime, Russia, Yaroslavl