Tag: city

Monday in a Picture – A Month Back on This Side

by Kirby P., posted in Peace Corps Swaziland

Today marks one month since a flight from Beijing touched down at Dulles International Airport with me on it. It’s been a month of reconnecting with the old familiar and connecting with new folks. A month of rediscovering the city that is the epitome of home. As I reflect on the past month, I figured that I’d share some of the moments that stand out since I’ve been back and some frequently asked questions.

How was it?
– This is one of the most difficult questions to answer. How was what? After 2.5 years away, I’ve done a few things. There was the Peace Corps thing, the AfrikaBurn thing, and the travel around Asia thing among other things.

What are you doing/going to do now?
– Retire. Just kidding. I wish I could. I’m job searching and getting used to life in the city again.

How are you doing with readjustment?
– Eh. Like anything else in life, it varies with the day. Sometimes, it varies within the day. Overall, it’s good. As my uncle would say: “I’m living indoors and eating three meals a day, so I’m pretty good.”

Since I’ve been back, there are things I’ve noticed about the city and things I’ve noticed about myself.

As I was waiting for the bus to come in Northern Virginia, I overheard a lady talking on her phone. She was lamenting about the bus system here doesn’t display when the next bus will come like Seattle’s bus system. She continued that a website stated that the bus was five minutes late. I chuckled to myself as I remembered hoping that the bus (in eSwatini) would come some days. If it didn’t, try again tomorrow. Patience truly is a virtue.

A local DC friend, who currently lives in Thailand, was home visiting when I first returned. As we were catching up and hanging out, we shared a moment about water. We were talking about how amazing it is to have indoor plumbing. To be able to turn on a faucet and drink the water. Fantastic! No worrying about the sickness or death that could follow. It’s a great feeling.

The city is different, but familiar. There is a plethora of electric scooters available for rent around the city. Capital Bikeshare has added Plus bikes, which have electric pedal assist. They are really fast. Speaking of bikes, I’ve celebrated New Bike Day twice since my return. Riding on pavement and tarred roads is beyond awesome. One of my favorite restaurants in the city, Los Hermanos, is still on Park Road and it’s still wonderfully delicious. It was the only food I came back to the US desiring.

The photo above is a small group of RPCVs from G14 gathering for a birthday celebration. I am extremely thankful to have served with such supportive people.

Be kind to yourself.
Onward.

P.S. – As a cyclist, one of the most important holidays is New Bike Day. Here’s a picture of my new ride (one of them):

P.P.S. – This series, “Monday in a Picture” will continue through the end of the year. After that, updates won’t be as frequent.

Monday in a Picture – Dutch Pancake Party

by Kirby P., posted in COS Trip, Monday in a Picture, Philippines, pictures, Southeast Asia

I know. I know. You may have seen the title and thought, “I didn’t know that Kirby was going to the Netherlands”. I didn’t. I arrived in Philippines after a wonderful time in Vietnam. As I do when I get to most new cities, I checked out what was going on in the local Couchsurfing community. Manila was no exception. Some locals and travelers were getting together to walk around and explore Manila a day after I arrived. Perfect!

A group of about ten folks showed up in the park for the day’s activities. What I didn’t know was that the day’s activities would conclude in a Dutch Pancake Party at a local hostel. Robin, a self-described Dutch nomad, started throwing these parties some years ago. It all started with a conversation about food. Someone who was hosting Robin asked him to make some Dutch food. He admitted that he didn’t know how to cook, and made the only thing he knew: a Dutch pancake. Following the excitement of the first, he organized another, and then another. Now, Robin has hosted more than 100 of these events in more than 80 cities.

It was really cool to see all of the people coming together to share in pancakes. There was a very social atmosphere that extended beyond Couchsurfing. Good times were had as many pancakes were devoured. The above picture was taken before the event started as we were making pancake batter.

Be kind to yourself.
Onward.

Monday in a Picture – Pasar Malam

by Kirby P., posted in COS Trip, Malaysia, Monday in a Picture, pictures, Southeast Asia, travel

Some weeks ago, I started looking for my next destination. After lots of internal dialogue and price checking, I settled on Cambodia. Phnom Penh, to be exact. One of the things that I’ve grown fond of is extended layovers. Especially in places where visas are free. On the way to Cambodia, I was so fortunate.

Flying from Chennai, I had to connect in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia). When I booked the flight, I started looking for things to do in the city to take advantage of my fifteen hour layover. I found that Malaysia was known for having really good food. I also learned that Kuala Lumpur has a plethora of pasar malams, or night markets, filled with the aforementioned really good food. I had to go.

This blog post helped me figure things out. After landing, I went to the city centre to check out the Petronas Twin Towers and walk around. By early evening, I was ready to let my tastebuds explore. I made my way over to the Taman Connaught night market. It’s massive. Like seriously massive. Like “go with friends and pace yourself with a bite of this and a taste of that because you’ll be overwhelmed with deliciousness” massive. There was a lot of pork, with a smattering of poultry. There were all different kinds of fruit (available whole, in pieces, juiced, and sometimes smoothied). With some dishes, noodles or rice played a prominent role. In many dishes, eggs featured generously. While most stalls had menu boards or signs in English, some did not. It’s an excellent opportunity to see if your eyes can figure out what your tastebuds desire. There were also stalls selling clothing, cell phone accessories, and other things.

After two hours of walking through the stalls, I decided to call it quits. I had been gluttonous enough. I had eaten to my heart’s content. I was ready for a corner and a nap. If you ever have the opportunity to visit (and eat) at any of the night markets in Kuala Lumpur, do it! But pace yourself. For the market is mighty, and the stomach is small. The picture above is of one of the stalls serving salted egg things.

Be kind to yourself.
Onward.

P.S. – here’s a picture of me about to dig into something called salted egg chicken. It was pretty delicious.

Monday in a Picture – The Night Sky

by Kirby P., posted in Monday in a Picture, Peace Corps Swaziland, pictures

I have come to appreciate many things about Swaziland. The flora and fauna are quite awesome. Living in a rural part of Swaziland, I get to see beautiful birds and fantastic flowers. I also get to see stars in a way that I’ve never seen them in the US. It’s no secret that I’ve spent most of my life in cities. In a world filled with city lights, the light pollution isn’t as evident. It’s normal.

Rural Swaziland introduced a new normal. I don’t know the names of various stars. I’ve never studied constellations or astronomy. My community doesn’t have street lights. Instead, the community is lit by lights on homesteads that have electricity. The rest of the light is provided by the moon and stars. The views are definitely one of the perks of being here. The above picture is of the night sky as seen above the electricity pole across from my house.

Be kind to yourself.
Onward.

Sweet Dreams – The Hair Stylist

by Kirby P., posted in Sweet Dreams

Because I am posted in a country where I might contract malaria, I have been given an antimalarial medication called, “Mefloquine”. One of the side effects of this medication is vivid dreaming. The following is what I dreamt last night (as best I can remember). 

I was looking for a place to get my hair done. I don’t know what I was getting done to it. A friend of a friend recommended someone. I thought, “okay cool”. The hair stylist was a young lady who lived in my city. It was a fairly large city. 

For some reason, I didn’t have a cell phone. Also, no one knew where the hair stylist lived and she was supposed to do my hair at her home. The problem was that she didn’t have a cell phone either. For almost a week, I wondered around the city looking for this hair stylist. Finally, I found a woman who said she was the hair stylist’s mother. She was going to give me clear instructions on how to get to the hair stylist apartment. 

I get to the building. It’s strange. There are no elevators and the stairs appear to be missing giant sections. To go between floors, I had to use the stairs present, and parkour my way around to the next set of stairs. It was like rock climbing meets gladiator meets random YouTube stunt video. Another problem was that I didn’t know which apartment was hers. In one of the floors, there was a man selling quick, easy finger food on a table. Think human vending machine. He had tables set up around him with chairs for people to sit. While I had stopped to see what kind of food the man had, I saw the hair stylist’s mother. She was leaving the apartment. I asked if their was an actual assortment number for her daughter. She told me 303. I was at 310. I continued to ascend looking for this apartment. 

Be kind to yourself. 
Onward.