August 19, 2017
Category: When In
June 3, 2017
Morocco
I’ll be completely honest, I was afraid to travel to Morocco. Call it irrational, call it ignorance, call it “American media syndrome”, etc. I didn’t know how an Islamic country (even in Africa) would receive me – an African-American, Christian, Female. I had a very uncomfortable experience on a crowded train in Istanbul and was haggled and hassled way more than anyone would want on that 8-hour layover and automatically associated Islamic culture with that experience. I was absolutely blown away by how incorrect my assumptions were – the people were hospitable, good-spirited and friendly, welcoming us with open arms, ...
March 6, 2017
Lisbon
We stepped off of the plane and were happy to see the sun out (guns out?) after a few dreary, overcast days in Barcelona for a work conference. We made our way to the Airbnb by way of Uber, which was an extremely cheap option for getting around. The place was wild! Shout out to Pedro and Thiago for their quirky sense of style. The Casa da Padaria was the perfect Alice in Wonderland/Little Shop of Horror/Victorian play-place that we were searching hoping (?) for. Nothing prepared us for that or for the amount of time it would take to search for ...
February 6, 2017
Nashville
Once upon a time, I lived in Franklin, TN. I was too young to remember the place but I now have a good friend living and Dr. schooling in Nashville so I anticipate making this trip a few more times in the next few years. My coworker accompanied me on this trip, which added a bit of nuance to my perspective. It was her first time in the South (if you can call Tennessee that) and we were completely on the same page about the differences in culture between NY and TN. It’s quieter and the ...
January 8, 2017
Madrid
Spain has been my favorite place to vacation to date. Most likely because of my travel companions but I’ll give the country a lot of credit. I journaled every moment of my Madrid and Barcelona experience and my heart still feels intense happiness when I read it. So, when in Madrid: ‘Arrived late and took a taxi to The Hat hostel, we gave the guy an extra €10 as a tip even though we shouldn’t have. The hostel managers were nice – the place was trendy and clean, I felt as though I was at summer camp. A girl was ...
January 8, 2017
Dominican Republic
I traveled to the DR to celebrate my 25th birthday (and get a much-needed break from the city). I’m not one to celebrate my own birthday so this one was pretty special on the account that a friend and I decided to celebrate together. A couple more friends joined us and we were off to a relaxing weekend by the water. Seriously. Don’t leave the resort. We were warned by everyone: our friends, a random passenger on the plane and the hotel staff. But sometimes life is your best lesson… The resort had everything we needed and more ...
December 27, 2016
Ghana
I’m always proud to say that I’m Ghanaian, well Ghanaian-American. If you can believe it there was a time when I didn’t feel that way. Up to age 13, I wasn’t fed healthy images of Africa from the media (surprise, surprise) and that one day in black history month each year when we talked about Africans being brought to America? Why would anyone want to go there and re-experience that? I was young, naive and scared when my parents told me we were going to Ghana for my first trip in 2003. Good thing they eased my worries (although arguably it ...
December 26, 2016
Portland
At one point in time, I called Portland home. After graduating the University of Texas at Austin advertising program (Hook ‘Em), I ventured out west to start my career as an advertising intern at Wieden+Kennedy’s HQ. It was an experience like no other. This was the first place that I got a strong taste of creative energy flowing through everything. The style, the art galleries, nature, the food, the people, the work. The company taught me to fail, fail again and then fail harder (a la Micheal Jordan/Nike/David Kennedy circa ’99). And boy did I fail while I was there… Although I ...
December 20, 2016
New Orleans
My first visit to New Orleans, Louisiana (NOLA) was a road trip with friends from Houston to the Essence Music Festival. It was a fun filled weekend with music, food, hair, bonding with friends and the hot, hot heat of the summer. The festival took up most of our time but between running from venue to venue, we strolled through the French Quarter, the oldest neighborhood in the city. There was an influx of tourists for the event but it was cool to see the city’s locals out and about too. I remember we parked my friend’s car in a ...
December 20, 2016
When In 