Departing soon for the Peace Corps

I have been invited to serve with the Peace Corps in rural Nicaragua. I am currently preparing for departure---paperwork, financial matters, purging clothes, selling belongings, and most importantly, spending quality time with friends, family, and Tiffany.

This will be an adventure with completely new experiences. I hope to share my culture with the people I meet and learn in-depth about the culture and society in Nicaragua. Hopefully I can help my community in a meaningful way or at least teach something interesting! I'm sure I will learn many things from the experience. I'm off to discover a different part of the world for myself. Not to be cliche, but I hope to find myself on this journey as well...

photos of adventures in europe

A March 2009 visit to Italy and France. We flew from Philadelphia to Rome (via Munich) and then traveled by train up to Paris...view some snapshots of the traveling here.

Italy & France Travel Prep: What to EAT!

I am far from bored with the food scene in the states, let alone Philly. However, I am a bit sick of our convenience food culture and I hope to fill my stomach with some unique treats during my gastro-tour of Italy and France.

So far the Italian list includes: pasta con guanciale, pizza, gelato, pasta al tartufo, lemoncello, panelle (like fried hummus?), wine!!, bicerin (a chocolate/coffee drink), giandujotto (hazelnut chocolate treat), et cetera.

French: fromage!!, wine!!, aligot, souffle, escargot, frog legs perhaps?, turbot, cassoulet (at least one variety!), absinthe, wine!!!, boudin noir (a winter treat; a type of blood sausage), a good steak frites, and probably some more fromage!

Suggestions are welcome of course...

Europe round III

My first two experiences with Europe were in 2003 and then 2006. Both of these adventures featured Spain as the primary destination--and a more wonderful country I could not ask for. However, at this point in my life, with a seemingly unscratchable itch from the travel bug, I feel the need to see some other countries...

A chance has arrived. Now, in 2009, Tiffany and I will venture to Western Europe in search of the architectural and gastronomic wonders of Italy and France.

Airline tickets are booked. Train travel has been loosely arranged. And I am preparing a laundry list of sites and foods that I hope to experience. Our brief journey is still in planning, but we will post some highlights on this rather neglected blog site.