I had few expectations about food when I was planning my trip to South Africa. I knew a little about South African cuisine, from having visited a couple of restaurants in the East Coast. But otherwise, I was pretty open. To start with, there is no one South African cuisine. It’s too diverse of a country,…
Category: Travel
Pantsula, Gumboot, and Mozambican Swing: Dope Dancing in Cape Town!
My main inspiration for coming to South Africa at this time of year was a dance camp going on in Cape Town called Mother City Hop. Last summer, I met a Swedish woman in Herrang who kvelled about what a great event Mother City Hop was. So I did some research into it and it seemed…
Intro to My Adventures in South Africa
I’m just back from Africa, a bit browner, a bit fatter, and excited to share about all I experienced. There’s so much to write about my two week trip to South Africa, it’s hard to know where to start. So instead of trying to write a huge magnum opus that few people would be interested…
Mother City Hop Was Awesome!
I'm way behind on my blogging because we've been so busy having fun in Cape Town! But just a quick shout to the Mother City Hop organizers for putting on a fantastic dance event. It was everything I hoped for and more — fun dance parties, awesome tours of the city, incredible dance workshops, and…
Exploring Johannesburg: a Hipster Market, Strolling through Apartheid and in Da Club
Hanah and I started the first leg of our epic South African adventure in the mega-city of Johannesburg. Home to a rich mix of 4.5 million blacks, "coloureds" and whites, Joburg is a much cooler place than I anticipated. We arrived early in the morning on a Sunday to the very popular hostel Curioucity Backpackers…
Recalling a Life-changing Trip to the Philippines
Check this picture out! I'm in my early twenties, a zillion years ago, on my first trip to the homeland of the Philippines with my gramma. That's her in the background wearing one of her many muumuus. As I prepare to depart for South Africa, I'm thinking about that formative journey. I didn't know how…
Off the South Africa for a Safari, Penguins and Lindy Hop!
I'm so excited to share the news that I will be traveling in South Africa from March 17 to April 3! My friend Hanah and I are headed for a fantastic African adventure, including a four day safari, a week in Capetown, and a lindy hop dance camp! One of the main reasons for our…
Celebrating a Swing Icon and Pastry Bingeing in NYC
This week, I had the pleasure of visiting New York for a happy and sad occasion, a celebration of the life of Dawn Hampton, an icon in the lindy hop community who passed away late last year. I always love being in New York, a place that still has my heart, despite being away for six years…
Lindy Focus 2016 : Chick Webb, 20s Charleston, Almond Croissants and All the Feels
Me and my Lindy Focus "Wife" Jodie This is my third year in a row going to the Lindy Focus swing music and dance festival in Asheville, North Carolina. (Blog posts from 2014 and 2015.) It's always an incredible, inspiring experience, and a great way to close out the year. Here are some of my personal highlights from Lindy…
My 2016 in Pictures
It's been a strange year for a lot of people including myself, with a lot of drama and ups and downs. That said, I have a lot to be thankful for in 2016. Here's a pictorial recap of some of my favorite moments in the year. Dancing Dancing was a huge part of 2016, which…