After two years of Peace Corps service in Timor-Leste, I traveled Southeast Asia for almost six months. The last thing I did in Asia was do a cycle tour around Taiwan.

I love this place. I have only gone twice, but each time was so rich in experience and memories. Saudades. If you can, go. If you can’t, enjoy the words and photos.

An important statue of John Paul II was passed between schools while I was working at two schools in Timor. The ceremonies and rituals were profoundly moving for me. Read this article to learn some history, culture, and appreciation for the beauties of ceremony.

A story from my first time travelling abroad solo. This was a time of a lot of firsts. Yogyakarta is an amazing city and I hope I could capture some of it’s allure in this brief story.

A long-winded story about running and friends. It reflects well the era when I wrote it. The first half is much more worth reading than the second, though I often think about Jacinto.

A short story about successfully making chocolate in rural Timor-Leste and unsuccessfully convincing my host family to do it too.

A short photo story of the weekly market day in Ermera Vila. A great glimpse into the everyday life of somewhere very different than most readers’ experiences.

Mostly photos from my three months of Peace Corps training in Gleno in Timor-Leste. So many memories in this blog, so many more not.