Although this would be my third time visiting Istanbul, because it’s one of my favorite places I didn’t mind the two-night stopover offered by Turkish Airlines in my way home from Malaysia. Plus, it gave me a chance to deplane, decompress, and delight in 3 new experiences in this magical, ancient city. Continue reading
I found the true beauty of Bali is in the hearts of its people, in the land, both cultivated and wild, and in the hospitality so freely offered its guests. Continue reading
We would spend the next week volunteering with our Habitat for Humanity Australia Global Village Team, partnering with Habitat Indonesia, helping to construct a home for a deserving family in need, an elderly couple who, combined, earned the equivalent of $93USD per month as farm workers. Thanks to Habitat, they will be able to live out their final years with dignity, eventually passing the home to one of their sons and his family. Continue reading
First there was the book, then the movie. Eat, Pray, Love. Thanks Hollywood: now nearly everyone has fantasized about falling in love in Bali. But how many of them have heard of Yogyakarta, pronounced, JOGE-Ja-karta? Very few I bet. Let’s change that. Continue reading
I’m always game to visit a new place, and I’d never been to Malaysia. On my way to Indonesia, I decided to book my roundtrip airfare to/from the USA through Kuala Lumpur, aka KL. Most cities are easy to explore for a few days, and that’s exactly what my friend and I did, with very little pre-planned. If you have a few extra days, it’s a nice strategy to begin to get over the jet lag induced by crossing 12 time zones. Continue reading
I traveled to this tiny landlocked Eurasian country to partner with the Fuller Center for Housing Armenia so that another hard-working family could have a decent place to live. Our base for the week was the capital city Yerevan, an unexpectedly delightful and lively city. Armenians are night owls y’all! Continue reading
Established in the spring of 2008, The Fuller Center for Housing Armenia, is an NGO that supports community development in the Republic of Armenia by assisting in building and renovating simple, decent, and affordable homes as well as advocating the right to a decent shelter as a matter of conscience and action. Continue reading
Having recently seen the 2018 film Bohemian Rhapsody, Queen’s music was fresh in my mind. Several of my teammates had seen the film and loved it as I did. Hearing Western pop music is common around the globe, even among people who have no idea what the lyrics mean. Cambodians love to sing and dance … Continue reading
Lucky me. I arrived in Siem Reap 5 days ahead of my Habitat Global Village Team. We would all be meeting at the end of the week to begin our adventure together, building houses for two families in need in the Tbeng Kert village, about an hour outside of Siem Reap. I wanted to spend … Continue reading
At the top of many a Bucket List is Angkor Wat, the world’s largest religious monument. But what is Angkor Wat and what is it not? In fact, Angkor Wat is not a temple at all, it’s a city containing hundreds of temples, towers, spiral structures, colonnades, and courtyards, many lavishly decorated. It was originally … Continue reading
Global Staci 