Clik here to view.
Yangshuo: Grateful for Rain
Yes, that’s right. I was grateful for the “bad” weather during my time here. Crazy, huh? Well, normally I’d wish for blue skies just like the next fella, but something about this place made the rain...
View ArticleClik here to view.
China: Bone-Breaking Pressure
In China around 1000 years ago, a unique trend began in the area of fashion, custom, and duty. Parents started to tightly wrap the feet of their young daughters so the feet wouldn’t grow large. This...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Studying Tai Chi: The Students, The Landscapes
I attended a music camp back in high school. We rehearsed with this involved, focused presence, only a few days to master our music for a performance at weeks end. These rehearsals were different than...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Stomping Ground Culture, part 1
If you’d asked me before about the culture of northern Minnesota, or America even, I’d have suggested it better described as a lack of culture. Growing up, we never had our version of a pow wow or...
View ArticleClik here to view.
New Plateaus Geography Spotlight # 3 – São Tomé and Príncipe
*This article was co-written with the help of the talented and intelligent, Thomas Brandt. If you’re ever interested in contributing ideas or material to New Plateaus, please express it. Gosh, with a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
50 Shades of Shame
Guest writer, Erin Fahey, shares her insight about the controversial book, 50 Shades of Grey. We don’t have to look too far for sex. It’s often a medium to attract attention and push sales. Our...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Gone Fishin’ (the Tanzanian vs. the Minnesota way)
When I was 12, my brothers and I would go fishing using our grandfather’s pale green, 14-foot aluminum boat. We’d haul it in the back to our father’s tiny S10 Chevy pickup. When we got to our northern...
View ArticleWhat I Learned About Race by Living in Africa
Obviously, there are many lessons to be taken away from living in a place as different as East Africa. I’ve gained insight and a more nuanced view on topics such as development, education, the meaning...
View ArticleWhat I Learned about Feminine Power while Living in China
When I was in China, I regularly attended yoga classes at my gym. It was part of the membership fee. Plus, I really liked the meditative benefits of doing so. And it made me sweat a lot. One afternoon...
View ArticleThe Legendary Long-Neck Women of Burma…who had long faces
You’ve likely heard of them. Tribal people whose women have extraordinarily long necks wrapped and stretched in gold-colored rings. This is not a Thai tradition; nor is it a practice of the people to...
View ArticleThe Hmong Have Caught on to Minnesota Fishing
The Hmong have been in Minnesota for 40 years. Which aspects of a culture does a people bring to a new land? Which do they leave behind? And which aspects of the local culture does one adopt when...
View ArticleThe Lady Boys of Thailand
Our first morning in Thailand followed a jet-lagged, sleepless night in a decent Bangkok hotel. Sure, the faucet in my shower broke, allowing it to run all night. But the rooms were comfortable, and...
View ArticleMeet Khu Oo Reh, Karenni Leader
Meet Khu Oo Reh. Mr. Reh is the Vice President of a leading Karenni political group. “Karenni?” you ask. The Karenni (and their ethnic cousins the Karen) is an ethnic group from the country Burma...
View ArticleA Goodbye to the Faces of Cambodia
An ancient history of greatness; a recent history of tragedy; and the present that is a breadth of culture, charm, and optimism–and all of it with a natural backdrop of unique terrain peppered with its...
View ArticleMy Tour Of The Southern U.S. Begins Friday
It’s happening, ya’ll. On Friday I leave for a two-week road trip through the American South and Appalachia. I already know what you’re asking, and the answers are: because I’ve never been to these...
View ArticleNews Coverage Of My “People Of The South” Presentation: Now I Want To Come To...
As I drove the final stretch home on my Southern U.S. road trip–through Wisconsin to the Twin Cities–the idea struck me: I’m going to give a presentation about this whole experience. Over the previous...
View ArticleOut Today: My Story About The Hmong In Minnesota In Today’s Star Tribune
I was inspired to write the story two years ago. I walked into a Hmong-owned insurance office near the school I work for to find it decorated like my grandfather’s den: deer antlers, wildlife...
View ArticleBoyang Captures Japan
Last week we met world-traveling photographer Boyang through his signature works from various corners of the planet. Today, we begin to share his photographic studies of specific locations. His words...
View ArticleBoyang Captures Taiwan
“I didn’t really have any anticipation. While growing up in China, there was some propaganda about Taiwan and how it is still part of China. For me, it was just another undiscovered destination along...
View ArticleIt Begins… Video #1 Of Voices Of The Pacific Northwest
Today I release the introduction to my series of conversations from the Pacific Northwest. I’ll start posting these videos to my YouTube channel this weekend. For now, enjoy this trailer:
View Article
