Sarah_Menkedick

Sarah_Menkedick

47p

94 comments posted · 0 followers · following 0

15 years ago @ Matador Abroad - 6 Products That Would ... · 0 replies · +1 points

Love the dismay cookie! I can think of many situations in which I'd like to lean subtly over to someone and ask, "Would you like a dismay cookie?"

15 years ago @ Matador Change - The Increasing Cost Of... · 0 replies · +1 points

I agree, the price you pay to organizations like Global Service Corps includes the research and grunt work you could do on your own. It seems crazy to me to be paying exorbitant amounts of money to volunteer, and it seems to me somewhat beside the point--a lot of that money doesn't reach communities in need, and goes to things like organizing placements. Also, the emphasis of many programs seems to be on providing an experience for the volunteer (live in the Andes for a week! play with Cambodian children!) as opposed to really aiding a local community. It seems to me like the best way to volunteer would be to show up in a place and see what a local organization needs, and to stick around for awhile.

15 years ago @ Matador Nights - World's Best Barbecue · 0 replies · +1 points

Ohhh, yum! Does Indonesian satay count as barbecue? I still miss those skewers and the peanut sauce...the stuff of dreams...

15 years ago @ Matador Pulse - 3 Stories From Under t... · 0 replies · +1 points

Wow, Eva, that Brazil story is super-intense. While the law in Mexico supposedly allows women who've been raped to get abortions, it hardly ever works out that way. It amazes and repulses me that the repeated rape of a 9 year-old is less egregious to the church than the abortion of a baby created out of incest. Scary.

15 years ago @ Matador Abroad - Best Places to Learn L... · 0 replies · +1 points

Hey Hal---

How do you like Sustainable Bolivia? I've heard a lot of great things about them! What kind of work are you doing with them?

15 years ago @ Matador Abroad - Best Places to Learn L... · 0 replies · +1 points

Put 'em on the list, Carlo! I'm still plodding my way through Chinese, although it's gotten a bit more challenging since moving back to Mexico...

15 years ago @ Brave New Traveler - The Travel Wisdom of B... · 0 replies · +1 points

Hey Carlo--

Great article. I'd never have thought of Bruce Lee as a travel philosopher but you distill his ideas really nicely in this context. I particularly like the part about embracing a difficult trip--in my opinion, my favorite trips have been the ones characterized by big, random bumps in the road that, as you say, make for great stories later.

15 years ago @ Matador Nights - What People Are Listen... · 0 replies · +1 points

Ohhh, I'm looking forward to this series. Glad to hear that "el pueblo, unido, jamas sera vencido" is a cross-cultural thing throughout Latin America! It's a big protest chant here in Mexico. Nice job covering a variety of genres.

15 years ago @ Travelers Notebook - On the Ropes · 0 replies · +1 points

What a necessary post, Julie. Exactly as Christina said above--not preachy. It's hard to talk about race and class without sounding indignant or accusatory, but you did just that. Your images also show how oftentimes the connection between race and class in Latin America is painfully obvious.

15 years ago @ Matador Trips - Make It a Black Histor... · 0 replies · +1 points

Great article, Julie--I have wanted to go to the Costa Chica for a long time now. This link: http://avjphotography.com/text.html will take you to a page talking about the history of the Costa Chica. At the bottom you can click on "images" to see beautiful photos of the area.

I'd also add the apartheid museum in Johannesburg--that was one of the most powerful experiences I had in South Africa. It's on the outskirts of Johannesburg (a city I think many people avoid--I stayed for almost a week there with a friend who was on a Fulbright and showed me around) and it really blew my mind. Even if you're not gung ho about Johannesburg I think it's worth it just for that museum. You get a card at the entrance determining your race, and the way you experience the first parts of the museum is dependent on that card. You could spend hours there reading about the history of apartheid, and there are also tons of videos and photos. You will definitely be rocked for the rest of the day afterwards.