All posts tagged: culture

Confessions of a Jetsetter w/ Delia Flanagan

Published by Confessions of a Jetsetter

“Bosphorus Sea in Istanbul, Turkey…It is the exact meeting point where calmness prevails against the chaotic nature of this binary world…The East merges with The West, the old with the new…It is the exact location, where I recognized that you can indeed achieve the balance; the divide is an illusion. And this illusion is nothing but a sea of which you can navigate with ease, between the spirit of The East and the innovation of The West…”  – Delia Flanagan   024/100 of #100DaysofConfessions Instagram Project

Confessions of a Jetsetter w/ Ericka Tapia

Published by Confessions of a Jetsetter

“Before Vogue’s poll of Brooklyn being the coolest place on the planet, before the hipster invasion, before the lovely art adorning our street corners– Brooklyn was always cool. Cool because of its raw diversity, attitude, style, and culture. I have some fond memories of why I love Brooklyn… I remember Bushwick block parties were always pop’n until they got shot up, I remember playing skelly top in Red Hook Projects and taking strolls up Court Street on hot summer days…I remember Coney Island on Easter Sundays and everyone from the hood had their very best on… I remember when Thrift Stores were second hand stores and you didn’t want to be caught dead in there because that meant you were poor…Now you’re actually considered cool and frugal if you shop Vintage — who knew! I remember taking the school bus from Red Hook Projects to an almost all white elementary school in Park Slope called Brooklyn New School. I even went to a high school called Brooklyn School For Global Studies– can’t get anymore Brooklyn …

Confessions of a Jetsetter w/ Miss Jetsetter

Published by Confessions of a Jetsetter

“Venice, Italy surprised me beyond words while I was visiting…I was in my early 20s and was taking a minor in Shakespeare at the time of my trip. Up until that point, my greatest interest besides traveling was Holocaust history & Shakespeare. I would have never thought that reading the play “The Merchant of Venice” would have linked my two interests as much as it did… Do you know where the word “ghetto” comes from? Well during a class session I learned that the word “ghetto” was first used in Venice, Italy to describe the part of town that the Jews were forced to live in during WWII. Many of these Jews, living in the Ghetto, were sent to concentration camps in the early 1940’s. The town is really off the beaten path and finding the right bridge to take to cross over can be a bit confusing. Visiting was actually overwhelming and weighted heavy on my heart. There’s such a strong sense of the past in the air and the plaques depicting their history sure …

Confessions of a Jetsetter w/ Wynne Gavin

Published by Confessions of a Jetsetter

“November 2012…My best friend, Christina, and I were staying in Orvieto, Italy during a very rainy couple of days.  The power went out a couple of times one evening and we really didn’t think much of it, figuring that their infrastructure wasn’t as strong as that in the US and dismissed the issue.  We went to dinner next door to our hotel, their power flickering as well.  Again, gave it no thought… The next morning at about 8:00am, I awoke and went into the bathroom.  No power, no water.  Again, dismissed it.  Christina and I figured it was a good opportunity to sleep in a bit.  But after about 15 minutes, I heard a racket outside; it sounded like a helicopter. So I went out to our balcony and sure enough, a helicopter was flying just above roof level, at the restaurant we had enjoyed the night before.  When I took a look around, I started yelling, “OH MY GOD!  OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD!!” Christina was asking, “What is it?”  I could only …

Confessions Of A Jetsetter w/ Peter Nguyen

Published by Confessions of a Jetsetter

“My favorite place has been my most recently far journey to Bologna, Italy. It was so laid back, it really made me reconsider how I want to approach life and my work. It propelled me to want to be a lot more independent, where I can take a long lunch and have wine and chill out with no worries… A funny encounter in Bologna was when my girlfriend and I kept dining at this restaurant called Diana, which is Mario Batali’s favorite place to eat. They do the classic tagliatelle Bolognese perfect. It was probably our 3rd time there in one week and we went right as they opened… We asked for some wine, our waiter didn’t speak English well, so we pointed to a drink list and he came out with an entire bottle. He was about to open it and said “no cancel?” We said fuck it and got drunk after we finished the whole bottle. It was 10am.” – Peter Nguyen // @theessentialman   009/100 of #100DaysofConfessions Instagram Project

Confessions of a Jetsetter w/ Rebecca Hill

Published by Confessions of a Jetsetter

“I took a quick trip to Morocco in the summer of 2009 while attending a friend’s wedding in Andalusia, Spain. I was the only American on the ferry and got looks in Tangier as a woman traveling alone rolling two big suitcases along the bumpy, narrow sidewalks. This was the first international trip I had taken flying solo, in a country where I didn’t know the language at all but got by with a smattering of French. On my second day there, I got the courage to go to a local cafe by myself and write, as if I were William Burroughs. The waitstaff was a bit confused, waiting for someone to join me, but no one did, and having ordered a fair share of mint tea and pastries, I was left well enough alone. I hope to go back to Morocco this summer, continuing on my journey to learn Arabic and the beauty of the culture.” – Rebecca Hill AKA @lymie16   008/100 of #100DaysofConfessions Instagram Project

#The100DayProject-Khadijat Oseni

#The100DayProject w/ The Great Discontent & Elle Luna

Published by Khadijat Oseni

One of my greatest joys as a travel blogger and cultural curator is connecting on the road with others and sharing stories from perspectives that often go unrecognized. When I stumbled across #The100DayProject Instagram initiative rekindled by artist/designer, Elle Luna and The Great Discontent Magazine, I knew there was no doubt but to submerge myself into this intensive, creative pool of possibilities. This action proves to be a timely Spring reminder of working towards purging unproductive procrastination (not all procrastination is created equally :)) and further combining my love of travel, community and story-telling via developing more glimpses into my “Confessions of a Jetsetter” series. I’ll be interviewing fellow explorers across various creative disciplines and sharing 100 different travel confessions starting today April 6th and ending July 14th! If you’d like to be featured as one of the 100 people I’m attempting to profile, feel free to contact me and I’ll send over a random question for us to collaborate on! Shy?! No worries! Come along for the ride anyway as well as take up …

Haggle Like A Pro

Published by Khadijat Oseni

In many parts of the world, haggling is a way of life however this dance can sometimes feel offbeat for Western travelers. If you’ve ever felt a tinge of hesitation towards this two-step, fear not! Here are some tips to help bargain your way through any marketplace like a pro! LOOK THE PART The art of haggling starts with your appearance. If you walk through a market looking like a million bucks, chances are you’ll get charged just about the same! Avoid being flashy in your presentation so your bargaining efforts come off sincerely. Added bonus if you learn a few local phrases to meet on as much common ground as possible. KNOW YOUR PRICE Before heading up to any vendor, do your research and come up with ideal prices you’re willing to pay for any given item. A great way of doing this is by consulting locals you know, observing other shops to see where the average asking prices fall as well as browsing through other travelers’ comments & confessionals online. Having rough placeholders …

More Than A Single Story…

Published by Khadijat Oseni

“Stories matter, many stories matter. Stories have been used to dispossess and malign. But stories can also be used to empower and to humanize. Stories can break the dignity of a people but can also repair that broken dignity.” ~ Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, The Danger of a Single Story I had the honor of meeting a lovely little girl named Fatima and her beautiful family during my travels through the Middle Atlas Mountains in Morocco. Their grace and generosity despite whatever life circumstances they faced was the very first time I truly understood the danger of a single story as Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie brilliantly discussed in her moving TED Talk. I began to see the world and the value of travel differently after this encounter and am forever blessed for it. I find it very important to experience and portray the balanced dynamics of life – both luxury and struggle; joy and pain; laughter and depth; love and loss and any other manifestations of emotion one can think of. As a result, I try my …