BH.net: "the people you meet," children or adults

You don't ask for people to affect you. And usually you never expect it; they just do. So observe and experience Colin Mulligan, Jen Westmoreland Bouchard and Brent Katte in their recent BH publications:

universal; Jamaica; Maputo, Mozambique
1. The People You Meet by Colin Mulligan:

Anyone who's spent more than five minutes in a backpacker hostel knows how repetitive the conversation can be. For the most part, these are places where people from all over the world stop in for a few days of cheap lodging, not so cheap beer and travel advice on their destinations of choice. The unfortunate side effect of this is that relationships in such an environment tend to be short and superficial.... Even though this type of behavior was more or less the norm at youth hostels, I had the pleasure of meeting many, many notable exceptions.

Read "The People You Meet" >>


Berlin, Germany
2. Berlin by Jen Westmoreland Bouchard:

I reach down to grab my dingy leather suitcase as it rattles by on the baggage carousel. Hers comes down the shoot and I look up to make sure she noticed it. She's elsewhere, staring at a "Wilkommen in Berlin" poster but not seeing it. I wonder if it was a mistake to bring her. Our relationship has never been easy and I have regrets, lots of them. They sneak up on me when we're together. I inhale sharply as I bend down to grab her small black bag and the tattered tartan fabric on the handle grazes my hand.

Read "Berlin" >>


Siem Reap, Cambodia
3. Siem Reap: Recalibration in Indo-China by Brent Katte:

In front of the class there's a silence, a hesitation. They're positively beaming, and I'm at a loss as to why I'm trying to stifle a grin. I look down, breathe deeply, grab a hold of the moment. Why shouldn't they be happy? Why shouldn't I? How could this be awkward, this simplicity, this sharing?

Read "Siem Reap: Recalibration in Indo-China" >>