How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization
Author: Franklin Foer
Who knew you could learn so much about globalization, economics and politics from soccer? Great read.
Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity
Author: Julia Cameron
One possible path to re-discovering the creativity you never knew you had.
Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies, New Edition
Author: Jared Diamond
An admirable crack at explaining why the world is the way it is by way of an anthropological macro-history. This book probably comes up the most in conversation as we travel.
The Cathedral Within: Transforming Your Life by Giving Something Back
Author: Bill Shore
Inspiring profiles of social entrepreneurs and projects we all can learn from and hopefully replicate to give back to community.
Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Made a Nation
Author: John Carlin
Although the storyline is built around the South African rugby team and the 1995 World Cup, this book is more about Nelson Mandela and how he was able to unite a divided country. Inspiring.
Dark Star Safari: Overland from Cairo to Capetown
Author: Paul Theroux
The author re-visits Africa and re-assesses the place he once knew... and judges it once and for all. Well written, poignant observations of the thumbprints left by career politicians, aid workers, and everyday people.
Outliers: The Story of Success
Author: Malcolm Gladwell
A look at the internal and external factors of how extraordinary people got to be, well, extraordinary. One of those books that challenges assumptions and makes you think differently.
Shantaram: A Novel
Author: Gregory David Roberts
Administering first aid in a Bombay slum, selling fake passports and running guns to the Mujahideen in Afghanistan. Technically a novel, but closely linked to the Author's own experiences. Fantastic read.
What is it about the center of a land mass that seems to dull its food? Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Central America, Food by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
20 Comments | 11 September 2009
As we close out our reflections on Central America (don’t worry, food comes next), we are reminded of the places and moments — the good, the bad, the idiosyncratic, the illustrative — from our zigzag chicken bus journey across Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua.
Let’s dig in. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Central America, Travel by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
8 Comments | 5 September 2009
As we travel, it’s common for locals the world over to ask us where we are from. In Asia, the response “The United States” was usually sufficient. In Europe, they didn’t ask; they assumed.
Not so in Central America. People were curious to know the states and often the towns and cities where we grew up, where we have lived. After sharing our details, it wasn’t uncommon to hear: “I had a cousin who lived there”, “Oh, I lived [nearby] for 15 years” or “My brother lives there.”
Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Central America, Perspectives by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
15 Comments | 28 August 2009
El Salvador is one of those places I recall from my childhood, but for all the “wrong” reasons. Newscasts in the 1980s equated the country with menacing jungles, death squads and guerrillas. Our recent conversations suggest that for many, El Salvador’s image as dangerous and gun-prone persists today.
So we wanted to see El Salvador for ourselves and perhaps dislodge some of those lingering perceptions. Our itinerary was simple: Perquin to better understand the civil war that plagued the country from 1980 to 1992; Santa Ana as a transit point; Juayua for its weekend food festival and coffee plantations; and Alegria for a look at life in the hills. Our focus: the people we would meet along the way.
If you’re itching to get to the photos:
Perquin, Santa Ana, Alegria, Suchitoto
Juayua and the Ruta de las Flores
And if you’d like to read more about El Salvador, keep going… Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Central America, El Salvador, Photography, Travel by: Daniel Noll
9 Comments | 21 July 2009
Over 900 days on the road, and I’m still not immune to the phenomenon of culture shock. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Central America, El Salvador, Personal Growth, Travel by: Audrey Scott
23 Comments | 23 June 2009
She is nine years old.
She lives in El Salvador.
She sells sugar wafer cookies on buses leaving the market in Santa Ana. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Central America, El Salvador, Perspectives by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
5 Comments | 15 June 2009
