All you need to know about Londoners
London is the premier international city. You can walk down Oxford Street and easily hear 10 languages in 10 steps, because people come from everywhere and anywhere. (I used to think New York was the
Culture, Diversity & Mikela Thomas
Welcome to the first episode of the People Helping People Podcast, where we’re going to talk to people involved in social change, developing cultural ties, and cool projects that are making a difference. For this first
How to Get The Perfect London Night Shot
I love photography – and have been snapping shots since my first digital SLR in 2004. (Well, before that I shot some 20,000 photos on whatever digital camera I could find.) There are 15 minutes,
The Joy of a London Train Ride
If you consider your average day – be it at work, school, or home – you most likely wake up each day and go through a pattern you’ve been through many times before. When you
London & The Indescribable Value of Kindness
Kindness is one of the rarest gifts we have to give: it doesn’t exist until we give it, and only in giving kindness does it exist. It even has a secret of it’s own: when
Volunteering abroad with Samaritans
I volunteered with the Samaritans for 5 years during my time as an expat in London at the Central London branch. They are a wonderful organization that exists to reduce suicide by offering emotional support
Belize & Communal Eating
Staying at the Thatch Caye resort in Belize was my first experience with communal eating. The meals are fun — with such a small group (there were about 12 of us), and no menu choice
Belize & The Art Of Doing Nothing
Thatch Caye is a cozy resort off the coast of Belize — a small island, with 10 – 20 guests, where you may walk from one end to the other in 25 minutes. (And if
Belize & The Anatomy Of An Awkward Traveler
I’ve earned my badge for traveling – spending a year abroad in high school as an exchange student; followed by 9 years as an expat in London, where I discovered my now wife from India;
Moroccan Social Entrepreneurship
One of the first observations when traveling through the Moroccan countryside is the lack of billboards and advertisements. A US highway has so many signs, billboards and noise constantly grabbing for your attention that you
Silence in the Moroccan Desert
Our trip had a false start: my wife’s visa was incorrectly stamped to begin only on the second day of our trip, so the airport sent us home for a day, instantly squeezing our 5
Bremen: Oh-My!
My year in high school as an exchange student in Bremen was challenging, even though the experience was invaluable. One of the most difficult parts was my host mother. I stayed with a large host
Bremen & Boredom
Bremen is not a boring city. It may be small, but it has a huge soul, complete with a gothic town hall in a pedestrian zone buzzing with life and delicious German bakeries. They’ve been
Bremen: The Year Abroad
The year was 1993 – I was 16, and I flew to Germany. My sister’s friend was an exchange student, who spent a year in my small town of Avon, Connecticut. At the end of
Jaipur: Life Turning Point
There are certain turning points in your life. My first trip to Jaipur, India, and the 10-day Vipassana meditation retreat was one such point. In 2004, my company had essentially gone bankrupt (they didn’t call
Jaipur: Arts in the Pink City and Learning to Write
I am slowly learning how to write. It’s not that I can’t — I have some 3,000 odd journal entries (they’re all odd, believe me), of which, 650 of them were since I started my Morning
Jaipur: My First 1o Day Vipassana Meditation
After my first night in India and meeting up with colleagues, we made our way to the Vipassana meditation retreat center. Still adjusting to the sights and smells, we pulled into the center, which felt
Jaipur: My First Two Hours in India
My first two hours in India were the most terrifying in my life. It was January 2005, and I had just landed in Delhi. A colleague at business school was organizing this trip for a Vipassana
Wales: Plastic Bags for Children
Part of the reason I started this blog was because I got tired of the news (especially with this current election cycle), and I wanted to discover inspiring projects from around the world. In scouring the Welsh
Wales: Welsh Pies
In searching for cool causes in Wales, we discovered Peter’s Pies, a staple pie baker from Caerphilly, just outside Cardiff. They have a strong social aspect to their business helping schools and the local community.
Wales: UNA Exchange & Connecting Cultures
The UNA Exchange started as an international volunteering movement after the First World War. This transpired when the Swiss pacifist, Pierre Ceresole, sought to bring young people together from France and Germany to volunteer in the
Vipassana at Dhamma Dipa
Vipassana meditation is something that I practice in my daily life. It is the meditation to cultivate self-awareness, and the capability to observe the sensations in the body without reacting to them – with the understanding that it
And the secret to Paris is…
I love to travel. Part of the reason why I chose to showcase Paris first is that it was one of the first cities I visited abroad. When I lived in London, hopping around Europe
Seva Café Grasse
The Seva Café in Grasse, France serves a cuisine based on love and sharing. But this French cuisine has its roots in Berkeley, where it started as the Karma Kitchen. Karma Kitchen first opened in
Tête en l’air
Where you live makes such a difference. The environment where you live feeds your vitality hence, a worn down cramped and dirty place drains you energy almost as quickly as you can find it. And
Singa and Refugees in France
2015 was a year of Syrian refugees. There was so much news about whether to let people in, or to keep them out, but little word came about from the organizations that actually supported them.
Les Restos du Coeur
No one says Bon Appétit better than the French. I love this story about the French comedian Coluche having a little idea of finding sponsors to open a free soup kitchen in Paris in 1985.