Tiny Tales #3: I Crossed the River Nile on a Motorcycle Scooter

Frankly, I could replace this entire post with a single screencap: Back in March, I spent a week bumpin’ around Cairo: eating twelve-cent meals, chugging fruit smoothies, haggling felucca fares with a guy who added me on WhatsApp and now sends me, at random, snippets of radio talk shows entirely in Arabic. I was thrilled to see Cairo for one reason: Uber.* *Not a paid … Continue reading Tiny Tales #3: I Crossed the River Nile on a Motorcycle Scooter

Angela MaAugust 21, 2018August 22, 2018Leave a comment

🌍 Angela Abroad

Dakar Survival Guide for the Everyday Toubab

The Hell is Dakar? Dakar is the capital city of Senegal, a country on the west coast of Africa. I studied there from January to March 2018. I understand that this post is hugely belated. Well, here is what happened: In April, UChicago kicked my ass. In May, UChicago kicked my ass. In June, UChicago ended! . . . and I flew straight to my … Continue reading Dakar Survival Guide for the Everyday Toubab

Angela MaJuly 22, 2018July 24, 2018Leave a comment

💡 Theories & Opinions

Lessons Learned from a Crash in the Dunes

This post is Episode 1/3 of the Great Camel Odyssey of 2018, whereby I traversed 3 countries over the course of 3 months in search of one perfect camel ride. It is the second week of my study abroad program in Dakar: early January, dry season, seventy degrees and sunny. During class on Thursday, my professor hands out itineraries for Saturday’s day trip. I don’t … Continue reading Lessons Learned from a Crash in the Dunes

Angela MaApril 16, 2018May 10, 20182 Comments

🌍 Angela Abroad

764 Miles, 3 Days, 1 Butt: My Trek Across Senegal

So I’ve been studying abroad in Senegal since January, living with a host family in the coastal capital of Dakar. Around midnight one Thursday, as my friends and I hunkered over the final projects due that very morning, my pal Jon went, “By the way, I think I am gonna do the waterfall trip. You should come.” Said waterfall trip consisted of two overnight buses … Continue reading 764 Miles, 3 Days, 1 Butt: My Trek Across Senegal

Angela MaMarch 26, 2018March 29, 20181 Comment

✏️ Tiny Tales

Tiny Tales #2: I Met Bidew Bou Bess at a Senegalese Chinese New Year Festival

Amendment: I danced with Bidew Bou Bess at a Chinese New Year Festival in Dakar. Amendment to amendment: I jabbed my hips in arbitrary directions and flailed my arms in floppy circles and fundamentally disgraced both myself and the entire Chinese American community beside Bidew Bou Bess at a Chinese New Year Festival in Dakar. Bidew Bou Bess is a rap trio consisting of three brothers: Makhtar, … Continue reading Tiny Tales #2: I Met Bidew Bou Bess at a Senegalese Chinese New Year Festival

Angela MaFebruary 19, 2018March 26, 20181 Comment

✏️ Tiny Tales

Tiny Tales #1: I Fell Out of a Plane at 10,000 Feet

Welcome to Tiny Tales, a collection of adventures in approx. 1000 words! San Jose in July is a sprawling geography of white heat, browning mountains, and yellow grass. We pull into the lot beside our squat, cinderblocky destination and my stomach shnargles. For lunch, I’d prepared myself a hybrid of an “I’m Too Cheap To Buy Real Food” meal and a “Potential Impending Projectile Vomit” meal, … Continue reading Tiny Tales #1: I Fell Out of a Plane at 10,000 Feet

Angela MaJanuary 1, 2018January 1, 20185 Comments

💡 Theories & Opinions

We Need To Talk, Take 2

Back in 2015, I wrote a post called We Need to Talk. I wrote it fresh out of high school, thinking I understood what it meant to deal with the crazies between your ears. I had no idea what I was talking about. Let’s jazz things up a bit. Over the course of this summer, I meditated, went skydiving, ran races, read books, went backpacking, … Continue reading We Need To Talk, Take 2

Angela MaAugust 25, 2017July 2, 20184 Comments