Tour de France 2007: the race is on!

It all begins July 7th. The cycling race that captures the world's attention and the hearts of many continues a tradition born over a century ago in a Paris brasserie. But this year, the Tour will be launched for the first time from England. With the prologue in London, and London to Canterbury the first stage, the 2007 race is on...

This article appeared in Go English magazine, which is distributed in North America, Europe and North Africa. It was also translated into French for Bien-dire magazine.

The Senegal tea ceremony

The three rounds of tea known as attaya defy American culture and leave you wide-eyed, in more ways than one. It sounds like a huge task for such a small glass of tea, but its two-hour preparation speaks for itself. The Senegalese know that as each round of attaya gets sweeter, it symbolizes a friendship that grows sweeter with time...



This article appeared as a cover story for Tea Experience Digest, the best-selling tea magazine on Amazon.com. This quarterly magazine is currently sold in specialty teashops, tea rooms and B&Bs nationwide, and is available in 71 Borders Bookstores across the U.S..

A prayer for Mariame

As the sun’s rays woke and stretched over the rainforest, another Sunday began as usual. Six-year old Mariame and two of her brothers would soon leave their mud brick home to walk the dusty road to my house, a western-style concrete building with light bulbs and toilets. Two more different little girls would have been hard to find. Our lives crossed 20 years ago in the West African country of Côte d’Ivoire, and I find them still crossing in my mind...

This article appeared on Hackwriters, the international writers magazin and online portfolio of good writing including fiction, travel, comment or lifestyles. The focus is on real people, real lives..

Minding your French manners

I made the mistake of assuming that my manners would come with me across the pond as naturally as my southern accent did. The years of my mother’s training in the home were followed by etiquette classes in college, and I felt quite at ease in a formal dining environment. Then I moved to France...

This article appeared on Expat Exchange, the largest online community for English-speaking expatriates with an average 125,000 visitors monthly. Read the full article here.

Learning from Daouda

"Asalaam malecum," I said, greeting the man wearing a lab coat as I took off my plastic sandals and entered in. I had only been in the West African country of Senegal for a few months, but already my cultural eyes had adjusted. I could see that this small, cement block building, with no water or electricity, was a symbol of progress for the village of Sindou. Unlike their neighbors, they now had a clinic...

This article appeared on Hackwriters, the international writers magazine and online portfolio of good writing including fiction, travel, comment or lifestyles. The focus is on real people, real lives.. Read full article here.

Ritual sacrifice in Senegal

The Lébou people say that not knowing is bad, but not seeking knowledge is worse. Actually, they say, “Xamul aay na, laajtewul a ko raw.” My friend Astu quoted this to me as I was lamenting the cultural gaffes I had made since arriving in Senegal.

I had forgotten to take off my sandals before going into the huts. I had accidentally touched a Muslim holy man who believed touching women made him impure. I had mispronounced the word for teacher and introduced my language tutor as my circumciser, much to her embarrassment. But with those experiences behind me, I was ready to seek more knowledge and understanding. I was ready to tackle celebrating Tabaski, Senegalese-style, with Astu and her family....

This article appeared on Travelmag, a comprehensive forum for real travel writing by real travellers. Correspondents go well beyond the guidebook routes, illuminating little-known corners of the globe, revealing a bit about themselves as well. Read full article here.

Ethical travel

This photo appeared in the Ethical Travel section of Transitions Abroad magazine.

A USA Thanksgiving tour

The U.S. celebrates Thanksgiving with family gatherings, turkey feasts and American National Football League (NFL) games. In New York City, you can add the fantastic Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. On the day after Thanksgiving, prepare for incredible and crazy shopping at the nation’s largest retail and entertainment complex, the Mall of America...

This five-page article appeared in English Now, which is distributed in North America, Europe and North Africa.