Hello friends! I have so much to write about and tell you about! It makes me feel pretty bad that I’m so behind in keeping you all updated, but alas, life is busy and until I’m a full-time adventure travel writer, it is what it is. In an effort to maintain communication, I decided I … More Book Review: Island of a Thousand Mirrors
I recently made a video highlighting our favorite memories and most important aspects of our trip. I took videos during the trip specifically for this reason, so that now when you read the Green Story that I wrote about, you can see how windy it was or how funny it was when we were distracted from … More C21S Nomads 2014
Right now as I look outside my window, I only see brown and white, and am really missing the beautiful green of spring and summer. The Green Story This is a really short story that took place right after we left the Akkara Ataseeya village near Polannaruwa. As I wrote before, leaving the village was … More Green Story
It is the second day of snow, and against all the odds, Virginia Tech has cancelled classes. Some, not all, but some, which has been enough to keep us inside for the majority of the day watching movies and eating junk food, although we did make one snowy trek outside for some photo shoot adventures. … More Colored Stories Snow Day edition: Polannaruwa pt 1
This is another blog that I had written for our class blog and thought I would share here. It is about reading culture-something that can be very difficult to do, especially when you are first introduced to that culture, so please forgive my lack of knowledge about Buddhism. Sri Dalada Maligawa, or the Temple of … More Temple of the Tooth
For the last three days, we lived and worked in the Akkara Ataseeya village located in the Polonnaruwa district. We arrived in the evening and were welcomed with flower necklaces and dancers in traditional costume. We sat in a circle and had a welcoming ceremony and then were assigned to our host families. I got … More Village life
Our time in Sri Lanka has been jam-packed with activities, both genuinely authentic and touristy, and by the end of the day we are all exhausted. We have gone from city to city and village to town learning a lot and meeting some amazing people. I will post more as the time comes, but for … More Sigiriya Rock
Rachel's Travel Journal 