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Author Archives: simmyw
Valle de Angeles – Introduction
Valle de Angeles, known colloquially as “the valley,” is a municipality in the Honduran department (country division) of Francisco Morazán. At an elevation of 4200 feet and located between Honduras’s mountain ranges, it has the coolest climate in the whole more »
Posted in Honduras
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The Band at La Finca
Alonso, the director of La Finca, loves music and leads a Christian music band comprised of a select few La Finca kids who play drums, base, guitar, keyboard, and sing. Note the kid in jammies in the foreground listening to more »
Posted in Honduras, Music & Art
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Dayana
A few years ago, Jamie’s family met Jose, an old Catholic man who hikes the mountains giving aid to the poor, elderly, and anyone in need. Through him, they were introduced to Dayana, a now fifteen-year-old girl with cerebral palsy more »
La Finca – Introduction
La Finca is a home for abandoned children. It houses about 100 children from ages 2 to 18, only one of which is actually an orphan. Every day when I return to Jamie’s home, I try to write about the children, but more »
Posted in Honduras
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Carmelo, Our Neighborhood
If you leave downtown Valle de Angeles in a southernly direction (no street names around here), walk a mile through pastures past the cemetery and church, maybe take a left, cross a river, and climb a hill, you will find more »
Posted in Honduras
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Tegucigalpa, La Capital de Honduras
To gain the stamp of what was missing the previous day (see 6:30PM from yesterday’s post), we set out for Tegucigalpa the next morning with Jamie and her friends Lillian, Kelly, and Jacky. At the airport, after a customs official more »
Posted in Honduras
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Voyage to Honduras
Since events became increasingly more peculiar and fantastic as the day of my voyage to Honduras progressed, I can’t help but give a detailed account in the time domain. If you want the quick sensational version, skip to 3:30PM or more »
Posted in Honduras
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The Honduras Saga
Ever since my relatives spoke of an orphanage hidden in the forested mountains of Honduras full of abandoned but happy children yearning to meet people and learn, I knew I would someday travel to the children’s home and try to more »
Making Music at MIT
This past Tuesday, I performed at MIT’s graduate student open-mic. Gaston and I had only one day to rehearse. Within one hour of posting the Led Zeppelin cover of Thank You, I received an email from YouTube notifying me that more »
Posted in MIT, Music & Art
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Salt Creek Recreation Area
The tidal pools of Tongue Point Marine Life Sanctuary at Salt Creek Recreation Area are among the best in the Pacific Northwest. When you stand beneath the Douglas firs on the coastal edge at low tide, acres of intertidal pools more »
Posted in West Coast USA
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The Olympic Peninsula – Intro
Before heading south, we explored the tidal zones and old growth forests of Washington State’s Olympic Peninsula.
Posted in West Coast USA
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Olympia
If you wish to find where the 1960′s hippies settled down, Vashon Island is supposedly the resting ground. But if you ever wondered where the hippies are still being grown, Olympia is the happening place. Amplifying the relaxing Seattle cafe more »
Posted in West Coast USA
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West Coast Road Trip
This summer, Chris Hooper (Webb Class 2011) and I are journeying on a road trip from Olympia, WA to southern California. My objective in blogging is to convey what it is like to travel by RV down the West Coast. more »
Posted in West Coast USA
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Summer in Xi'an
My sister, Preeta, is in Xian, China. Visit her blog at www.preetawillemann.com
Posted in Shanghai Adventure 2010
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Beijing – Jonathan Shaller
Jonathan Shaller, a fellow traveler from the Red Lantern Hostel in Beijing, rendered this pavilion using Autodesk Maya. Jonathan is a professional 3D Environmental Artist with an impressive background. Notably, he’s worked on the graphics for The Chronicles of Narnia, more »
Posted in Beijing, Places of Significance
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Back to the States
I must admit that I am now back in New York with my parents and Chris. I will continue to post occasionally, as I still have many places, foods, and cultural oddities to share. Above are impaled sparrows being sold more »
Posted in Cuisine
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Shanghai Violin – Recital Piece
AUDIO Recital Replay During the Spring Festival, only one music store near the Shanghai Music Conservatory was open. It had the floorspace of a typical shop window display with about 20 violins crammed inside. A teacher clapped expressionlessly to a more »
Posted in Music & Art, Shanghai Adventure 2010
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Beijing – Forbidden City – Museum
The Imperial bedroom was the most popular scene in the Forbidden City. Crowds of tourists pressed their lenses up to the glass and peered in to see where the Emperor slept. The symbol on the far wall is “double happiness,” more »
Posted in Beijing, Places of Significance
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Beijing – Forbidden City (Gu Gong)
The Forbidden City served as the Emperor’s Palace in the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368-1644, 1644-1911). It’s the most impressive place I’ve seen in China and happens to be the world’s largest palace complex. To enter the Forbidden City, you more »
Posted in Beijing, Places of Significance
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Beijing – Days 2 & 3
Pictures & videos coming soon. I’ve spent the past two days at The Forbidden City, Tienanmen Square, Zhongshan Park, Silk Street Market, and a family music shop.
Posted in Beijing, Places of Significance
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Beijing – Day 1
In addition to the traveling, hostel life is very interesting. I room with a Frenchman who was originally here to study calligraphy, an Englishman in the video game industry, an American w0man who volunteers for the Peace Core as an more »
Posted in Beijing, Places of Significance
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Beijing – Landing
I just arrived in Beijing and will be here until Feb 21. The only trouble I had was at security. The airport staff unloaded my backpack while asking me if I had an “organ.” Wondering if they really thought I more »
Posted in Beijing, Places of Significance
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Chinese New Year's Eve, Shanghai – Fireworks
VIDEO Fireworks From the Street Fireworks From Apartment In the first video, note the proximity of the fireworks to us, to the apartment complex, and to the car with the alarm. In the second video, note what’s happening next door. more »
Posted in On the Streets, Spring Festival
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Shanghai Eyewear
Ms. Jocelyn Gibbons, the marketing director of Just Eyewear, found me through this blog and requested data on the cost of prescription eyeglasses in Shanghai. I asked around for prescription prices and determined that the most economic option would be to more »
Posted in On the Streets
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HSSI Company Dinner, South Beauty
To celebrate Spring Festival, our company, Herbert Software Systems Inc, went out to South Beauty, a Sichuan restaurant. We were seated in a private room around a large round table which felt more festive than the formal long rectangular tables more »
Posted in Cuisine, HSSI, Spring Festival
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Valentine’s Day in Shanghai
This post is for Chris Hooper in Seattle. Happy Valentine’s Day! Valentine’s Day in Shanghai is a copy of the American holiday with a few added quirks. While flowers and chocolate dominate the event, bouquets of little animal heads are more »
Posted in Human Interaction, On the Streets, Western Influence
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Chinese New Year – Tonight!
I am writing from an apartment overlooking the Huangpu River. My ballet dancer friend, Xu Yuchen, and his family just lit a box of fireworks outside the apartment for the Chinese New Year. It is now 12:40 AM and the more »
Posted in On the Streets, Spring Festival
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Shanghai Violin – Chinese Film
AUDIO In the Mood For Love While my erhu was being touched up in the shop, I practiced on the Shanghai violins hanging on the wall. Most are copies of Stradivari or other famous violins and have extremely unique tones more »
Posted in Music & Art, Shanghai Adventure 2010
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Purchasing an Erhu – Part VI
I returned to Jinling Lu with Mei’s mother’s surgeon’s son, a ballet dancer with street smarts who had his informed friends from a music academy on the phone while we browsed and haggled for erhus. His friends claimed that erhus more »
Posted in Cuisine, Erhu Blog, Music & Art
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Mandarin Chinese's Four Tones
Every conversation is a lesson and my most interesting ones have been on taxi rides. I try to start conversations with the friendly drivers who correct my pronunciation or teach me new phrases. When I first came here, I was more »
Posted in Human Interaction
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