minimalist lifestyle & travel
I recently went to Portland for a few days. It was a short trip where I didn’t really get out of the city or really experience Oregon any further, but I knew that would be the case ahead of time. Luckily, one of the things I was excited about when it came to my Portland trip was the fact that it’s known as a vegan Mecca. And I was ready to eat.
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It’s now been a week since I arrived in Ecuador. Though I’m still dipping my toes into the culture here (culinary and otherwise), I can already tell that life as a vegan or vegetarian here is tough. Or, at least, it can be.
On the surface, it shouldn’t be that hard. I mean, we’re in a country that produces massive amounts of fresh and high-quality plant foods, and a society that consumes plenty of potatoes, rice, and sugar. Should be a dream for those of us who get our kicks on a high-carb, plant-based diet. And the truth is that it can be that simple.
However, if you’re looking to truly indulge in the standard Ecuadorian fare, a few problems can arise.
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After on-and-off vegetarianism for several years, I finally decided to commit fully to veganism a couple of weeks ago. Suddenly, one evening, it just hit me that I needed to do it and it needed to be now—not a gradual transition, but right now and forever. Earthlings may not have played into that initial decision (since I have only watched it since), but it did a hell of a lot to cement that idea as the right thing to do.
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I was sitting on a bed in a nice, clean hotel room, starkly contrasting the centre of Phnom Penh on the other side of the wall. We had sprung for a nice hotel as a reward for finishing our teaching contracts in South Korea. I was tired, my head was spinning from being in this new place, and I panicked: hyperventilating, nauseous, dizzy, clammy, and numb. After, I felt tired and sensitive, vulnerable. That’s when Tim left and came back with three bottles of beer. In that moment, that beer was the best thing that had ever happened to me.
Today is World Mental Health Day. This year’s theme is “Living with Schizophrenia,” and though I have no experience with schizophrenia, I figured I would share some of my insights on anxiety and panic attacks.
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