Making a Conscious Impact in Nepal

I am an incredibly privileged human being. I fully recognize the inherent privilege I have just because I was born in the right place in the right time. I have two incredibly supportive parents and grew up in a wonderful neighborhood where everyone actually checks in with each other and borrows cupfuls of sugar. I went to amazing schools and graduated from a great university. I know that my family would always support me but I also know that not everyone is as privileged as I am. 

I have always known how lucky I am to be living the life I am, but sometimes it is easy to forget about the other part of the world that does not have those luxuries. With the amount of travel I have been on this past year (another privilege I have been granted) it becomes harder to forget these people. 

These people are the vast majority of the world. 

While searching for somewhere to travel on my September break from school, up popped a post on my Facebook newsfeed. Read More...

Hong Kong Layover

Hello to my very small following on the interwebs...

I am back in Doha for my second year!
As I embark on my last (possibly?) year in the sandbox, I am feeling more comfortable and more self aware. Read More...

Nepal 2015- A Call for Donations

Hello y'all!
As some of you may have heard, I live in Qatar. 
OK, unless this is your first time here, you already knew that.


Qatar has awarded me some incredible opportunities. I have a great job, great friends, a great savings, and great travel opportunities.
After whisking myself off to multiple countries and multiple continents for the first time, (on my own dime- thanks Mom and Dad!)this year, I feel like it's time to give that back.
Qatar is an excellent opportunity for me but it may not be for every one. In April, Nepal was hit by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake that left most of the country in ruins. As I am incredibly close and am lucky to get time off of work, I will be spending my break in Nepal to help with rebuilding sustainable long term homes (using my questionable manual labor abilities). There are many Nepalese people living in Qatar and it is believed that many were not able to return home to their families or homes after the earthquake. I cannot bring people back to their families but I can do something- donate my money and my time.

I will be traveling to Nepal with Conscious Impact. Conscious Impact "inspires, mobilizes and trains volunteers to compassionately and selflessly serve those in need through international, cross-cultural collaborations. Our programs are designed to maximize impact through sustainable and community-led solutions."

Although I am donating my own money, I am also putting it out there for my friends and family. I am hoping to raise money for the building supplies as well as for food and shelter for the week.

Follow this link --> EMPOWERED.ORG/LEANNEK
scroll down and click the orange button that says "Donate Now." 
Hint: You are not a robot.

Everything helps- 5 bucks, 20 bucks, words of encouragement- anything you can spare. I thank every single one of you for staying long enough to read this (who actually reads these things?) and a special thanks to those that donate! I will keep you all updated regardless :)



Although voluntourism is something to educate yourself about, I truly believe that through Conscious Impact, I will be doing something good.

A European Summer

Growing up, I didn't hear a whole lot about Poland, but I knew that it is where my grandfather grew up. Being what I would call a European mutt, I identified with being Polish more than anything else.
My mother's family is multiple generation Californian while my paternal grandmother is also quite American. When I did hear about my paternal grandfather's life in Poland before moving to the states, it was always a great thrill. After my grandfather passed away in January of 2013, I made it my goal to make it back to Poland. Read More...

Copenhagen

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Munich

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Berlin

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Gdansk

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Warsaw

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Krakow

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Prague

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Vienna

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Bratislava

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Budapest

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Sporty Spice

As you might have heard, Qatar is hosting (maybe) the Football World Cup in 2022.

In preparation, they have been dipping their toes in a ton of different sports.

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Weekend Getaway

Wanna get away?

A couple of us were thinking it was time to get out of Doha, so of course our first thought was... 

"Why not to the lovely Kingdom of Bahrain?" Read more...

Getting Lost in Translation

Waking up is hard.

On a daily basis, I leave myself enough time to snooze at least two times. 

The morning we were to disembark from the ship was a weird feeling. I really really didn't want to get out of bed. I did not want to end this trip. Read More...

Mallorca Connections

I won't lie- my knowledge of the existence of the island of Mallorca comes exclusively from Harry Potter.

The small island first came on my radar when Vernon Dursley decides he wants to buy a vacation home there, although Harry isn't too keen on the idea.

"Harry couldn’t feel too excited about this. He didn’t think the Dursleys would like him any better in Majorca than they did on Privet Drive." - JK Rowling

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Stuck in Malta

After having such perfect days, my luck was bound to come to an end.

My karma cannot possible be that great. 

I found this out in Mdina, the ancient capital of Malta.   Read More...

Last Day of Italy

I feel that most of the time when traveling, it becomes a race.
Who can make it to the most museums?
Who has the best stories?
Who has the most stamps on their passport?

I cannot lie and say I have not gotten caught up in the game at some point.
The best part of this particular trip was taking a step back and letting the hares of the world take this one while the tortoise (that would be me) slowly strolls to the finish line. Read More...

Selfie-ing in Rome

I have visited Rome once before, but nestled in between trips to Santorini and Florence, the big city was daunting and I left feeling like Rome was just another big city. I knew I had not truly appreciated the history and grandeur that is Rome, so when I learned I would be returning, I was really excited. Read More...

Wandering in Genoa

The first stop on our cruise was the picturesque Genoa. The cruise docked in the port of Savona and we hopped on a bus to explore the city on our own. Read More...

Cruising Barcelona

When my mom and I sat down to decide where we should go when she came to visit, it was a pretty easy decision. I had never been on a cruise before and it would satisfy our basic needs- spending a lot of time together and seeing some amazing places. A cruise in the Mediterranean was the answer! With the help of our travel secret weapon (my aunt Katie) we were all set- long before any of paperwork to actually move to Qatar was finished. Read More...

One Day in Doha

Although I have bought a nice camera and do really like to take pictures, there are certain times that I just forget to take it out. This mostly happens in my favorite moments; when I am too busy enjoying the company of the people I am with.

When my mom came to visit me in Doha, you can guess what happened. 

Ever since I found out I would be moving to the Middle East, I have been waiting for the moment that my mom steps off the plane and I got to show her around. When we discovered that we had the same spring break for this school year, we quickly began planning our future trip.  Read more...

Qatar International Food Festival

A little while back, Qatar hosted an international food festival. I am not a huge foodie, and anyone who knows me can tell you that I am quite particular about what I will eat. Nevertheless, I had to check it out. Read more...

Doha: Almost Pretty

Qatar may not be known for its gorgeous landscapes, but I have now discovered that in fact, there are some pretty areas.

A few of us have dubbed Doha's new motto "Doha: It's almost pretty." There are drives along the corniche when the sun is rising and it is gorgeous. Sometimes you turn the bend and the lights of West Bay look amazing. But, then you turn your head and have a view of the huge National Museum construction or a huge lot of cranes and you're like "ohhh, nevermind." Doha is still building itself up so it seems to be trying very hard but it's not quite there yet. So, as I said- almost pretty. Read More...

A Little Family in the Desert

Living abroad has been relatively easy to adjust to. Doha is fairly modern and anything you need is easily accessible. I do have to say I was very naive before coming here and had no idea what I was getting myself into. Would there by cow's milk for my cereal? Was the water drinkable? 

I realize how stupid my questions about Doha are now that I have been here for eight months. Bringing my Pur water filter with me and recipes for breakfasts that are not cereal and milk were wasted. I sometimes forget that I live in the Middle East when I run to the mall to go to the grocery store and pick up some bath bubbles at Lush.

Truly, the hardest part of living abroad is the time difference. Read More...

From The Beach To The Backwaters

On the cab ride to our next hotel in Alleppey, I have never wished for a seat belt more. I have been trained since a child that the first thing you do when you get in a car is put on your seatbelt. Driving in Doha is not an safe nor easy feat and seat belt safety is not a huge thing. I constantly have to tell my students how important it is to wear your seatbelt but mostly get back a chorus of "they are yucky, I don't like."
Driving in India was even worse- in a different way. Lane dividers seemed to be a slight suggestion. I have seen drivers in Doha decide to just use the lane for oncoming traffic to further their place in the traffic, but only a few times. In India, it seemed like it was just a free for all. The car horn is also used as a "hey, heads up! I'm coming through!" signal, so when you are constantly in the other lane, it becomes a steady string of honks that eventually give you a headache.
While playing the ever fun game of "Spot the celebrity that is clearly not getting paid for this advertisement work" (which included a picture of Michael Jackson on a beauty salon sign- no joke), we wound our way through Kerala to Alleppey where the famed backwaters are located. We eventually made it alive and checked into our new hotel. Read More...

Surfing With A Little Soul

The best part about living in Doha is leaving.




...but not in a bad way.

Doha is still growing and although it isn't quite ready for the mass amount of people that live here, I do really like it. I like when I get to go out to breakfast or brunch at Jones and (sometimes) just wandering the malls with my friends. The rugby club is always fun and getting to watch friends sing on a Wednesday night is a good break to the week.
Even the long car rides aren't so bad when you have good music and good people in your passenger seat.

But, teaching abroad in a place that allows for easy travel and being able to take advantage of this is by far the number one benefit. I have been able to see things that there is no way I could afford to do if I was paying $2,000/ month for a closet in San Francisco. And although I do miss my family and friends and sometimes feel like their lives are continuing on while I am missing out (hello, engagements!!???), I know that what I experience here will continue with me for the rest of my life. 

After only three weeks of work after arriving back from South Africa, I got to set out on a plane to India! Read More...

The Last Days

After arriving back from shark diving, we took the opportunity to take a nap (much needed). After waking up, we ventured out and got one of the most amazing burgers ever just down the street from our hostel. After, we headed out on the back patio and drinking some of our Reyneke wine in cheap glasses from the communal kitchen. Early the next morning, we decided to take a drive down to Camp's Bay which we had heard from multiple sources was an amazing beach. Read More...

Cloud Porn

We headed back to Cape Town after finishing at Reyneke Wines. We quickly checked in to our hostel and had some lunch. We were staying at a hostel that had a bar and restaurant included downstairs so it was nice to get something quick and easy before our next excursion: Table Mountain! Read More...

Wine, Wine, and More Wine

We drove into Stellenbosch after checking out of our hostel in Cape Town. After dropping our bags off, we decided to walk around and explore. We hadn't done much research but we knew we needed to get some wine immediately. Read more...

Neighbourgood

This post should really be dedicated to Chase Mullen and his fabulous photography skills. When I mentioned heading to Cape Town, everyone that I asked for recommendations RAVED about the Saturday market at the Old Biscuit Mill. Unfortunately, we had planned on being in Stellenbosch on our only Saturday in Cape Town. After some quick discussions, we decided it would be worth piling in the stupid little Hyundai and heading back into Cape Town just for the morning. After waking up early and heading in, we arrived at the Saturday Neighbourgoods Market. At this point, my camera went away and I just walked around with my wallet full and my stomach empty. When leaving, my hands were full of goodies and my stomach was full of delicious food. So, without Chase, this post would not exist as I took approximately two photos all day. Read More...

Capetonians Part 1

After a quick flight, we landed in Cape Town! We knew we had picked a good hostel by their lovely choice in cab drivers. We were picked up by Jeff, a very friendly and open man. He proceeded to tell us all about his life and his lovely family. he was thrilled to be picking up Cheryl and Chase and proceeded to wax poetic about married life. But, when he started talking about Cheryl birthing their first child and her changing body, things got a bit weird; as the token single friend, I sat quietly in the back and tried not to laugh. We soon pulled up to our hostel, which at around 9 PM, was completed packed. Little did we know, there was an adjoining bar- which was bumpin. I rolled my suitcase through the drunken crowds to check in. We got into our room with two bunk beds (cozy!) and quickly went to sleep. Read More...

Safari Chic

One of the best things about going on safari is getting to wear a safari vest. We all bought them as a silly joke, but it honestly turned out to be incredibly useful as my vest had 27 pockets. It fits everything of value right on you in any spot you want so I ended up wearing it throughout all the airports. I also learned from Cheryl that a buff is a necessity. They are sold everywhere and can be used in a variety of ways (not just on Survivor). So I quickly purchased one to keep my hair out of my face on open air drives.  And it instantly makes you look cool and sporty. Read More...

Twelve Hour Days

4:30 AM wake up calls are not exactly what I had in mind for my vacation. But, when you might be able to see the Big Five, you're willing to make some sacrifices. Read More...

A Wander at the Kruger

The last days at school before my winter break went by in a haze of National Day, packing, and the lingering thought of "In two days, I will be in SOUTH AFRICA!"
I spent my last day quickly packing while fitting in as many showings of The Lion King as I possibly could before jumping on a plane to Johannesburg, South Africa! Read More...

The Big Five (and other featured characters)

The Big Five are considered to be the hardest five animals to hunt on foot by hunters. These days, a sighting of all five seems to be the stamp of approval that you had a successful safari. For me, seeing the Big Five was a success, but really only just the beginning of a great plethora of wildlife that created my amazing safari experience in Kruger National Park. Read More...