Writing archive
New writing lives on Substack — essays, notes, and the conversations I’m having now. This page is the Vagabondess Blog Archive: articles published August 2012 through March 2024.
Yesterday, I turned 24.The past year has been anything but boring as vagabonded my way from Europe to Africa to the U.S. and back, teaching yoga, doing marketing, starting work at elephant journal and publishing over 100 pieces of writing along the way.
I Want to Do All of the Things — an essay from Toby’s on-site writing archive, written before new work moved to Substack.
Valle dei Templi (Valley of the Temples), Agrigento, Sicily “The climate’s delicate; the air most sweet. Fertile the isle, the temple much surpassing The common praise it bears.” — ShakespeareI could write—and, indeed, have written—many pages about Sicily.
What is this Feeling? …Nostalgia — an essay from Toby’s on-site writing archive, written before new work moved to Substack.
So, what are you doing here?They say it kindly—with honest curiosity—and they say it in Italian, but that is the question.The woman at the cheese shop who patiently helps me taste 10 local varieties before wrapping up my selections.
il bar.Bar Willy sits at one corner of a busy plaza in Trastevere—at the edge of Rome.Its staff are a typically diverse mix, representing Asia, Africa and “the Continent” too. (Rome is a massive epicenter for immigrants to the country.
Fiumicino Airport.I arrive haggard, disoriented and ready to drop after a red-eye from Detroit, a 12-hour layover in Amsterdam, and a much delayed flight to Rome.Naturally, my pack is last to appear at the baggage claim.
In Zanzibar Fruit falls from trees– Like shimmering coins– And is trampled underfoot. No one wants to sell it When tourist dollars Taste so much sweeter. In Zanzibar Living is cheap But being a peacock Is free.
The Importance of a Quest — an essay from Toby’s on-site writing archive, written before new work moved to Substack.
“Hakuna Matata” — an essay from Toby’s on-site writing archive, written before new work moved to Substack.
The Difference A Word Makes: belonging, departure, and what home means when your address keeps changing.
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