Author: Deren Temel

2019, This Season, Vietnam '14 '15 '17 '18 '19

Podcast: How journaling helps us recover from anxiety “spiraling”

Podcast: Happier Digital Nomad – Journaling with Deren Temel – Ep. 18  During the past five years, I’ve been tracking an all-consuming mental state I call, “Spiraling”. Spiraling is when negative thoughts bounce around my head and in a sense eat my brain, my energy, and my happiness. Usually, my spirals last a few minutes or at most an hour. As a young man I got, … Continue reading Podcast: How journaling helps us recover from anxiety “spiraling”

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2019, This Season

Passport Dashboard

Conjugating Time: My data dashboard personal project To pull from the linguist process, I wanted to understand how long I have been outside the USA. It’s a question I guestimate whenever I meet someone new. If I calculate global citizenry with the seven-year duration that is required to be a US citizen, would seven years outside our home make us a “citizen of nowhere”? It’s … Continue reading Passport Dashboard

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2019, Africa, Tanzania '19, This Season

Last day in Tanzania: Saturday, February 9th, 2019

Today I woke up at 9:30 AM and kicked around the living room with Joakim making coffee and talking about Vietnam. At 11:30 AM Jonas and Mikyung woke up and we all had meats and cheese for breakfast. It was a European morning with the French press coffee, beard, and cheese. Then we piled into the car and drove down the street to Slipway – … Continue reading Last day in Tanzania: Saturday, February 9th, 2019

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2019, Africa, Tanzania '19, This Season

Zanzibar – Friday, February 8th, 2019

This morning, I woke straight up and headed to the ATM around the grassy corner before taking a much delayed Uber back to the Zanzibar ferry. With Jonas busy and Joakim incapacitated by some illness. I decided to go on my own and spend four hours exploring the UNESCO World Heritage City of Stone Town, Zanzibar. Zanzibar is famous for beaches throughout the island, I … Continue reading Zanzibar – Friday, February 8th, 2019

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2019, Africa, Tanzania '19, This Season

3 Days in Dar: Thursday, February 7th, 2019

Few photos of these days remain because I lost my phone on the way back to Vietnam.  I woke up at 5:50AM with the intention of taking a solo day trip to Zanzibar island. When I got up I also roused Joakim, who seemed to faint from exhaustion. Confused he woke up Jonas and they tired to further stabilize his condition. There wasn’t much I … Continue reading 3 Days in Dar: Thursday, February 7th, 2019

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2019, Africa, Tanzania '19, This Season

3 Days in Dar: Wednesday, February 6th, 2019

We woke up a bit late, because we had been up late the night before and then I did the dishes from the dinner the night before. Then Joakim and I Ubered to Jonas’ office to eat lunch at a small outdoor restaurant assembled in the alleyway between a building adjacent to Jonas’ office at the WWF. I finally got to try Ugali, which is … Continue reading 3 Days in Dar: Wednesday, February 6th, 2019

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2019, Africa, Tanzania '19, This Season

3 Days in Dar: Tuesday, February 5th, 2019

Few photos remain from the final days in Tanzania because I lost my phone on the way back to Vietnam Joakim and I woke up at roughly the same time and we made coffee with Jonas’ french press.  Mikyong had already departed for her offices and left us gentlemen to our own devices. We sat at their beautiful living room table with a large window … Continue reading 3 Days in Dar: Tuesday, February 5th, 2019

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2019, Africa, Tanzania '19, Uncategorized

Tarangire National Park: Monday, February 4th

After waking up from a vivid dream about Liam and his family converting their house into a Starbucks cafe. I woke up in a healthy daze and stumbled downstairs with aching knees for a quick breakfast. Then Hans, the safari Jeep driver, and Brain, the owner of Dahila Tours, took us by Jeep to a supermarket to withdraw cash and pay for the day’s events. … Continue reading Tarangire National Park: Monday, February 4th

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2019, Africa, Tanzania '19, This Season

Kilimanjaro Day 6: Sunday, February 3rd, 2019

We woke up in the lash oxygen and forest and had a small breakfast in the dining tent. Then had the tip giving ceremony. We gave the porters their tips and then they sang the Kilimanjaro song for us – which is a wonderful moment for everyone. We had another beautiful hike through the rainforest region towards the main gate. We were cheerful and light-hearted … Continue reading Kilimanjaro Day 6: Sunday, February 3rd, 2019

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2019, Africa, Tanzania '19, This Season

Uhuru Peak: Saturday, February 2nd, 2019

I woke up nervously at 11:30PM to an alarm that frightened me.  It was still dark, cold, and drizzling snow or sleet outside. It had even lightly hailed throughout the late evening’s darkness. We all met in the mess tent where I showed each other all the layers were assured ourselves with and I showed off my 3 layers of socks, 5 top layers, 3 … Continue reading Uhuru Peak: Saturday, February 2nd, 2019

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2019, Africa, Tanzania '19, This Season

Kilimanjaro Day 5: Friday, February 1st, 2019

We gathered for a carbo-loaded breakfast of crepes, bread, omelet, hot chocolate, Africafe, and Kilimanjaro tea.  I spent the morning talking to Samwele with my endless questions. Jonas made these interview vlogs of us commenting on our climbs. At the time, we thought they were annoying for, but I’m happy we have them now. Then we went to the bathrooms and prepared for the track. … Continue reading Kilimanjaro Day 5: Friday, February 1st, 2019

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2019, Africa, Tanzania '19, This Season

Kilimanjaro Day 4: Thursday, January 31st, 2019

I woke up at 7:30 AM and I had to go use the insanely smelly toilets – nearly vomiting while inside. Standing alongside the camp were guides using brick phones (preferred because their batteries last forever) to call their families and colleagues on other sides of the mountain.  Today’s challenge would be to ascend the large steep Barranco Wall. The Wall required us to climb … Continue reading Kilimanjaro Day 4: Thursday, January 31st, 2019

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2019, Tanzania '19, This Season

Kilimanjaro Day 3: Wednesday, January 30th, 2019

I think that night I used the pee bottle I carried with me from Vietnam. God bless those wide-mouthed energy drink bottles because in the dead of night there was no way in hell I would have gone outside. I feel a bit bad for Joakim you had the misfortune of sleeping in the same tent as me when I used the pee bottle. I … Continue reading Kilimanjaro Day 3: Wednesday, January 30th, 2019

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2019, Africa, Tanzania '19, This Season

Kilimanjaro Day 2: Tuesday, January 29th, 2019

I woke up a bit chilly in the rain forest zone. Albert saw me hurting in the cold and told me that the next camp would be even colder. Everyone was in disbelief that I was so sensitive to the cold.  Moving from the warm sleeping tent, we all assembled in the dining tent for a hot chocolate, tea, and crepes for breakfast. Then we … Continue reading Kilimanjaro Day 2: Tuesday, January 29th, 2019

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2019, Africa, Tanzania '19, This Season

Kilimanjaro Day 1: Monday, January 28th, 2019

The next morning, we rummaged through the equipment we would rent and then got into a bus with 14 porters, cooks and guides. Following the Tanzania law, we would climb the mountain with a little army dedicated to our success and comfort. The bus bumped along the good roads, and grooved to loud reggae and Tanzanian pop, around we traveled three hours to Moshi town … Continue reading Kilimanjaro Day 1: Monday, January 28th, 2019

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2019, Africa, Tanzania '19, This Season

Kilimanjaro Day 0: Sunday, January 27th, 2019

Our propeller plane landed at the Arusha airport on mid-day Sunday under a bright direct Sun. This was the first airport I’d ever seen where the passengers waited for the plane while sitting in an open-air sun shelter. The luggage just flopped out of the plane’s underbelly and we collected it from the tarmac. Stepping into the sun and grass-scented air on the tarmac was … Continue reading Kilimanjaro Day 0: Sunday, January 27th, 2019

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2019, Indonesia '18, This Season

Day 11: Heading Home

Indonesian Food We woke up in a good mood and made a bunch of jokes as we welcomed the first morning of 2019. Then we went for yet another disappointing Indonesian breakfast! Indonesian food just isn’t good to us. We find it simple and villagey. It is just rice and protein. It seems to lack the refined culinary traditions of Thailand and Vietnam. I couldn’t … Continue reading Day 11: Heading Home

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2018, Indonesia '18, This Season

Day 10: Sea Turtles

Save the Planet This morning we wake up to a buckle of six baby sea turtles. At 6:00AM we walked the little turtles to the beach to let them instinctively scamper into the waves. They are born along on the beach with only one thought, “head for the ocean”. That’s exactly what they did the moment they were released on the sand. Only 1/1000 of … Continue reading Day 10: Sea Turtles

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2018, Indonesia '18, This Season

Day 5: Waterfall #400,000

Cowboys In Paradise Today I woke up a bit late around 10:00 and had coffee with the German woman Sabine. She told me in detail about her experience with intercultural relationships. She also told me that Indonesia, in particular Bali, has many western women dating Indonesian men. Almost like Thailand, but for women instead of men. Then she showed me a YouTube preview for a … Continue reading Day 5: Waterfall #400,000

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2018, Indonesia '18, This Season

Day 4: Yogyakarta

I woke up early in the morning to the sounds of four Indonesian master snorers practicing in their sleep. Inspired by the animism of Pokémon, I imagined that the Snorlax (a huge snoring Pokémon) must be native to Indonesia. I was rescued by my earplugs and slept until 7:30AM when I got up and ate a polite breakfast with my snoring assailants – four well … Continue reading Day 4: Yogyakarta

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