Trout Fishing at Night

For those of you who know me, you know I truly hate bugs with every fiber of my being. The little “zzzzzzzzzz” in my ears, the feeling of tiny little things bouncing off my face or crawling in my hair…Ugh. I can’t stand it.

But I have this cousin here. His name is Carl. And he’s a trout fishing freak. OK, maybe the word freak has too many negative connotations. Continue reading

Traveling & Research in Dominica: June 18-21, 2014

(Cross posted at on Peter Marina’s blog)

Dominica (dom-eh-NEE-ca) immediately impresses as a volcanic island that does justice to the word awe. The rolling hills and towering mountains, thick rainforest and hot sulfur springs, the stunning waterfalls and bubbling lakes, and perhaps best of all, a Caribbean culture yet to be tainted from tourism, make this island stunning and magical. The plane circles the high mountains of the island making even seasoned flight commuters squirm in their seats at the thought of their airship landing – or crashing – into the mountains. The plane descends unevenly into the mountains, somehow navigating in between them towards a tiny airstrip which looks like a thin piece of scotch tape.

Though the beauty of the island is flowing and flawless, ethnographically speaking, things fell apart immediately. Continue reading

Barbados, Summer 2014 – Notes: July 15 – 18

(Cross posted on PeterMarina.com)

From New Orleans, the plane headed straight to the rolling hills of Barbados where Pastor Michael Alleng picked me up near the capital Bridgetown. Alleng heads Evening Light Pentecostal Church in Arch Hall, Barbados. He is a tall, lanky man standing at about six feet two inches and drives a green car. He travels frequently to other churches in Barbados, the Caribbean, and the United States, guest preaching at the churches of several leaders he knows through PAWI (Pentecostal Assemblies of the West Indies). For example, Continue reading