Category: travel blog

What to Work

April 29, 2026 by Cassandra Johnson

My Venezuelan friend gave me permission she did not realize she was giving me. She okayed my desire to get a lot of work in and feel thoroughly as if I had gotten my day’s work done before I went down the street from our co-living space in Bogota, Colombia to the nearby mall.

She had given me permission to do what I really wanted to do, while most everyone else was touring. She had given me the permission to get work done and relax and maybe tour later, or not tour at all, but rather just live the local moments. She had given me permission, not literally, but by being my friend, she had given me permission to do what I wanted authentically.

Heading to the mall or store (I would see), I was remembering the options they had in the food court and heck, maybe even stopping off earlier at the store that very much reminded me of Trader Joe’s back in my country. Should I cook something simple from the place we are sharing with other travelers today or should I get some ready-prepared casual food to go? I had a chance to do a mix of both.

I cannot adequately attribute the details of the entire moments to each day. Over the variety of times, I grabbed some snacks and easy options to cook in the shared kitchen. One of my favorite restaurants, Qbano (a cute play on Cubano) was a frequent stop in the mall. I recall getting the mixed veggie bowl and crispy thick fries. I added some churros to offer my friend once I returned.

I had booked my stay in the area for several days. yet was extending my days little by little at the end, considering whether I should go to Cartagena or an entirely different country. As we sat there in the evening, in my comfort of working across from her at the large, shared desk, she was asking me if I had decided to go the next day, disappointed when I said yes and visibly relieved when I said I was staying a little longer.

She gave me the permission, without her knowing, she gave me the permission to be myself, not only comfortable as a workaholic, ticking things down off my list, but also there for the exploring, wandering, and fun.

I sat there, peaceful in having this time and being in the not-so-familiar position of following up to see when she would be free to grab a coffee, not happy hour, in this instance. Coffee-shop mood was the matching backdrop for our dynamic. She had introduced me to Varietale, when she could not join and was still working from our temporary place and I was looking forward to going to Liberatario with her, not too far from our place. She had good taste. Liberatario was within walking distance and Varietale had been within exercise-walking distance for me.

One night she did not seem too entirely into working, although I assumed she was, but yet as she invited me to the other side of the table to see what captured her, I was pleased to see she was enjoying the Miss Universe 2024 Pageant. She was rooting for Miss Venezuela as we gathered around her computer, I rooted for several contestants. Miss Venezuela, Miss Mexico and Miss Nigeria. Miss Nigeria, was so gorgeous. We were impressed by many, interested in all the contestants’ performances, category by category. Miss Denmark had some inspiring answers.

Another guest, also her friend was rooting for Miss Nigeria only. (Nee- her-ia) he lingeringly enunciated, lingering especially in the middle (as if in those moments, he was within momentary dreams). I giggled to myself. He was from Venezuela too, waiting for a consulate appointment in Colombia. He was always so friendly, genuinely interested in all the people circulating around this bit of office space and in and out of the adjacent kitchen.

My friend. Glad to have her for the time, if not every time. I returned to the same place months later. She had gone. I thought of her often while I conversed with others in our old space. She and I had settled into safety in everything: food, giggles, chats over romantic prospects, geopolitics, Making easy work of work, It was a need for us both, I like to think.

I remembered the story she told me of dangerously crossing the Venezuelan-Colombian border. I was impressed by the business she had grown and how social media savvy she was. I watched one of her many video presentations. I was excited when she received another new client, while we were together. Her eyes filled with happy tears from the excitement I expressed.

We sat in Liberatario the last night, shortly before I would finally be leaving. We had mentioned discussing in detail, some romantic disappointment I had recently experienced, but then, I no longer had the desire to spend those moments lamenting a jilted relationship. We could just enjoy ourselves. There is a time for venting but it dissipated in the ambience.

I just wanted the space and the time that we always made. She told me of one downside to her business experience to which I relayed some comforting advice in Spanish, that felt more as if it was being delivered through me than by me. Mostly our laughter mixed, we appreciated the artwork around us and a simple break from working – a break from trying.

From the Office

April 28, 2026 by Cassandra Johnson

DC has not changed much. A lot of restaurants and bars have fallen away, however. It has not changed a lot over the years from 2006. At the same time, a lot of places have closed and been replaced, there are a lot of old haunts that encompassed my newer stomping grounds in my second home following my home state. Some establishments are no longer there, just the old building itself, closed, a type of homage to its memory.

U Street. Dupont Circle. Farragut North. Just to name a few of my favorite neighborhoods and depending on what mood touched me, I liked to find myself in Georgetown, Farragut West, and some others up to the point where I really just got a kick out of visiting Friendship Heights ultimately moving into this chill neighborhood.

I was a little dejected in the beginning, however, because, though I liked Takoma Park, Maryland in which I had initially moved for a while, I had anxiously imagined living in DC proper. DC was not far. Two metro stops a way and a short walk was all, but traveling from Maryland through DC and working in Virginia was not quite matching the dream I had duly imagined since my eighth-grade trip of living in DC, once I had finished college. Of course, this was also most suitable for the images of me as a potential ambassador😊.

Though a little removed for the first several years, my curiosity for events and culture meant leaning into the proximity. I made a good habit of hanging in the District for museums, art, dining and special events, though I was ultimately coincidentally intrigued with the nearby cities in Maryland and Virginia.

I did not have as much interest in where I worked outside of DC, but grew to like it, as it encompassed what we affectionately call the DMV, just the same as where I lived in Maryland. I also increasingly appreciated being in this area.

The exposure gave me an introduction I was not expecting and experiences I otherwise may not have ever discovered. Where I worked and lived in those first few years added to my perspective. It was similar when picking international trips as a digital nomad. You land in other notable spots, make unexpected acquaintances, and even the sour moments shape all you are to be.

March 2026 Blog/Poetry and Prose – 2

Cassandra Johnson

3-29-2026: Pressure and excitement to perform over the hope of a new day.

Waking up inspired. Going to bed tired.

No plans for sleep, but softly falling into it.

Traveling to fulfill my goal of volunteering abroad while fulfilling my efforts to volunteer domestically, it is never long lost on me that motivation comes from lessons and practice.

Telling Time

Travel in What Pictures Cannot Capture

January 27, 2026 by Cassandra Johnson
Travel in what pictures cannot capture.
Travel in that, from which pictures can just borrow a piece.

When I first landed in Merida, I did not expect to stay so long, though I thought it efficient to run out my tourist Visa. (180 days).

I look at my photos, yes picturesque, yet they do not capture all the beauty and anguish interwoven into the weeks. They don’t match the ease I felt sitting in the sun after a long project and drinking agua fresca. Salsa in the bar. Daily free performances. Restaurant stands. Cute shops. The pictures do not capture the taste of a good Mexican meal, only the appearance and sometimes, they mistakenly highlight a tasteless Yucatecan one.

The pictures are graciously appreciated yet also inconsiderate of the anxiety I felt leaving a nice Merida neighborhood for an inconvenient one.

Pictures borrow a piece from the scenery, they borrow a piece from the nostalgia, they borrow a piece from the senses that engage in the moment. They borrow from the delight and sometimes veil the anxious spirit. They borrow and allow a revisit to the places, to the feelings and sometimes uplift a moment that was not uplifting and alternately dull a moment absolutely beyond exhilarating.

The experiences were unimaginable. I am glad I tested out a desire to see the Mexican city among the many, and look forward to soon seeing if the feelings, both okay and good, are still there. Yet, short, round-trip ticket, this time.😊

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Far-reaching

January 26, 2026 by Cassandra Johnson
Feeling within the capacity to be strong enough
Knowing well the reserve of willingness and resilience
Feeling the mirage of perceived limitation
all the time, knowing the goals obtained. As well, projected.

I started talking to my new coach just one week ago and connecting with her again this week, I knew we were a good match. Being yourself without having to prove yourself is one of the nicest places to be.

Safe space lies in authentic encouragement and likewise, in the acknowledgment of skills and accomplishments. Being seen.

Being encouraged to continue to do work that aligns with my passions is satiating. I thank her for the tools to progress even further and to be kind with even the personally coping steps that landed at my past goals, just the same.

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Unlocked

December 31, 2025 by Cassandra Johnson

The stumbling blocks along  the path. Duly recognized.

No reason to be ashamed when what is true is that you made it through.

 A past survived. No need to let go when the world continues to hold on to you.

[May 2026 publications, additions]

Life lessons. Varying. Aptly recognized, I now have more information to take on my next project plus travel endeavors. Maybe there is an enhanced way to complete my translation, teach a student, and travel to South America? There may be parts I can skip altogether.

Without reinventing myself. I can embrace the highlights and the issues I have had to improve my steps and continue helping local and international communities.

A Little Direction

December 30, 2025 by Cassandra Johnson

I took a couple of local trips. Perhaps, I will be able to work something out in January too.

I am working out some combination to include volunteering and working but with some significant changes that work better for my schedule and the assistance I can provide to the organization I choose. I will circle back around as updates come.

The first year of my blog captured a lot of my volunteer thoughts abroad. I highlight Peru and my previous experiences with disaster relief, in particular. I also have some time that touches a little on volunteering in the US. I always wanted to do both, but there are times when I feel it becomes tainted by the leadership structure.

There are other times I joined projects in my home state before doing so in DC, when I first moved to DC, and other projects in places like Ecuador and Bolivia, but what I want to do also becomes limited by my job. Overall I am intrigued to volunteer some more, because I feel it fits well into continuing to learn with others and grow together. This time, perhaps, my efforts will just be a little different. My work experience may lean a lot more to what I can do and also changing who I am.

Cali, Colombia

November 30, 2025 BY CASSANDRA JOHNSON

Cali. I had a feeling I would really like this major Colombian city. Nice and warm, I found myself taking a stroll each day looking for a particular food spot or coffee shop. From a variety of points, I could work/chill with a little dessert and a warm variation of a sweet beverage. Cafe mocha, cappuccino, etc and by now, I had also developed a taste for Colombian coffee. The only factors slowing me down were the hills and the steep drop offs, some occasional rain. I was continuously walking up, reminding myself that it was going to be so much easier coming back, but honestly the steep downslopes were something one should brace for as well.

Well, I made it and I notice that once I know there is a spot within reach, no matter how far, I am compelled to get there, even foolhardily. I laughingly remember a friend getting lost from his hostel in Cochabamba, Bolivia and he said something to the effect that if you are going to wander off, don’t do it downhill, seeing as how he had to return at the opposite angle, righting himself up a steep incline.😊

I leaned into Cali’s ambience. People were friendly, not too particularly focused on what my story might be, but still engaging, treating me as if I could be from there or aptly treating me like a welcome guest. Cartagena would later prove similar, though the weather was much hotter.

Cali had left me curious. It was a place where more people looked like me and previously, I had just spent a day or less there. Fortunately, I was able to stay for about 12 days this latter time, since I could be flexible with my bus tickets from there back to Bogota. I liked purchasing them in person on the day of my trip, leaving my bags in the bus terminal luggage storage, so I could be free to walk about and eat in the city, leaving any weight behind. I also left them behind when arriving before accommodation check-in times.

I knew the bus station well by now. I had taken to the budget travel option over the flight I took into Colombia primarily when I arrived the very first time in Colombia and stayed in Medellin.   

Cali is a place I could have stayed for a majority of my 90-day Visa but I was also ready to get back to the chillier Bogota for a work minus distraction strategy that Bogota was more suitable to me for, and what I needed to fit in before stopping in Cartagena and getting out a somewhat underrated country, before I was required to leave altogether.

Some Days

November 28, 2025 by Cassandra Johnson

Recently, I had the nice experience of helping a South Korean adult student study his English. I use a platform that allows me to help students through general conversations with whatever they would like to discuss or by using structured lessons.

I prefer logging in when I have extra time, I rarely have regularly scheduled students. I prefer not having a set schedule whereas I am able to engage with people who choose to call me when we both happen to be online. We make a good match, because they can look at my profile and/or intro video and decide if they would like to use their lesson time with me. I once volunteered teaching English as a second language for a couple years on a set schedule in DC, 6 months alongside other volunteer work in Peru and again when I explored church for a while. The online space has opened it up to me again.

The students are from a variety of countries with different goals for learning English, which could be professional, academic or as a hobby. I enjoy getting to meet them and even seeing that some of them select me again when we happen to be online at the same time again.

The online English tutoring platform is where I spend some of my spare time, only keeping a set schedule from time to time, when students especially request it. Now that I work as a full-time freelance translator following a long line of other work experience (most recently in non-profits), I like having this additional side space as it still speaks to my literary and language passions and sharing international experiences.

Fitting

October 31, 2025 by Cassandra Johnson

Accepting all I deserve?

It’s coming easier.

I am reminiscent of how not to deny myself. I am reminded not to expect less. I am reminded of insistent examples.

I am reminded of my 31st birthday via my brother and us sharing ideas and outlooks.

I am swept up in the memory of that birthday, of inviting friends to share the date with me, to enjoy our time together. I do not remember being especially hungry. I enjoyed the food. I enjoyed the drinks but I mostly recalled the satiation being filled by the company and their intentions.

I am struck by the memory of a celebration of many friends from different parts of my life coming together and how supported I felt in their respect for each other out of their own interests and their respect for me. I love seeing them in their element and not too focused on me, unnaturally, but very fluidly focused on me and our relationships.

I was captured by them, captured by the presence we stayed in. Wrapping up our goodbyes intermittently as they had to leave, I am struck how I could ask for what I really wanted and be treated so deserving.

What I really was reflecting on is how stark it could be to stay in this mode when life’s pressures mount around you and you’re most likely in work mode.

Interestingly in a space of employing so much effort, a lot more factors like bosses and profit work to the effect of convincing you of not being deserving and of extracting more of you than is willing to be given in return. I have been talked out of acknowledging what I deserve in these spaces but now I am reminded. Examples of being deserving are insistent and luckily, my family/friend support system is as well.