About Me

My name is Andy Sayles and I left the US to teach in an international school in Quito, Ecuador in 2010.  The expat lifestyle stuck, and I have now also passed through Barcelona, Spain on my way to my current home in Durres, Albania.  I am originally from Maryland, which is where I maintain my summer home (thanks, Mom).  My interests may be more or less arranged into four categories:

1) Indoor Activities

- I read most things I can get my hands on, from the classics to sci-fi to the back of the cereal box.

- I guess I'm just a sucker for a good story, so TV shows and movies need to be added here.  I could try to call it my cultural literacy "study abroad" program, but really, I just like it.  Apologies in advance for all of the embedded Game of Thrones references.

- Teaching, strangely enough.  It took some time, and I can't make this statement everyday, but I really do enjoy my job.  (Note: I am engaging in some cognitive dissonance here, because I absolutely despise grading).

- Cooking large, greasy breakfasts on weekend mornings (or afternoons) while listening to podcasts or Spotify.  

- Writing, specifically in this blog.  There may be long gaps between entries sometimes, but I am almost always thinking about it, and it helps to center me and keep me sane (I think...).


2) Outdoor Activities

- Hiking and/or mountaineering; In Ecuador, I flung myself onto as many mountains as I could, and here in Europe I aspire to hike the Camino de Santiago in France and Spain, and the Peaks of the Balkans in Albania, Montenegro, and Kosovo.  I also dream of one day completing (in sections, at least) the Appalachian Trail, which I have taken some chunks out of already.

- I'm not sure whether to consider basketball an indoor or and outdoor hobby, so let's set argument aside and just put it here.

- Adventure sports, of the less crazy variety, such as rock climbing, rafting, scuba diving, skiing, and crossing the street in Durres.  I've also been known to jump off of a bridge or two.

- Barbecues, beer, wine, shisha, shawarma, and sports banter (many of these also defy classification and could easily happen in any environment).


3) Traveling

- Getting a new stamp in the passport is always a fun experience, but I like to make sure I am doubling back on some places that I really enjoyed when I can as well. I have been to almost every continent (Antarctica still looms...), but North America, South America, and Europe are where most of my experiences lie.

- Researching a place, getting a ton of ideas, but then figuring it all out when I get there.  The map is not the territory!

- Wandering around a city in search of a good little bar or restaurant, provided that I am not overly starving when this process begins.  

- Meeting and befriending fellow travelers, local guides, and village idiots.  Bonus points if it's all the same person. 


4) Everything Else

- Okay, so maybe I can't fit everything into four categories, but come on, this is a ridiculous notion.  I have thousands of things that interest me, many of which aren't great for sound bytes.  So read the blog :)