Articles written by Kat Derrig

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About me - Kat Derrig

Kat Derrig is a writer, student of philosophy and mathematics, and world-famous adventurer. When not off on her many travels and expeditions into the rainforest, she can be found sipping chai tea in a quiet corner at Old Towne Coffee Shop.

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Travel > Travel Planning & Advice Tips for young Americans traveling abroad: 1 of 16
One of the best ways to see the world when you are young is to travel with a school or church group, or even just to go with a group of friends. However, often we are concentrating so hard on studying the language or having fun that we forget to be mindful of certain cultural and safety issues that may arise when we are explo... More..
Creative Writing > Memoirs Memoirs: Personal experiences with the healing power of dogs: 7 of 110
I met Pinky during a particularly indecisive period of my life. Against my better judgement, and the advice of my family and friends, I had left a comfortable yet confining life in the United States to work in Panteon Nuevo, Mexico. Despite the thrill of being out on my own, I questioned myself constantly - what was I doing h... More..
Travel > Travel Diaries & Adventures (Other) Travel experiences: Road trip horror stories: 5 of 71
During the summer of 2001, I took a bus tour across Italy, France, Austria and Switzerland with a group of fellow students. It was an all-inclusive package: airfare, hotel, tours, and food, and all for a remarkably cheap price. I soon found out, however, why we got such a discount. Straight off the plane we meet Boris, the "... More..
Health & Fitness > HIV / AIDS The facts about AIDS (HIV): 2 of 25
As a testing technician and counselor at one of the major AIDS clinics in Alabama, I am concerned about the number of myths and erroneous beliefs involving HIV and AID, many of which are reported as facts in some of the high ranking articles in this section. We here at the AIDS Action Coalition believe that education and corr... More..
Jobs & Careers > Starting Out Tips for selecting the right profession for you: 1 of 12
As children, we all heard the question, what do you want to be when you grow up? Most of us had a ready answer: an astronaut, a police officer, a ballerina, a doctor. As we finally began to "grow up", those answers often changed; perhaps we thought we should lower our ambitions, or maybe we discovered new ones better fitted t... More..
Relationships & Family > Dating Commentary Views on interracial dating: 5 of 55
Across the country, views on interracial dating vary dramatically. In San Francisco you can walk down the street arm in arm with a space alien, and no one would notice. Here in Alabama, opinions are slower to change. It has only been in the past decade that administrators at one Alabama high school decided to allow interracia... More..
Relationships & Family > Dating Psychology Age gap relationships: What to expect when you're involved with a different generation: 5 of 47
With an "age gap" relationship, one factor should be considered carefully by both parties: Priorities. This applies to any relationship, but if you involve yourself in one with a man or woman of an age much different than yours, you should ask yourself honestly: What is my motivation for seeking out a younger/older person? Pe... More..
Relationships & Family > Cheating & Trust Issues Prying versus privacy in relationships: 1 of 9
Ask any couple what they think the most important things in a relationship are, and I will bet you that trust is in the top three. Without trust, the relationship will fail; there will be suspicions, paranoia, and eventually, a reason for that trust to be lost. Trust, though, is hard, because you are trusting your partner wit... More..
Health & Fitness > Anxiety & Panic Disorders Challenges posed by anxiety disorders: 1 of 8
I have been living with anxiety disorder since I was a young teenager. My type is classified as social anxiety, but as anyone with this condition knows, the symptoms can manifest themselves even when you are safe in your house, away from other people. In my case, I knew my anxiety was getting out of hand when one of my classm... More..
Travel > Travel Diaries & Adventures (Other) Best and worst experiences with airlines: 5 of 26
The worst experience I had was trying to fly to Dallas/Fort Wort on Continental Airlines with a group of 27 college students. The saga began at 5 am. The day was dawning beautifully. We boarded the plane right on schedule, buckled our seat belts, and prepared for the flight. Then an announcement was made: we were to get off t... More..