The Invisible Rules of Culture

Wander & Wonder

Welcome to my Travel Journal

A vibrant collection of personal reflections, captivating travel stories, and photo essays from around the world. This is my storytelling hub, where adventures come

to life through words and images.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been curious about the world—not just the landscapes and landmarks, but the people, the quirks, the small cultural details that often go unnoticed.

As a social scientist and qualitative researcher, travel has never been just about vacation for me. It’s about observing, learning, and reflecting on human behavior across borders.

That’s what this space—Joni’s Wanderlust—is about.

I’m beginning this journey with a 12-week blog series called Field Notes: Wanderlust in Practice.

This first season is about what I’ve learned about people—and about myself—through everyday travel encounters. Not the polished tourist brochure moments, but the lived, awkward, funny, or deeply human ones: greetings that go missing, solo dinners that draw curious stares, strangers in taxis with unexpected revelations.

Because wanderlust isn’t just about where we go—it’s about what we notice when we’re there.

New stories, insights, ideas, and updates—just published.

We met in Kenya, and within about fifteen minutes, this man had me questioning whether he had memorized every romantic verse in Scripture before breakfast.

Wandering & Wooing: Apparently, I’m One of the Angels

What living in Malawi is teaching me about the things nobody tells you.

There are two ways to experience another country.

The first is as a visitor.

The second is to live there.

The Invisible Rules of Culture

I arrived in Antananarivo—Tana for short—in the early hours of the morning.

You know that in-between time of night where it's not quite night anymore, but the day hasn't claimed itself yet?

That's when I landed.

Tana Feels Like Déjà Vu: Finding Bogotá in Madagascar

The Questions We Never Think to Ask

Part of The Invisible Rules of Culture Series What living in Malawi is teaching me about the things nobody tells you. Written by Joni Roberts Traveler, storyteller, and public health advocate "The most invisible parts of culture are often the questions we don't realize we're not asking." Living in Malawi has changed the way I listen. Not because people speak differently. Because they ask different questions. I've started noticing that conversations begin in unexpected places.

The Invisible Rules of Culture

Joni Roberts

Sep 22 min read

When One Number Changes Everything

Part of The Invisible Rules of Culture Series What living in Malawi is teaching me about the things nobody tells you. Written by Joni Roberts Traveler, storyteller, and public health advocate "Sometimes the hardest ethical questions don't begin with bad people. They begin with hungry children." One number. That's all it was. One number on a child's clinic form. It would have been easy to miss. We were working through another busy nutrition clinic, weighing children, measuring

The Invisible Rules of Culture

Joni Roberts

Sep 22 min read

They Keep Asking If I'm Married

Part of The Invisible Rules of Culture Series What living in Malawi is teaching me about the things nobody tells you. Written by Joni Roberts Traveler, storyteller, and public health advocate "Some questions aren't meant to invade your privacy. They're meant to locate you in the social world." One question follows me almost everywhere I go in Malawi. Not, "Where are you from?" Although that's usually second. The first question is almost always... "Are you married?" Sometimes

The Invisible Rules of Culture

Joni Roberts

Sep 22 min read

The Borrowed Chitenge

Part of The Invisible Rules of Culture Series What living in Malawi is teaching me about the things nobody tells you. Written by Joni Roberts Traveler, storyteller, and public health advocate "Sometimes belonging isn't about getting everything right. It's about people expecting you to know the rules." Winter mornings in Malawi have a particular chill. Not the kind that brings snow. The kind that makes you reach for another sweater before sunrise and wrap yourself in an extra

The Invisible Rules of Culture

Joni Roberts

Sep 23 min read

Someone Is Always Watching

Part of The Invisible Rules of Culture Series What living in Malawi is teaching me about the things nobody tells you. Written by Joni Roberts Traveler, storyteller, and public health advocate "I came to Malawi prepared to be noticed as a foreigner. I was less prepared for my trash to become part of the conversation" I threw away a loaf of bread. That sentence shouldn't require an explanation. But in Malawi... Apparently it did. The bread had gone bad. I'd been traveling for s

The Invisible Rules of Culture

Joni Roberts

Sep 23 min read

The Curious Case of the Dirty Car

Part of The Invisible Rules of Culture Series What living in Malawi is teaching me about the things nobody tells you. Written by Joni Roberts Traveler, storyteller, and public health advocate "Sometimes the biggest communication problems aren't caused by language. They're caused by assumptions." One of the perks of my Fulbright is that the NGO I'm working with provides a vehicle for volunteers. They handle the maintenance. The fuel. The repairs. When I don't need it, other me

The Invisible Rules of Culture

Joni Roberts

Sep 23 min read

Bless You...or Sorry?

Part of The Invisible Rules of Culture Series What living in Malawi is teaching me about the things nobody tells you. Written by Joni Roberts Traveler, storyteller, and public health advocate "Sometimes the smallest cultural differences reveal the biggest truths." There are certain things you never think to question. Like saying "bless you" when someone sneezes. It's automatic. Someone sneezes. You say, "Bless you." Or maybe, "God bless you." You don't stop to wonder where th

The Invisible Rules of Culture

Joni Roberts

Sep 23 min read

I Found the Heater. I Just Couldn't Buy It.

Written by Joni Roberts Traveler, storyteller, and public health advocate "Sometimes the hardest thing about living in another country isn't finding what you need. It's discovering that what makes perfect sense to you doesn't make sense to anyone else." One thing about Malawi. When it's winter, it's cold. Not snowing cold. Not scraping ice off your windshield cold. But definitely, "Why didn't I pack another sweater?" cold. The mornings are crisp, the evenings are chilly, and

The Invisible Rules of Culture

Joni Roberts

Sep 24 min read

The Invisible Rules of Culture

“I Don't Arrive in Malawi Looking Like a Foreigner” Written by Joni Roberts Traveler, storyteller, and public health advocate What living in Malawi is teaching me about the things nobody tells you. "Every culture has rules that no one writes down. You only discover them when you unknowingly break them." I don't arrive in Malawi looking like a foreigner. Until I speak. Then everything changes. Sometimes people greet me in Chichewa, assuming I'm Malawian. I smile, apologize, an

The Invisible Rules of Culture

Joni Roberts

Sep 24 min read

The Invisible Rules of Culture

Written by Joni Roberts Traveler, storyteller, and public health advocate What living in Malawi is teaching me about the things nobody tells you. There are two ways to experience another country. The first is as a visitor. You notice the food, the scenery, the wildlife, and the landmarks. You collect photographs, buy souvenirs, and return home with stories about the places you saw. The second is to live there. That's when you discover the things no travel guide ever mentions.

The Invisible Rules of Culture

Joni Roberts

Sep 23 min read

Wander & Wonder

Featured Posts

New stories, insights, ideas, and updates—just published.

We met in Kenya, and within about fifteen minutes, this man had me questioning whether he had memorized every romantic verse in Scripture before breakfast.

The Invisible Rules of Culture

The Questions We Never Think to Ask

When One Number Changes Everything

They Keep Asking If I'm Married

The Borrowed Chitenge

Someone Is Always Watching

The Curious Case of the Dirty Car

Bless You...or Sorry?

I Found the Heater. I Just Couldn't Buy It.

The Invisible Rules of Culture

The Invisible Rules of Culture