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Get updated when Rian publishes an extended moment.
Rian van der Merwe
Portland, OR
Family, design, coffee, and Oxford commas. On Twitter: https://twitter.com/rianvdm
7,719 words in 87 moments in 19 cities since July 17th, 2013
Most Popular Stories by Rian
Parenting, Coffee
Sometimes I say things like "this cup of coffee saved my life" and people think I'm joking.
Cape town — Like most parents with young kids, every day is an early start for me. Even so, 4:45am feels a little excessive. And that’s what time today started. To make matters even more… challenging… my wife...
Family
An unexpected coffee with my daughter
Cape town — It’s not that I didn’t always have a strong connection with my eldest daughter. It’s just that recently, as she’s running headlong into her fifth year of life, we’ve started to connect in ways I didn’...
Prose, Life
Judgment vs. Understanding
Johannesburg — Life decisions are never one-dimensional. Yet we often simplify the decisions others make to squash it into a context that’s easy to understand, because that’s human nature. The problem is that trying...
All Stories by Rian
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Coffee
Mood companion
in Portland -
Food
The most amazing smoothie you'll ever have. From a trailer.
in Portland -
Travel, Road trips
Road trips, then and now.
in Terrebonne -
Travel
The Portland Way
in Portland -
Travel, Coffee Shops, Office
Finding the familiar in every time zone
in Newcastle upon Tyne -
Coffee, Coffee Shops, Portland
I love immersing myself in a new town's coffee culture.
in Portland -
Coffee
One last coffee
in Cape Town -
seasons, Winter
Summer is no more.
in Cape Town -
Parenting, Coffee
Sometimes I say things like "this cup of coffee saved my life" and people think I'm joking.
in Cape Town -
Prose, Life
Judgment vs. Understanding
in Johannesburg -
1aday2014, Coffee, Coffee Shops
Searching for Portland's soul
in Portland -
1aday2014
An African breakfast
in Cape Town -
1aday2014, Coffee, Coffee Shops
The culture of coffee
in Cape Town -
1aday2014, Parenting
Father-daughter time
in Cape Town -
hiking
Morning hike up Table Mountain.
in Cape Town -
running, Coffee
Run.
in Stellenbosch -
Cancer, Family
Excellence in Cancer Care.
in Cape Town -
Family, Cancer
Remembering.
in Stellenbosch -
Travel
Under a blood red sky
in Randburg -
Coffee
Shadows and light
in Cape Town -
Travel, Culture, Architecture
Breakfast view, Tehran.
in Tehran -
Airports, Travel, Architecture
Into the unknown
in Istanbul -
Family
An unexpected coffee with my daughter
in Cape Town -
There is always a few moments of confusion when you wake up in a new city.
in Dubai -
Sometimes vacations include doctor visits, not just theme parks. And if we're honest, we'll share those moments too.
in Carlsbad -
Pilgrimage completed.
in Carlsbad
Rian’s recent places
All moments from Rian
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It's not home until the turntable is set up.
Portland, United States -
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I turned a corner, and just like that my faith in the SF coffee scene got restored.
San Francisco, United States -
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Mood companion
Portland, United States -
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Things look different when you look up.
San Diego, United States -
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Community
Portland, United States -
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The ocean is the common ground between old home and new home. It's complicated.
Cloverdale, United States -
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The most amazing smoothie you'll ever have. From a trailer.
Portland, United States -
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Road trips, then and now.
Terrebonne, United States -
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Road trips are different from when I was a kid. But they still end the same.
Bend, United States -
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The Portland Way
Portland, United States -
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Spring has arrived in Portland
Portland, United States -
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Take heart
Portland, United States -
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Finding the familiar in every time zone
Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom -
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Old and new, coexisting.
Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom -
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I love immersing myself in a new town's coffee culture.
Portland, United States -
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When the sun comes out in Portland, it's a beautiful thing.
Portland, United States -
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Pre-dinner coffee at Stumptown
Portland, United States -
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Layover
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, The Netherlands -
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My wife helped our daughter make this poster for her going away party at school tomorrow. Things are getting real.
Cape Town, South Africa -
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One last coffee
Cape Town, South Africa -
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Summer is no more.
Cape Town, South Africa -
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Sunrise walk. Not a soul outside.
Cape Town, South Africa -
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Pre-meeting coffee. These are the things I'll miss about Cape Town.
Cape Town, South Africa -
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Sometimes I say things like "this cup of coffee saved my life" and people think I'm joking.
Cape Town, South Africa -
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Dad life.
Cape Town, South Africa -
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Old school
Cape Town, South Africa -
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Coffee and books
Cape Town, South Africa -
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Judgment vs. Understanding
Johannesburg, South Africa -
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Day 40: And just like that, it's summer again
Cape Town, South Africa -
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Day 39: Leaving winter (for now...)
Portland, United States -
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Day 38: In flight
Portland, United States -
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Day 37: This is the coldest I've ever been (1F, -17C), so please forgive the snow selfie
Bend, United States -
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Day 36: Freezing
Bend, United States -
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Day 35: Landing in Bend, OR
Bend, United States -
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Searching for Portland's soul
Portland, United States -
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Day 33: A morning run through the fog
Portland, United States -
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Day 32: Exploring Portland for the first time
Portland, United States -
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Day 31: We're not in summer any more
Detroit, United States -
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Day 30: Every airport, ever.
Cape Town, South Africa -
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Day 29: Preparing to fly from the heat of summer to the dead of winter
Cape Town, South Africa -
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Day 28: Sunrise after the rain
Cape Town, South Africa -
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Day 27: Daily pit stop
Cape Town, South Africa -
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Day 26: Staring at the ceiling
Cape Town, South Africa -
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Day 25: Breakfast in the Cape Winelands
Cape Town, South Africa -
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Day 24: Original fixie
Cape Town, South Africa -
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Day 23: Evening sky
Cape Town, South Africa -
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Day 22: Coffee always helps
Cape Town, South Africa -
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Day 21: Abandoned
Cape Town, South Africa -
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Day 20: A quiet moment
Cape Town, South Africa -
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An African breakfast
Cape Town, South Africa -
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Day 18: Old tree is old
Cape Town, South Africa -
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Day 17: There is color all around us
Cape Town, South Africa -
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Day 16: A quiet start to the day
Cape Town, South Africa -
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Day 15: Informal trade at a Cape Town mall
Cape Town, South Africa -
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Day 14: Boardroom shadows and light
Cape Town, South Africa -
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Day 13: Olden times
Cape Town, South Africa -
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Day 12: Picnic in the garden
Cape Town, South Africa -
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Day 11: Joyride
Cape Town, South Africa -
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Day 10: Workspace
Cape Town, South Africa -
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The culture of coffee
Cape Town, South Africa -
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Day 8: Summer clouds
Cape Town, South Africa -
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Day 7: Sometimes you have to go full hipster
Cape Town, South Africa -
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Day 6: Daily (walking) commute
Cape Town, South Africa -
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Day 5: Reading time
Cape Town, South Africa -
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Father-daughter time
Cape Town, South Africa -
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Day 3: Team breakfast to kick off the year.
Cape Town, South Africa -
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Day 2: Back to Work
Cape Town, South Africa -
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Morning hike up Table Mountain.
Cape Town, South Africa -
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There is comfort in ritual.
Cape Town, South Africa -
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Our office stands still as Obama speaks at the Mandela memorial.
Cape Town, South Africa -
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Run.
Stellenbosch, South Africa -
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Excellence in Cancer Care.
Cape Town, South Africa -
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Remembering.
Stellenbosch, South Africa -
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Under a blood red sky
Randburg, South Africa -
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Jozi thunderstorm
Randburg, South Africa -
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Shadows and light
Cape Town, South Africa -
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Breakfast view, Tehran.
Tehran, Iran -
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Into the unknown
Istanbul, Turkey -
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An unexpected coffee with my daughter
Cape Town, South Africa -
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There is always a few moments of confusion when you wake up in a new city.
Dubai, United Arab Emirates -
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A meeting of minds.
Grand Haven, United States -
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Sometimes vacations include doctor visits, not just theme parks. And if we're honest, we'll share those moments too.
Carlsbad, United States -
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Pilgrimage completed.
Carlsbad, United States -
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Lovely walk along the beach
Carlsbad, United States -
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First good coffee of the trip.
Carlsbad, United States -
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Halfway to my family in San Diego. Found coffee. Crisis averted.
Hounslow, United Kingdom -
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Starting the day right. Coffee and discussion with good friends.
Cape Town, South Africa
