Contributor: Rachel Mahon 📸

Rachel Mahon hiked the Congo Nile Trail between two of her stints as a teacher at United World Colleges — Moshi, Tanzania, and Karuizawa, Japan. Of Irish ancestry, she finds it hilarious to hear of the “Irish potatoes” or “Irishes” in our region. Rachel sometimes thinks of returning to Manchester, England. [bio updated: 2026-07]