Full-service or Self-service?
I’ve been on the road these past few weeks and I have a few musings on that. Mostly they’re about pumping gas. But we’ll get to that in a bit. My mode of transportation for all of … Read More
DST: Yay or Nay?
With the nearly nationwide return this past weekend to Standard Time (I say nearly because not all states or territories observe Daylight Saving Time) I got curious once again about this scourge of school children everywhere. I’ll start … Read More
The Application Process, Part I
“Flexibility, patience, and a sense of humor characterize the successful Peace Corps volunteer,” or PCV, as the recruiter actually said, using the acronym that would soon became part of our everyday vocabulary. He may have been referring to … Read More
Difficult conversations
In the Peace Corps, my official job was Teacher Trainer: I taught English at a teacher’s college. A few of my classes were taught in concert with a local teacher. Over my two years I team-taught with five different teachers. One … Read More
How Different Cultures View Intellectual Struggle
In honor of a new school year starting, I wanted to share this recent audio post from NPR. This “Your Health” segment first aired on November 12, 2012, but was replayed this year on Labor Day Monday. It’s … Read More
“Ya hachoo Pasha”
Embarrassing moments. How they make us laugh — eventually. Such was the following scene that happened during my first few months in Kazakhstan, long before the language took root. This story — written for my memoir, At Home On the … Read More
Disappointment
“Wherever we go,” I’d declared to Woody at the start of our Peace Corps application process, “I want a nice beach, friendly bugs, and a good mattress.” I figured I could make friends for America without having to suffer. … Read More
My Gutsy Story Guest Post
Just a quick note to let you know I’ve got a guest blog out on Sonia Marsh’s Gutsy Living website http://soniamarsh.com/home/blog Called, Leaving A Life I Loved: When the Peace Corps Beckoned, it gives a bit more … Read More
Kazakh Proverb: “If a man insults you, serve him a meal”
Like any culture, the Kazakh people have many sayings. One I heard often was If a man insults you, serve him a meal. I thought I knew what this meant when I first heard it, but as the years … Read More