New Year’s Resolutions
The blogosphere of late has been filled with lists of resolutions for the new year. I don’t mind them. I actually enjoy peeking into other people’s psyches. And after reading ten or twenty of them, … Read More
Looking Behind So I Can See Ahead More Clearly
This blog had 8,700 views last year. I tell you, I was floored when I learned that. All year, as I prepared my blog posts, I focused on 1. publishing regularly, in my case every Wednesday 2. ending … Read More
New Year’s Eve, Kazakhstan Style
In honor of New Year’s Eve, here’s a Deleted Scene of my first New Year’s Eve in Kazakhstan. But this version is from my very first draft, it’s in present tense, and it’s actually from one of the many emails … Read More
A Day When Enemies Stopped Fighting
Here’s a repeat of last year’s Christmas season blog. I thought it was particularly timely this year. and as I put it together, a quote from Margaret Mead came to mind: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, … Read More
Speaking My Truth, Sharing My Reality
My blog this week was to be an essay on the similarities between my memoir of my two years teaching English and living in Kazakhstan as an older, married Peace Corps volunteer (At Home on the Kazakh Steppe) and … Read More
Culture As An Iceberg, Part II
I ended last week’s blog post, Culture As An Iceberg, with this paragraph: Cultural differences exist in my own backyard, and they are ones that lead to violence, anger, mistrust, and fear. Hoodies and swaggers fall above the water … Read More
Culture As An Iceberg
Culture is an iceberg. Art, food, tools, language, music, holiday, styles of dress, those aspects of culture we can see — those that show above the metaphorical water line — are important parts of any cultural puzzle and good … Read More
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It’s Christmas without the need for presents. Good food, good friends, and family. I’ve traveled many miles over the years to be together with my family at Thanksgiving. This year is no exception; I’ll be … Read More
Culture Shock: A Guest Post by Halie Putorek
My guest this week is a young college student, Halie Putorek, whom I first read of in an article she wrote in her school paper about her trip to Tanzania. I loved how she addressed the cultural differences she found … Read More