Choosing Our Friends
A few years back, I did a post on “The Four Stages of Friendship” and promised I’d add another post about when Friendships end. Not through death or moving far away. The other kind of ending — the worst in … Read More
He’s My Brother
This is the story of how I got a new baby brother, 50 years late. Ever meet someone and immediately you know you’ve made a connection? There’s chemistry, some say. Others claim it’s finding something in common that binds you. … Read More
Friendship
“Why did you do all this for me?” he asked. “I don’t deserve it. I’ve never done anything for you.” “You have been my friend,” replied Charlotte. “That in itself is a tremendous thing.” ― E.B. White, Charlotte’s Web … Read More
Meeting Gulzhahan
For the next few weeks (or months) I’ll be popping in on Fridays with a Deleted Scene from my memoir, At Home on the Kazakh Steppe. Let’s call them the “lost deleted scenes.” As I put together my new ebook … Read More
Gift Giving
Here’s another of my many Deleted Scenes (they are growing weekly, as I continue to fine tune my manuscript). This one features two of my colleagues, Gulzhahan and Gulzhan. Their names are so similar, my readers often get confused. … 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
Conquering Homophobia Through Vegetarianism
This deleted scene is one of my favorites. It highlights the lighthearted relationship I had with my four closest colleagues and friends: Gulzhahan, Assem, Gulzhan, and Tolganay. Here we are at Tolganay’s apartment for dinner in early June. … Read More