May 2014 Week Four We pushed open the front door of a one-bedroom apartment in the northern suburbs of the city. Two of our coworkers were gone for the summer, and they'd left us their keys, "just in case." Such a case had come. We needed a new home. Looked like their place was it … Continue reading Places Where Flowers Bloom: Getting Evicted
Her phone chirped, and Laura looked down at the screen. It was 10:00 on a Saturday morning. She didn't answer. Sometime between 1:00 and 2:00, Laura was freed up enough from the chores around the house to answer the missed call. It was Gulya, a young woman who lives in the village with her two-year-old … Continue reading Just a Little Bit
Tidal waves of raw emotion wash over me as I reach back into my memory and revisit our early days in this country. To be honest, a part of me doesn't want to tell the tales. Perhaps they'll disappear if I can just keep them locked away long enough. But I know it doesn't actually … Continue reading Places Where Flowers Bloom: A Long Month
Laura and I put the harnesses and leashes on our two dogs and unlocked the front gate. The sun was bright and the air was warm and the dogs were restless. A walk was a foregone conclusion. But we didn't get far. We hadn't taken more than a few steps out of our gate when … Continue reading And Then They Killed Lucy
Introduction The melted snow in our yard left a mess of mud behind. Dead leaves, twigs, and apricot pits littered the ground. We were glad the snow was gone, but the brown death it had for so long covered was finally revealed. Then it began to rain. Puddles collected. The yard looked like chocolate soup. … Continue reading Places Where Flowers Bloom: Meeting the Landlady
She had a big black mole on her cheek hugging her nose and was breastfeeding her newborn the entire time Laura was talking with her. They'd gone on a full two minutes before she asked Laura for money. She was from the south and spoke fast, and it was hard for Laura to understand her. … Continue reading Outlook’s Not Great
The image of putting down roots is a beautiful one. The mightiest trees didn't appear overnight. Instead, day by day, they slowly sank their fibrous fingers down into the earth, drinking in the very essence of the soil in which they were planted, and converting that essence into a towering trunk, sprawling branches, wind-kissed leaves, … Continue reading On Loving and Leaving and Getting Left Behind
It was 5:00 AM. Friends of ours were leaving for the States, and we had agreed to take them to the airport. At its best, the drive is absolutely dreadful. It's especially so at 5:00 AM. (But I'm quick to throw anything taking place at 5:00 AM in the "dreadful" category.) See, from where we … Continue reading The Ride
Bicolor
In Kyrgyz, there's only one letter difference between the word cow and the word house. And if you're not a native speaker, the difference in pronunciation between those two letters is about as clear as a jar of mud. Right after we moved out of our apartment, Laura told her friend that we had bought … Continue reading Speaking With an Accent