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
We live on the northern side of the capital, literally on the last street before you find yourself outside city limits. Because of the fact that a mountain range rests just south of the city, here to drive south is to drive up since you're literally increasing your elevation the more south you go. And … Continue reading Driving Up South
Bazaar workers shouldn't have to work all day long for peanuts. Their fingers, toes, and noses shouldn't freeze from the cold trapped in all the concrete and metal shipping containers that surround them. They shouldn't try to milk you for every last cent. Yet they do. A service called Drunk Taxi—no joke—shouldn't be a thing. … Continue reading All The Things That Shouldn’t Be But Are
I caught a glimpse of God today. He was looking out at me from behind the chubby cheeks of a five-year-old. They were smudged cheeks, and her teeth were rotten, but I knew it was him. So I did the only thing I could. I rummaged around for colored pencils and a few sheets of … Continue reading Glimpses of God
The young man across from me was enrolled in a master's degree program in engineering at a state university. His story was not exactly one that warmed the cockles of my heart. "I went to talk with my thesis adviser," he said. "He told me that our dissertations are due in June. He said that … Continue reading So You Want Your Master’s Degree?
I sat at my desk and looked over my computer screen. There sat a couple plants on the window sill, their leafy greens perked and pointed toward the glass like arms stretched wide toward an approaching loved one. It never ceases to amaze me. Plants not only need the sun; they seek him out. They … Continue reading Leaves Toward the Sun
With baby formula and fruit in hand, Laura knocked on the woman's door. In a moment, a bright and welcoming face appeared and ushered Laura inside. Her cheerfulness beamed from behind her head covering and ankle-length dress. Laura took off her shoes in the closet-sized entryway/kitchen/pantry. To the right, two electric burners on top of … Continue reading Our Tinted Lenses
I wished with all my heart my friend was lying to my face. I looked him in the eye. He was telling the truth. "Last week I woke up one night with a really bad pain in my stomach. It was about two in the morning. I woke my wife up and asked if she … Continue reading Moving On
This past weekend temperatures plunged to -15 degrees F (-25 degrees C). We turned our gas furnace up. Then we turned it up again. We got dressed and put our bathrobes back on. Our friends asked if we could reschedule the get-together we had planned for Sunday because of how cold it was and because … Continue reading Our Fingers Didn’t Freeze and Break Into Little Pieces
He wasn't sitting more than two feet away from me. The seats at the coffee shop were comfortable. My latte was within arm's reach. And all I could think was that the intelligent, likable, well-educated young man across the table from me was hurtling full speed toward the edge of a cliff with a blindfold … Continue reading Just Across the Table