From the other side of Africa, the world through new eyes
One of my favorite readers* sent me this blog post recently, by a young woman who upped to Mali for a month after graduating…
Read MoreVignettes
A poetic pause for “The Brown Man’s Burden”
TexasinAfrica recently pointed me to a poem I hadn’t seen before, and I basically think it should be required reading for anyone in aid,…
Read MoreQuote of the day
From my ever-increasing Vault of Thus Far Unused Reportage A Burundian man described to me meeting some people from Belgium, who were befuddled by…
Read MoreOn returning, or, “What does your language sound like?”
I had a conversation in Sierra Leone with someone who speaks an enviable number of languages. I grew up in West Virginia, where it’s…
Read MoreTastes like terrorism!
“As another day passed with Mr. [Faisal] Shahzad talking to investigators about the car bomb he had admitted driving into Times Square on Saturday,…
Read MoreLiving in two economies
On Friday, I went to my regular money-changing place. As I was walking in, there was an older woman leaving. She was the picture…
Read MoreFrom the Department of Locally Appropriate Transportation
On a listserve that functions as classified ads for mzungus and upper class Rwandans in Kigali, someone recently advertised a car for rent: Rent…
Read MoreWhy this weird category
Some of my most popular blog posts are teeny little stories snatched from the course of the day. This Vignettes category is designed to…
Read More“I am going to live here forever.”
Accra, where I learned how old I finally am I can sympathize with this kid, rapt at the window as we descend into Ghana….
Read MoreThanks to the girls at St. Mary's in Portland, Ore.
I had a great time this afternoon with the ladies of the comparative religion class at St. Mary’s Academy in leafy downtown Portland. Thanks,…
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