country — Stories

Ping Pong Across the Indian Ocean

Many people didn’t know what Pakistan was. Right after 9/11, they did…

The Pink Lion from Tanzania

I wanted to claim Tanzania as my home, but how could I? I was not accepted by others as a part of their country…

Superhero Mom vs Antiquated Aunt

Every time we moved and in each new country we lived, my mom openly embraced everything. I don’t know too many people who would have gone to a funeral of a neighbor just a few short months after moving in, but she was one of them...

Dear 2008 You

It is 2008, and our conversation is yet to ride the waves of the internet. Like a bird that seeks to beat a fast-moving train, it is getting harder to pick up where we left off. No matter how furiously we scurry and scribble through each page, our letters tarry to the finish line, lagging three months behind, responding to a stadium that has long emptied.

Remember when you were from Yugoslavia?

So what happens when one day you wake up on the other side of the world and the place you come from no longer exists?

Dancing Feels Like Home

Dancing is everywhere in Peru; it’s a way to share history and tell stories. The country is rich in traditional dances, and I grew to love this part of Peruvian culture. It didn't matter that I was never very good at it...

I’ll Prove Mummy Wrong Yet!

Daydreams also hit roadblocks. Living across cultures as a travel writer is all well and good if you only have yourself to look after. It is harder if you are trying to raise kids and need a 9 to 5 to provide for them...

My Yurt And I

My ex-wife called me one day and told me that there had been a massive fire at the storage facility. Everything was gone. Not only my parents’ stuff, but all my military items, a sizable weapons collection, and a lifetime of memorabilia...