Tag: memoir
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How My Friend Helped Me Make Peace With My International Life
Flying across the Atlantic is one of my favorite things to moan and gripe about, so one day last winter, I found myself moaning and griping about it to my dear friend Rosi. I’d just flown to Wisconsin from Jordan by myself, because my husband Raja did not have a visa to enter the US…
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My Ongoing, One-Sided Battle With the Atlantic Ocean
I don’t think the Atlantic knows that she and I are in a fight. We fly to Amman tonight, and our two giant pink suitcases are nearly packed. By that I mean they are sitting in the middle of the living room floor surrounded by a huge mess of clothes, shoes, and gifts – chocolate…
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How to Set a Boundary Across Cultural Lines (Or Not)
Can I cut Alaa out of my life? Stop responding to his texts forever? “Yes!” say Brene Brown and Nora McInerny and Emily McDowell and so many others who have put their stories of loss and learning and boundaries out into the world (and Instagram). “Yes!” say Julia Cameron and Laura van Dernoot Lipsky –…
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When I Finally Got Overwhelmed By My Humanitarian Job
And How The Tallest Man On Earth Saved My Mornings. I quit my job because I was burnt out. I had long, tiring, stressful days. After work I couldn’t do or think about anything. Some days I numbed myself with beer or Gilmore Girls. Other days I lay on my bed and wrote down notes…
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Me Vs. The Bureaucrats of Amman, Jordan
Or, The Part No One Tells You About Living Abroad Jordanian bureaucrats are quirky, funny creatures. They all have mustaches, gelled hair, and a cigarette lodged between their lips while they process (and drop ashes onto) your paperwork. The main requirement for extending a tourist visa[1] at one of the local police stations is that…
Curious Georgie 
–مرحبا سلام Thank you so much, what a lovely comment to receive! I think you’re right; we can’t always be…