Soldier in Hospital to Senator in Power, May 30, 2022. Medium.
In 2017, I visited the Baltics, Russia, Mongolia, Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand and Ukraine on what my husband and I call our big TransEuraAsian adventure. Below are a couple of essays that draw from these experiences.
Hip in a Nerdy Nice Way : Notes on Taiwan, Medium, May 17, 2020.
S is for Samosa : Indian Influences on the Island of Zanzibar, April 3, 2020.
The birthplace of Freddie Mercury has a rich and interesting heritage — as did the charismatic rock star.
Tourism Trap for Tanzania, Medium, March 20, 2020.
Coronavirus will challenge a poor nation that depends on the safari industry
Ambling Livestock and Fights Over the Nile’s Water : Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, Medium, Feb. 28, 2020.
Failed trip to see Blue Nile Falls leaves a journalist curious about one of the world’s biggest battles over water. Ethiopia is arguing with Egypt about how quickly it can fill the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam
Giving thanks in Ethiopia’s Amharic language, Medium. March 6, 2020.
Ethiopia gives visitors much for which to feel grateful, but made it a challenge to express that feeling.
Nobel Prize Winner and Bob Marley Seen in Soviet-Era Lada Taxis: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Medium, Feb. 21, 2020. The face of Ethiopia’s future appears in taxis that say a lot about the country’s past
What I ate and read to learn about Ethiopia, Medium, Jan. 29, 2020. I wouldn’t be surprised to see an Ethiopian comic book with a superhero whose special power is using injera to stop crime.
Russians and Reggae – Notes on Riga on the Birthday of Its Most Famous Native Son
Poignant Mermaid and Power Wars: Vilnius, Lithuania.
Russians and Reggae – Notes on Riga on the Birthday of Its Most Famous Native Son, first posted in Jan. 27, 2019 on dalymysteries.com. This essay uses the awarding of Latvian citizenship to Mikhail Baryshnikov to look at the complex issue of identity for ethnic Russians in the Baltics. It also is a travelogue about Riga, one of the world’s Art Nouveau capitals.
Poignant Mermaid and Power Wars: Vilnius, Lithuania. This travelogue about a 2017 trip to the beautiful capital of Lithuania looks into that nation’s long sad relationship with Russia. My visit took place around the time Lithuania received its first ship of American liquified natural gas (LNG). Vilnius captured my heart over my short stay and made the questions about fracking for gas much more complex. In the United States, the rise of LNG has come amid serious concerns about environmental damage. Yet, many in Lithuania welcomed the 2017 arrival of this first LNG shipment from America as a hedge against potential Russian interference in their nation.
S is for Samosa : Indian Influences on the Island of Zanzibar, April 3, 2020.
The birthplace of Freddie Mercury has a rich and interesting heritage — as did the charismatic rock star.
Tourism Trap for Tanzania, Medium, March 20, 2020.
Coronavirus will challenge a poor nation that depends on the safari industry
Ambling Livestock and Fights Over the Nile’s Water : Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, Medium, Feb. 28, 2020.
Failed trip to see Blue Nile Falls leaves a journalist curious about one of the world’s biggest battles over water. Ethiopia is arguing with Egypt about how quickly it can fill the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam
Giving thanks in Ethiopia’s Amharic language, Medium. March 6, 2020.
Ethiopia gives visitors much for which to feel grateful, but made it a challenge to express that feeling.