Stories | Blog World
My Perfect Sunday
Published July 16, 2008
With few Christians in Japan, Sunday is not a day of worship. It is, however, the only day most people have with their family. Until a couple of years ago, students had school on Saturdays and ...
The Bigger Family
Published July 9, 2008
One of the biggest differences I find in raising a family in Japan is that the concept of family is different from what I am used to. In Canada, the nuclear family reigns supreme, but ...
The Spinster
Published June 18, 2008
All my adolescence I spent here. In Mauritius. This island is more home to me than any other place I’ve been. Not that I prefer it or anything of that sort but in the sense ...
The Oil War Published June 11, 2008
My brother is an addict. He contaminated me. I’ve gotten over it. Not he. His eyes are bloodshot. His fingers twitch all the time. He ... More Comments (5)
Turkish Barbers Published June 4, 2008
There are two barbershops on Camp Fallujah, about a ten-minute walk apart. One — run by a Jordanian — is located inside the post exchange ... More Comment (1)
It's Hard to Leave Published May 28, 2008
I scanned the line of buses that had just arrived at the stop through my too-big designer rip-off sunglasses that let me pass for Italian ... More Post a comment
Tempo Italiano Published May 21, 2008
Italians run late; they just do. In my nine months here, I have been trying to figure out if this is due to a relaxed ... More Post a comment
In Memoriam Published May 14, 2008
The ceremony will begin in five minutes. Rows of metal foldout chairs are arranged neatly in the center of a long rectangular room. At the ... More Post a comment
The Border Published May 7, 2008
The paved road stops at Al Qaim, a military base in northwestern Al Anbar province. Another 40 kilometers further along muddy and half-formed paths is ... More Post a comment
Battle for Hearts and Stomachs Published April 30, 2008
Young boys are the same the world over. In no other demographic slice of humanity do you see such an interesting mix of innocence, persistence, ... More Post a comment
AFN Published April 23, 2008
The military is not as unified as it may seem. But for those who think they know the true divide within our armed forces, take ... More Post a comment
Looking Deadly Published April 16, 2008
When you think of a hero — a soldier, firefighter, or Marine — what image pops into your head? Do you think of a shaved ... More Post a comment
Coalition Forces Published April 9, 2008
When a phrase is constantly used over time to the same audience, it ends up losing some of its original significance. So when we first ... More Post a comment
Saying Goodbye Published April 2, 2008
Over the span of a normal lifetime, how often do you see a loved one off for a trip? A long trip? A long and ... More Post a comment
A Smile from a Veil Published March 12, 2008
I am dumb when it comes to girls. My friends are quite good at involvement with them, but their company hasn’t had a great deal ... More Post a comment
Peshawar or Bust Published March 5, 2008
Four years back, while I was living in Tarbela Dam, a friend of mine asked me to accompany him to have his computer upgraded. I ... More Post a comment
Armchair Obstetrician Published Feb. 13, 2008
I am not a “people person.” Much as I would like to say that getting pregnant with Violet has morphed me into a kinder, gentler ... More Comment (1)
My Little Parasite Published Feb. 6, 2008
Every year, my husband and I look forward to Halloween. We plan for months in advance to make sure that we have cool (though sometimes ... More Post a comment
Manav Desh in Imphal, India Published Jan. 16, 2008
Adorned in traditional attires of a groom, my friend, you look handsome, and your bride so elegant. The mandap, garland in bright yellow marigolds, the ... More Post a comment
Manav Desh in Imphal, India Published Jan. 9, 2008
Hours grew into days, days into weeks, weeks into months, and yet time gives me the illusion that it was just a few days ago ... More Comment (1)
Ginger in Nigeria Published Dec. 20, 2007
Redefining Chaos Theory On a recent trip to Italy, I met an Israeli from Jerusalem whom I asked how many suicide bomb blasts he had ... More Post a comment
Ginger in Nigeria Published Dec. 13, 2007
Why I can't Fly! Flying in airplanes used to be one of my greatest delights. Taking off and landing were my favorite parts (only later ... More Post a comment
Schoolyard scuffle Published Nov. 21, 2007
Dear Noah, It was sprinkling rain when I went to pick you up from school. As I came around the corner the principal came out ... More Post a comment
Melinda in Greenville, Ohio Published Nov. 15, 2007
Moving Day Dear Noah, You found out today that the girls next door are moving. You are very upset about this. You told me you ... More Post a comment
M.P.J. in Upstate New York Published Oct. 25, 2007
My Son Doesn't Eat My six-year-old son is autistic, and like many autistic people -- children and adults -- eating is difficult for him. My ... More Post a comment
M.P.J. in Upstate New York Published Oct. 18, 2007
I trust My husband, Mark, is a sex addict. Four years ago, before he came clean about his sex addiction and started his recovery, I ... More Post a comment
Junky's Wife in Charlotte, North Carolina Published Sept. 27, 2007
Ramen Mmmmm. Poverty food. Tonight's dinner will be Ramen, that freeze-dried Eastern delicacy, flavor "Oriental." I will transport myself into the mystical realm of the ... More Post a comment
Junky's Wife in Charlotte, North Carolina Published Sept. 20, 2007
Why I don't leave When our eyes met, I felt that I was growing pale. A curious sensation of terror came over me. I knew ... More Post a comment
Junky's Wife in Charlotte, North Carolina Published Sept. 13, 2007
The Junky's Wife Explained When I was in my late teens and early 20s, I was a spectacular train wreck. I used coke, a lot, ... More Post a comment
Junky's Wife in Charlotte, North Carolina Published Sept. 6, 2007
A Spoon He called and asked me to bring him a pair of shorts, his sketch pad, a soda, and something to eat. He made ... More Post a comment
Melissa Plaut in New York City Published Aug. 9, 2007
I Hate Second Avenue I went back to driving a cab after a hiatus of six months. When I showed up at the garage for ... More Post a comment
Melissa Plaut in New York City Published Aug. 2, 2007
Something in the Air After sitting in the taxi lot at LaGuardia Airport for an hour, I got a fare back to the very slow ... More Post a comment
Melissa Plaut in New York City Published July 26, 2007
The Five-Nine The 59th Street Bridge was a wreck. I knew because I called a few of my taxi buddies one night while they were ... More Post a comment
Claire Litton in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Published June 28, 2007
Flashbulb anticipation The Jonestown massacre was responsible for my growing up bereft of popular culture. Not because I was orphaned by Kool Aid--drinking parents or ... More Post a comment
Claire Litton in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Published June 21, 2007
My Body is my paintbrush Everyone asks the question: "How much money do you make as a professional belly dancer?" The "baby" belly dancers want ... More Post a comment
Melissa Plaut in New York City Published June 19, 2007
Sex Drive I was having another long, disjointed night, which is normal when you drive a yellow cab in New York City. But this night ... More Post a comment
Claire Litton in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Published June 14, 2007
Art makes me uncomfortable So, a guy -- let's call him Mr. Teacher -- at the school where I often pose nude for figure-drawing classes ... More Post a comment
Claire Litton in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Published June 7, 2007
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania There's a rumor circulating among my friends that you can't be popular in the belly-dance scene unless you "party." Not like the Nevada ... More Post a comment
Dimitrios Kyranas in Athens, Greece Published May 31, 2007
The Catch On one of the many beautiful -- thanks to global warming -- winter mornings, I decided to take the bus to university. My ... More Post a comment
Dimitrios Kyranas in Athens, Greece Published May 24, 2007
Flashback Yesterday afternoon I looked at photos of my high school graduation. After going through them, I could not help proceeding to the album's following ... More Post a comment
Dimitrios Kyranas in Athens, Greece Published May 17, 2007
Spatiotemporal Unfairness The other day I leisurely rode the escalators of the central subway station of Athens, at Syntagma (Constitution) Square, situated right in front ... More Post a comment
Dimitrios Kyranas in Athens, Greece Published May 10, 2007
A Greek capital crime I was strolling this afternoon along the wide avenues that crisscross the center of Athens, the Greek capital, perusing its wonderful ... More Post a comment
Dimitrios Kyranas in Athens, Greece Published May 3, 2007
The Fake Greek It all began in late 1994: I realized that my English was superior to that of my schoolmates, all of whom had ... More Post a comment
Brian M. Palmer in Long Beach Published April 26, 2007
Sick haircut, dude! Some time ago, a heavily tanned, broad-shouldered, six-foot-tall baseball player from Texas, who used the word "dude" to refer to males and ... More Post a comment
Brian M. Palmer in Long Beach Published April 19, 2007
Fifteen feet from Natalie My interest in Natalie Portman began when I saw a trailer for Mars Attacks . I was 16. I didn't know ... More Post a comment
Brian M. Palmer in Long Beach Published April 12, 2007
Nukkles I would have never guessed that the massage of my life would be at the hands of an elderly entrepreneur suffering from a case ... More Post a comment
Brian M. Palmer in Long Beach Published April 5, 2007
Kickboxing's Fine Print Thinking over my years, there've been a few things that I regret doing. For instance, that night I drank 11 beers in ... More Post a comment
Helen Leggatt In Canterbury, New Zealand Published March 29, 2007
Style on a lifestyle block? I got told off last week...by a chicken. I'd had a particularly late night and hadn't climbed out from under ... More Post a comment
Helen Leggatt In Canterbury, New Zealand Published March 22, 2007
May Contain Nuts "It's the summer months, and your children will be outdoors playing more often and could seriously hurt themselves." This announcement remains ingrained ... More Post a comment
Helen Leggatt In Canterbury, New Zealand Published March 15, 2007
There's no place like home I remember pressing my nose against the window as we flew over the Southern Alps of the South Island of ... More Post a comment
Helen Leggatt In Canterbury, New Zealand Published March 1, 2007
Food for thought New Zealand supermarkets are devoid of the range of TV dinners and pasta sauces that are the staples of their British counterparts. ... More Post a comment
Medicine Soldier In Iraq Published Feb. 22, 2007
Sleep Monster As a traditional guardsman, I have to live a dual life and with the consequences of doing so. Going from a normal work ... More Post a comment
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