The Woes of TV and Arabic

I was watching friends the other day.  In Arabic.  That was totally weird!  I really had no intention of watching Friends and I certainly didn’t intend to watch it in Arabic.  But it’s like you get “caught” in some web and can’t get out of it…it just captures you and you sit and listen to [...]

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My Siebren Journey

Chronicles of a women’s journey in Africa.

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Blogging and Narcissism

After nearly three weeks of doing this blogging thing I have come to the conclusion that blogging is almost as good as therapy to achieve personal growth!  Without a doubt it’s definitely cheaper. I don’t know how other people find therapy but for me, it was a very empowering experience.  My recollections of my session [...]

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We Are Sisters

Growing up I always wanted a brother.  I particularly wanted an older brother.   Upon reflection I think that desire was somewhat prompted by the perceived need to have someone to take care of me—basically to have a body guard.  My family lived in a neighborhood that had some really mean boys who roamed the streets. [...]

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Bill and Moses

I’ve been married twice in my life.  My first husband had the misfortune (well some would argue he was fortunate given the outcome) of being bitten by a hippo.  It’s a long story and maybe I’ll tell it some time but the point is it’s a pretty unusual thing to have your husband attacked by [...]

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I Never Knew Her Name

This is the poignant story of the author’s personal encounter to save the life of a young mother in a remote area of Zaire. It captures the difficulty women in third world countries face where pre- and post-natal care is almost non-existant.

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Dale: Simply A Friend

I received a really special gift via the internet today from my friend Dale. I tried to contact him several months ago without success.  So, when he never wrote back I feared for the worst. I thought maybe he was very ill or had even died. He’s on a wait list for a heart transplant [...]

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Road Terrors: Driving in Cairo

Shortly after I arrived here my son, Danny, sent me an email warning me that Cairo is in the top ten list of cities in the world for fatal car accidents.  My initial reaction was there was no way those statistics were right—I mean how bad could it be?  After a few drives around town [...]

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The City of the Dead

Most people who come to Egypt are completely awed by the ancient wonders of the world:  the pyramids, the Citadel, the Valley of the Kings.  I’ll admit these places are phenomenal. Indeed, it’s almost beyond description how amazing they are.  They dominate the landscape; they are majestic; they are a powerful testimony to a history and culture that [...]

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It’s Complicated

My daughter wrote about the on-going impact of her parent’s divorce on her blog the other day.  Although I was incredibly proud of how eloquently she shared her thoughts the candor in what she wrote tugged at my heart and left me feeling both guilty and sad. Deep in my soul I know that no matter [...]

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