ASSE Orientation Weekend
I dont know about anyone else, but if I were an ASSE (American Scandinavian Student Exchange) international student new to America, I’d want to go to the beach for my orientation weekend. Because, the beach! The ocean! The boardwalk! Candy Kitchen’s salt water taffy! Thrasher’s boardwalk fries! A cornucopia of East Coast beach staples that…
Kazakh
In early September, a very travel-weary young Kazakh stepped off a plane into the Philadelphia International Airport carrying that dombra I mentioned in my last post . After a 40-hour journey from the other side of the world, this 17-year-old young man was more than ready to be done with traveling. But let me give…
Kazakhstan
“Kazakhstan? Where’s that?”. I hate to admit it. I uttered these words when my son asked me to look for a Kazakh international student. Shouldn’t I already know it’s the 9th largest country in the world? With a total landmass the size of western Europe? And Asian on top of it all! How did I…
Learning to Taiwander Again
I’m slowly learning to Taiwander again, but finding my wings and flying once more hasn’t been easy. To be honest, I didn’t think I would. Covid hit my family hard. It hit the world hard. The death, destruction, and massive upheaval it leaves in its wake is impressive in its global scope. Unfortunately, even though…
Corona Virus and The Blame Game
Fear of corona virus, COVID-19, is morphing into full blown xenophobia. Blaming people isn’t what’s going to get us out of this mess. Working together is.
New Year, New Adventure
So here we are in the year 2020. New year, new adventure. As last year unfolded and the unknown became known, it was amazing to see the direction life had taken. I was also grateful for it. Embracing Joseph into our family and our hearts (see The Influence of East Asia on my Life: The…
Vietnam’s Legacy
Vietnam’s legacy began with a draft card. It arrived in my dad’s mail box in 1967, and by 1968 he found himself in the countryside and cities of Vietnam. He was part of the US Army Corp of Engineers. Like so many young American men before him, he didn’t want to go, didn’t want to…
The Blind Side
One of my favorite movies is “The Blind Side”, the story of American pro football athlete Michael Oher. Michael’s journey to the world of pro football starts when the Tuohy family takes him in, helps him, and champions him. Most of all, they take the time to understand him. Leigh Anne Learns to See… Leigh…