In 1986 I was the vice-consul at the American Consulate General in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It was my first assignment in the U.S. Foreign Service.
African Charm
Some villagers brought medications with instructions in English, Russian, French or German. They could read none of these languages, so I translated them as best I could. For the Russian medicines, I would tell them that—like them—I couldn’t read these labels. Others came asking for money, or food, or books, or just time to chat with me. Some Chadians believed …
Suddenly Sundered: HIV and the Foreign Service
“How soon can you get out of Canada?” asked the administrative officer at the U.S. Consulate in Toronto in October 1995 when I was informed that my application for disability retirement—due to my advanced HIV/AIDS—had been approved. “What?” I asked. “Now that you’re officially retired, the State Department has liability issues with you remaining in Canada. I need to know …
Finding the Sacred Rhythms
Visiting three islands of Hawaii (Oahu, The Big Island, and Maui) leaves one with a mixed sense of how the sacred rhythms are honored in this historic place. On Oahu, my visit to Pearl Harbor was tranquil and sobering. Realizing that 1,177 sailors and marines lay entombed below the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial humbles you at the sacrifices endured by so …
Resilience in the Face of Nature’s Challenges
Visiting Iceland leaves one with a feeling of awe at the incredible resilience of the Icelanders. The country is populated with volcanoes in every region of the country, many of which have exploded in the last few decades. (In 2010, the Eyjafjallajokull volcano erupted, the ash disrupting air traffic throughout the world for almost a week.) Yet, Icelanders continue to …
Diplomatic Detours
Originally published in HIV Plus Magazine. You can read the original here.
Pura Vida, living your best life in Costa Rica
On a trip to Costa Rica, I re-discovered some of the joys of my life. As a diplomat I had often traveled. It was part of the job. I really enjoyed being in a culture that was not much like the American culture, and I found particular satisfaction in functioning in another language. For some years in my retirement, I …
Trump’s loose social media habits
After watching Donald Trump in the White House for a mere 20 days one is left with the exhaustion that usually accompanies any adult who must “watch” over a child, unmoored to reality, wedded to his own narcissistic ego where only his wants matter. One wants to avoid being overly dramatic, but this is a man who fails to appreciate …
A Distorted Sense of Time
My sister died in 2014. That doesn’t sound so long ago in the context of just beginning 2016. And yet, grieving her absence, remembering how tied we were to each other, recalling so many smiles and fun times even as we were dealing with so many hospitalizations—it seems like someone else’s life. The mind plays a little trick with you …
Chad Erupts In Strife
Winner of the Glimmer Train Magazine Fiction Open 2014“I’m still on hold,” Felicia announced to Maria and Giorgio. They stared at her from the kitchen table in the Comma’s house in Springfield, a suburb of Philadelphia. It was the third week of February in 1979. Winter had broken, a clear sun shone down, melting the dirty remnants of earlier snowfalls, forcing rushing …