I stereotyped people freely, and I didn't know how to relate, nor did I make any effort to try....
Windows and Washing: An Outrageous True Story of Teaching in the Emirates
It’s fall 2012, my first trimester of teaching English to high schoolers in Abu Dhabi. I’m at an ADEC boys school in Al Ain. There are a dozen English teachers from the US, New Zealand, and England here, and they’re a supportive bunch of seasoned professionals. That’s good, because several of us are new to teaching in the Emirates...
Family Hitchhiking in Malaysia: A True Story
It’s February 2018. The depths of winter; the coldest month of the year. In Russia, we’d have been bundling up in layer after layer to stay warm. In Utah, we’d have been scraping ice off the Volvo windshield before we could go anywhere. In the hills of Malaysia, on the other hand, we are sporting T-shirts and we have...
Love Your Muslim Neighbor
Back in early 2015, I (Jenia here) wrote an article for Venn Magazine called “On Loving Your Neighbors.” It’s late June 2018 and the Supreme Court has just upheld what’s being oft referred to as “Trump’s Muslim ban.” It feels like a high time for a re-write on why one should love their Muslim neighbor. One day, I saw...
“Teacher, You Like Coffee?” A True Story from Arabia
Imagine yourself, a qualified professional teacher who is accustomed to a certain level of, what, decorum? in the classroom. Now, imagine that you arrive at your new job, and you find that all of your expectations are…going out the window. Along with the students. But the story about kids going out windows is for another day. Today’s true story...
Vietnam E-Visa and Train Travel
E-Visa to Vietnam There has been a lot of talk about Vietnam’s new e-visa recently. Since February 2017, nationals of 46 different countries are able to apply for a single-entry 30-day visa online, print out a visa, and enter Vietnam. Provided that the government website works fine (it may take several tries), the process is quite simple and quick....