Sept. 28 I watch where I walk.  I stay aware as I amble along. Despite the focus, it can be easy to step right into the middle of it without even realizing you were heading straight for it.  As

Sept. 23 A political rally of some sort delayed my ride from arriving on time, so I ended up being quite late in reaching Tripura University.  I bustled my way down the stairs, slipping off my shoes and rounding

Sept.15 Often, a concern that rises as I begin work is translation: Will I need it or not?  Humorously, just before I started the work of my current fellowship, one person asked, “You understand Hindi, yes?”  Extremely humorous.  I

Sept. 6 Home is a place of comfort. You share a home with people you care about and who, assumedly, care about you.  For many, home is a place you can simply be yourself, away from the ‘outside’ world

Aug 31 A decade and a half ago, when I first arrived in India, it took nearly 3 hours to get through immigration and customs and get out of the airport somewhere around 2 am.  I was quickly whisked

Aug 22 I had a sneaking suspicion that an unexpected experience was coming when, after landing at the Agartala airport (portal to my new ‘home’), a couple of people seemed to be taking selfies near me and I realized

July 28 Sanna (not her real name, of course) proved to be very tight-lipped in the early days of this current program.  By that I mean she didn't talk, was reluctant about answering questions and if she did, was

July 18 When next you face a frustration or challenge with a program, project or play, or even within your daily experiences, I encourage you to consider the following. Enjoy reading, of course, but know that frustration does not

July 10 How do you measure success?  During a recent conversation, a friend described a gathering of people from multiple islands.  As they came together to sing, honor each other and engage in various activities, one of the measures

July 6 Those who know me well, know I am quite obsessed with making good use of time.  There are ways to plan activities and errands to maximize time. Sitting through long discussions and presentations are not my favorite

June 23 As the young participants introduced themselves at the beginning of this current two-week summer program I am working on, one young woman described herself as, “Fijian by birth, but Marshallese by heart.” Born and raised in the Marshall Islands, she unsurprisingly

June 17 On Friday, June 14 two events happened at nearly the exact same time.  First, I was on a plane to the Marshall Islands, returning for the almost 28th year in a row.  Second, at the Springfield High

August 11, 2018 Four countries. Five journeys. Six nationalities.  My theatre experiences in the first half of this year have been varied and widespread.  From middle schoolers in the Marshall Islands to college students in American Samoa to a

July 17, 2018 As we drove down the pot-holed causeway from Gugeegue to Ebeye, my host and I talked a little about the final performance of the drama students.  We marveled at the transformation that many of them experienced,