Learning, to spite myself
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
Read moreSept. 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
Read moreSept. 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
Read moreSept.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
Read moreAug 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
Read moreAug 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
Read moreJuly 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
Read moreJuly 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
Read moreJuly 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
Read moreJuly 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
Read moreJune 30 Thursday A week ago, I couldn’t hear most of them, despite the fact that I sat right in front of them. A handful of days ago, most of them had created action for their brief stories, but many
Read moreJune 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
Read moreJune 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
Read moreAugust 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
Read moreJuly 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,
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