Life, travel and other such adventures.

We all know the story. They met in Cairo during the Second World War. Teta (Grandmother) was working as a secretary in my Grandfather’s office and had a penchant for filing things by color. Granddad was smitten. Teta would tell the story. Three men had asked for her hand. When my Grandfather made his proposal she’d told him, “but I don’t love you.” To which he courageously replied, “I love you enough for the both of us.” Growing up I heard this story and always thought it was a testament... Read The Rest →

A Twenty-Six Mile Moment There are moments in life that fill you with gratitude and a sense of great privilege. The weight of the moment invariably strikes at the time. I know, as it’s happening, that it will be something I remember forever. Something my mind’s eye will always recall in full, saturated color. The sounds crisp, the smells present. It fills my chest until it catches in my throat. A child taking its first breath. Villagers in the African bush singing as they work. A mourning son in white on the... Read The Rest →

Summer in East Texas. The cacophony of locusts suspended in thick, hot air. Facebook reminds me that it’s been a year since I boarded the ferry leaving Juneau. Jeep, dogs and motorcycle in tow. A refugee from my life. My sister, thank God for her. The strength I did not have to make the journey. Three thousand, five hundred miles, she recalls, of mourning as she’s never heard before. I was lost. East Texas was not for me. Too flat, too far from the ocean. Too small, too big. Too,... Read The Rest →

Mr. Devidas and an arrival committee of several collected us upon our arrival by bus from Mumbai. At the orphanage, the fanfare of drums and cymbals and 30 boys greeted us all at once. A beautifully intricate welcome sign of various colored sands decorated the floor. Strands of marigolds around our necks and red powder on our foreheads added to the honored welcome. This I was not expecting. We were promptly invited to sit and be introduced to the group, piping hot cups of chai tea quickly served. The rest... Read The Rest →

The first fish I ever caught was a rainbow trout. It was magical. And knowing now what I know about fishing, nothing short of a miracle. A perfect moment, a gift. I remember its sleek body emerging from the water with its rainbow iridescent sheen. I was 6 or 7 and my father had taken me fishing. It was one of his visits when he drove up from San Diego to see us on the weekend. I couldn’t tell you where he took me, but I remember the place perfectly.... Read The Rest →

It was Monday and the first day of our work in the field. We’d be traveling out of the town of Kotido and deeper into the Karamojo region. We drive, 10 of us packed like sardines across two bench seats in the back of the Land Cruiser, down the rough, red snake “road” through green bush country. The Karamojo region sits atop a plateau, and at 4,100 feet green bush stretches as far as you can see, interrupted occasionally with dramatic rock outcroppings. The roads through this region are what... Read The Rest →

    Our accommodations were a guest house complex at the Church of Uganda – or owned by them anyway – and so it was simply called “Church of Uganda”. They were simple accommodations, but admittedly better than what I had expected. They were clean, we each had our own bathroom and they were cute round huts with thatched roofs. We didn’t have running water for over half the time we stayed there, but hey, it was an experience. Thankfully, the day following our arrival in Kotido was Sunday. The... Read The Rest →