Our vet, who had previous experience of getting our dog into a confined space with disastrous results, recommended sedation for the transatlantic flight. This was in the days of tranquilizing travelling pets. The tablets were prescribed, but it was not an option I was keen to explore. How hard could it be to get a [...]
Archive for Category: "Featured"
India and Pakistan: Not Ordinary Enemies
The Wagha border between India and Pakistan is located 30kms from Amritsar, Punjab. Upon partition, Punjab was divided into two, literally dividing neighbours into separate countries. Each afternoon a ceremony is held to mark the closing of the border for the day. I traveled to the border in the back of an overcrowded jeep with [...]
To Comment or Not to Comment, That is the Question
I rarely comment on the rhetoric. I moved to Turkey to keep control of my blood pressure, not to see it spiral into orbit. However, one particularly rigid point of view really got me thinking. One of the combatants declared with absolute righteousness that foreigners who live in Turkey do not have the right to [...]
Cold Feet
This time, however, we had arrived in early winter, which was a completely different story. Outside, it was sunny and maybe a little fresh first thing in the morning (but still wonderful compared to the harsh British winters). Unfortunately, the interior of the cottage was more a darkened pit of despair. I can honestly [...]
“Aplatanado” or Going Native, Dominican style
One of the biggest compliments a Dominican can give a foreigner is that he or she is “aplatanado”. Literally, it means that the newcomer has become like a plantain, but what they’re actually telling you is that “you’re one of us”. It’s not a compliment that is dished out lightly. In the Dominican Republic, plantains [...]
7Q: Sirin of Turkey
Hello. My name is Şirin, and I’m Turkish. I was born and raised in Istanbul, went to an international school and have been studying and living abroad since I turned 19. I have been living in the Netherlands for the past 4 years, and after working in the cultural sector for 3 years I have [...]
The Four Pearls of Successful University Transition
The good news is that students who have been raised outside of their passport country don’t have to feel the cultural imbalance of things that are not as familiar as expected. Research by the Interchange Institute has shown that internationally mobile persons who undergo cross-cultural training before or shortly after their relocation have a much [...]
