When my twin sister and I were younger, I was known as the loud, chatty one, and my sister was known as the quiet, listening one. Because of this, I have actively tried to work on being a better listener. I haven’t changed my personality, but I ha...

I walked by the doorkeeper to the building where I taught English and wished him goodnight. He was a friendly man in his seventies, and I often paused to chat briefly with him on my way to and from class. The summer break was right around the corn...

I listen to my friend as she tells me about the news report that I cannot understand on my own. I live in Cairo and the news comes tumbling out of the radio in Arabic. We stand in the kitchen and my friend chooses words and phrases in Arabic that ...

At first it felt miserable knowing the island was my new home for who knew how long. As a young, single English teacher, I moved into a dank villa surrounded by other dank, concrete buildings. In a matter of days, a huge typhoon hit. Running water...