“Welcome to Britain”

“Huh?”

“It’s going to be okay German child”

“Guten tag?”

“Shite”

“Ja?”

“My cup of tea has cascaded down to the floor”

“Hallo?”

“Shite. I liked that cup.”...

The tones from the mbiras combined with the rhythmic rattle of the hosco shakers was hypnotic. He had been in the dark rondavel hut for hours now watching the men dance on the hard-packed dirt floor. Their dance was more like a slow parade around the hut. The singing that accompanied the music and the dancing was almost a scream was still somehow melodic.

The hut as at the center of a small villa...

“Leo, I can’t do this!” I whispered.

“Oh, come on, you want to be here!” Leo grinned, giving me a weak shove that left me stumbling sideways — straight into a girl about our age.

“Sorry!”

She gave me an odd look before muttering something under her breath, to which Leo responded in near perfect Spanish.

“Mis disculpas, señorita. ¿Podría darnos algunas direcciones, por favor?”

“¿A donde?”

“La...

“Get out. See different cultures. Meet interesting people.”

Sure, that’s what the brochure said, and that’s what the recruiter said, and that’s what my parents said.

But no one told me how it would REALLY be.

I don’t understand how anyone can live where it is this cold! I really do not know what color the buildings are around here because everything is constantly blanketed in white. You can’t rea...

It’s very different here. When I want to say one thing, I feel like it gets lost in translation. No one here says, “see you later.” Everyone is literal. At least, it seems to me.

Trying to get help is like pulling teeth. I don’t fully understand everything and I just need someone to give me a guiding hand. Like where is the market? Where is the best place to get clothes? What is the best way to ...

The glass in front of him reflected the right side of his face perfectly, making his eye clearer than he would’ve preferred in any other situation. In any other situation, a reminder of the war would be the worst thing that could happen.

It had been three months since he had been set on that boat heading for the shore of the Ruby River, and at that time he could clearly remember how the feelings o...

It was all new to me, the lights, the people, the hustle and bustle of a vivid city. I couldn’t keep my eyes off it.

The language was so different here but I was starting to know the basics now. Luckily I was suggested a tour guide who spoke English and Japanese so I could get some practice in.

I was so lucky to get into this exchange program, it was a once in a lifetime experience to live and...

You were never really alone in a place like this. The streets were always overcrowded with passerby’s and even the apartment buildings seemed constantly groaning with the sounds of its occupants. You know how they say the city never sleeps? Yeah, that phrase could never be more true about New York City. There was something truly restless about this place, like an insomniac who never knew when to l...

It is so other

She cannot decipher it.

Unreadable runes.

Menu with many pictures

None of which looks edible....

“Where’s the ice?”

“Sir?”

“I ordered iced tea. This is just…..tea.”

“Uh….sir….I do not understand. Tea? With ice? We don’t know this thing.”

Now I am a good Southern boy who grew up drinking my Nana’s iced tea. It was a staple in our house, but here I am somewhere in Europe (I have been traveling on my own) and they have no idea what I’m talking about. How can this be? This is another t...