“The Lernen to Talk Show” Have you seen this blog in which a guy learns German in a year and posts weekly videos of his progress? It’s great. The guy behind the project, Mickey Mangan, wanted “to prove to people that learning a language is something you can do

Well, it’s my last day in Morocco, so I wanted to devote a final post to the languages spoken here, in particular Moroccan Arabic, also known as Darija (which means ‘dialect’ in Arabic). I looked back at my on-and-off blog, Mary of Arabia, at the posts I wrote while

Thoughts on travel and identity In six months I’ll be leaving for China to visit a close friend. When I leave, it will have been almost three years from the time I was last in China. As I think about my journey, I’m reflecting on how this trip will be different from others. It’l

Preparing for the inevitable on a journey abroad Last week I wrote about how to offer emotional support to friends who are living abroad. But it’s just as important to prepare your own homesickness plan before you head off on a grand adventure. When I was younger I assumed that

Turning an email into a loneliness antidote One of my closest friends is leaving for a long trip abroad tomorrow. I was on my way to meet her today to say goodbye, and my bus was late. I stood for 20 minutes in the rain, wearing inappropriate shoes and wondering whether I should final