Life is busy here, working together with dozens of people, trying to put a campus together from scratch. So, as you may have noticed, my frequency of postings has diminished and will probably be somewhat limited in the next several weeks. Or who knows, maybe until campus opening. But, I will keep trying to put things out there.
Also, I've noticed that this blog has morphed into something different than the simple travel blog I had originally envisioned. In my re-examination of my postings, it has occurred to me that it has also become a teensy-weensy bit of a political blog. In the highly unlikely event there are any Donald Trump or Ted Cruz supporters still reading my blog, I am sorry for my persistent commentary in this arena. No, actually, I am really not sorry; my commentary has been quite intentional. You see, when you live abroad, you aren't trapped in the vacuum where you can expose yourself only to Fox News or whatever voices you choose. When you live abroad, most of these voices have disappeared and you are exposed to a far greater diversity of voices, even some voices you've never heard before or some you haven't even imagined. And you are called upon to explain your culture by those from other cultures who are trying to understand the gap between American ideals and current American reality. Fox News talking points don't fly in those conversations. When you live abroad, you learn about other cultures, but you also gain a clearer picture of your own--and my personal version of this clearer picture is what I am trying to share, as well as the picture I am forming of Central Asia. Please know that the purpose of this blog's shift in tone is not to offend, but rather to serve as a miniscule voice during a year where we have the stark, unavoidable choice of expressing support for an America that might some day become a country where voices of hope, peace and tolerance become predominant or expressing support for a nation where the voices that shout out in hatred toward the least among us prevail.
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