I went on a pilgrimage with my mom!

Earlier this year, I went on a pilgrimage to Mecca with my mom. Called umrah, the experience was powerful, to say the least. I’ve been struggling with putting words on the page to adequately describe the experience. I believe any attempt is better than none, though,...
The boy everyone gave up on

The boy everyone gave up on

Greetings from Florida, where I’m ringing the New Year in with my family. I’ve been away from the USA nearly six months and it feels so good to be back stateside, where everything is familiar again. As we close 2017, what are you reflecting on? In my review process, I...
Cut overwhelm by trying this

Cut overwhelm by trying this

Lately I’ve been feeling a lot of overwhelm. Why can’t I get it ALL done…and faster?! Ever felt like that? Recently, I took a trip to Lake Balaton here in Hungary. I went in search of a statue I heard was there, of the Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore. I not only...
Gateway into my past

Gateway into my past

I looked up at the quaint German cottage, then down at my phone to compare the address: Schottmüllerstrasse 111 This is it. Trekking into the suburbs during my last afternoon in Berlin, I arrived here to accomplish my final summer task. This is the house where my...
Principles from a Polyglot

Principles from a Polyglot

I love learning languages. Heck, I might be obsessed. I’ve studied over nine languages, and love the feeling of picking apart grammar, learning new vocab, and communicating with new cultures. Learning the Bengali alphabet helped me bridge the gap between my...