The Night the Lights Went out in Erseke

Late one evening in the fall of 2021, I lay doubled over with stomach pain in the back of a nice black car belonging to a Nigerian-British solicitor (the UK’s equivalent of a US attorney), on the way to Queen’s hospital in Rainham, Essex. In that moment I thought to myself “In the movie version

The Covid Connections

Getting to video chat one-on-one with people from all over the world was an experience I’ll not soon forget. I moved out of China in March 2020, one month after Covid struck there, and until early 2022 my only source of income was part time freelance English teaching online. This unique period of time allowed

Taking Refuge in a 12th Century Parish Church

It is said that in the 1500s, a sailor abandoned his post and took refuge in the St. Helen and St. Giles parish church in Essex, a short journey outside of London, England. (It’s likely that the church in England had not yet become independant of Rome and was still Catholic at this point.) He

Eunuchs, the Bible, and Transgender People

In state legislatures across the country, anti-trans bills are at an all-time high. This is thanks to an unprecedented high in anti-trans rhetoric, hysteria, and misinformation being spread intentionally by far right-wing media. This is very personal for me, since people I know and love are painfully affected by this wave of anti-trans sentiment and

Memories of Albania

Sensory memories are funny things, aren’t they? We can inhale a whiff of fall air and suddenly remember the scratchiness of jumping in leaf piles in elementary school, or see a white pine tree like the one we used to climb and have an intense recollection of sticky sap, white fluffy clouds, lunchboxes, and laughter

Ask Me About Busses!

Over the past 4 years, I’ve lived in 6 countries and owned a car in none of them! No two locations were alike. There were so many adventures and even more misadventures at every step of the way. When fresh-off-the boat Grace first took the bus to her new teaching job in Suzhou in 2018,

Tips for Long Flights

Having done my fair share of long global flights, including journeys with multiple connections, I have to confess that there’s no secret to it. The flying part itself is the easiest thing in the world – just stay in your seat as long as the seatbelt sign is on! Booking tickets, getting to the airport

Houseteads Roman Fort (and Hadrian’s Wall)

Near the end of 2021, I got the chance to tag along on a road trip up to Scotland. My friend from Wales, whom I met while we were both teaching English in China, was part of a wonderfully motley band of historical re-enactors who were going to be displaying authentic Viking garb and sword

Confessions of a Former Homeschooler

K-12. All the way. The only in-person class I ever took was drivers’ ed. That was fun. I got to sit at a desk. This was not an easy article to write. It’s why I haven’t published any other content on this blog for months. I’ve been on a full writing hiatus/freeze, emotionally trying to

Holyrood Palace – A Bloody, Beautiful Home

Mary Queen of Scot’s chambers can be seen here, her royal rooms the scene of a shocking and very personal murder. By way of very brief context, Mary was the younger daughter of Henry VIII and younger sister of Elizabeth I, queen of England. Elizabeth was Protestant, like much of the country at that point,