Oh, Theresa-- I am so sorry that I somehow didn't realize that, Theresa. Thanks for setting the record straight--and apologies. You are both so thoughtful, but your styles are different, so I should not have made this error.
What a great piece, Don. While not as transformative as living abroad, I think a combination of my very close involvement in the international SHARP (Society for the History of Authorship, Reading, and Publishing) group starting in 1994, and the change of DC from a small, sleepy southern town to a still small but quite international and more cosmopolitan town made me adopt a far broader perspective. When something happens somewhere, I often know people there, so I have a direct connection that makes it real, causes more immediate concern--earthquake/tsunami in Japan, terrorist Tube bombing in London, and now In Israel, Gaza--flurry of emails and check-ins and more. Serving on SHARP's exec committee and planning international events enabled me to witness different attitudes about food, environment, education,consumerism, and more. Ditto in terms of DC and my neighbors. For one, Washington has made me a national and international to a lesser degree news junkie. And, in part, that also stems from getting to know so many who were not born in the US. On Baltimore Street, my Latin American neighbor upstairs was here legally-- but her husband was not, and I saw the fear and worry of the undocumented up close. It is not unusual to see women (more than men) walking back from the Safeway on the other side of Columbia carrying their groceries on their heads. And academia means colleagues and students from around the world.I worked for several years with a young student from Kenya-- and she felt so sorry for how Americans ate --she witnessed American college students' fast food, highly processed, sugar-and-fat-laden diets. It makes one think--as your piece did, Donald.
Thanks Nancy. Don was actually the editor on this piece, and I was the writer. We do often hash ideas like this out together and spent a good deal of time talking about this one since iet seemed a bit slippery. Thanks for your perspective.
So well said (and thought out)! I lived in France years ago and it completely changed my view of life in America....
I didn't know that, Robin. It didn't take long for my perspectives to shift. This is why travel is so important.
It was interesting experiencing the same storm (bomb cyclone) that you did this week!
Oh, Theresa-- I am so sorry that I somehow didn't realize that, Theresa. Thanks for setting the record straight--and apologies. You are both so thoughtful, but your styles are different, so I should not have made this error.
No problem. I consider it a compliment!!
What a great piece, Don. While not as transformative as living abroad, I think a combination of my very close involvement in the international SHARP (Society for the History of Authorship, Reading, and Publishing) group starting in 1994, and the change of DC from a small, sleepy southern town to a still small but quite international and more cosmopolitan town made me adopt a far broader perspective. When something happens somewhere, I often know people there, so I have a direct connection that makes it real, causes more immediate concern--earthquake/tsunami in Japan, terrorist Tube bombing in London, and now In Israel, Gaza--flurry of emails and check-ins and more. Serving on SHARP's exec committee and planning international events enabled me to witness different attitudes about food, environment, education,consumerism, and more. Ditto in terms of DC and my neighbors. For one, Washington has made me a national and international to a lesser degree news junkie. And, in part, that also stems from getting to know so many who were not born in the US. On Baltimore Street, my Latin American neighbor upstairs was here legally-- but her husband was not, and I saw the fear and worry of the undocumented up close. It is not unusual to see women (more than men) walking back from the Safeway on the other side of Columbia carrying their groceries on their heads. And academia means colleagues and students from around the world.I worked for several years with a young student from Kenya-- and she felt so sorry for how Americans ate --she witnessed American college students' fast food, highly processed, sugar-and-fat-laden diets. It makes one think--as your piece did, Donald.
Thanks Nancy. Don was actually the editor on this piece, and I was the writer. We do often hash ideas like this out together and spent a good deal of time talking about this one since iet seemed a bit slippery. Thanks for your perspective.
Confusion either way would be a compliment to the other!