Tag: lists

Listening to the Lives of Others: A Pandemic Reading List

Featured Breanna Randall1 Comment

We all have different coping mechanisms for this pandemic. Recently, I told a friend I was reading Behind the Beautiful Forevers (a Pulitzer prize winning book about trash collectors who live in Mumbai’s slums) and she replied, “are you sure you don’t want to read something a bit lighter in times like these?” 

I paused for a moment, and then decided to dive into the book anyway. And I’m glad I did. It helped me, actually. I can appreciate that reading heavy material is not for everyone.… Continue Reading

Displaced: Six Great Reads In Honor of World Refugee Day

Breanna RandallLeave a comment

June 20th is World Refugee Day. In honor of the occasion, here are a few titles you should add to your summer reading list.

My family history can be traced back to economic migrants who came from Europe. (My paternal grandparents moved to Canada in search of a fresh start in 1950s; my maternal side of the family came to America in the late 1800s.) The face of the world has changed since that time, and today’s politics may look different, but the history of human migration—and the things that force people to migrate—are tales as old as time.… Continue Reading

Assimilate or Go Home | Book Recommendation

Breanna Randall2 Comments

screen-shot-2016-10-13-at-10-47-36-pm

 

“I had found people as different from me as the night is from the day. What I didn’t know then was that the seeds of my own blindness were orchestrating my thoughts. For, of course, in viewing our differences, I thought I was the sun and they were the darkness.”

– from Assimilate or Go Home: Notes from a Failed Missionary on Rediscovering Faith

I wanted to take a moment to praise a book I recently read, in hopes that some of you who are looking for a good read might check it out.… Continue Reading

Myanmar Cultural Tidbits: A Few Folkways

Breanna Randall5 Comments

IMG_5373 (21 of 28)

I want to share a fun list of some cultural attributes of Myanmar. These things have become comfortable and enjoyable for us, but in returning for a visit to the U.S., I see again how these cultural folkways might seem surprising or amusing to some westerners. (What’s a folkway, you ask? Good question. Folkways are the customs and conventions of daily life. Folkways indicate the cultural ideas about what is rude and what is polite. Cultural norms, by contrast, tend to indicate the culture’s perspective on morality, and what is right and wrong.)… Continue Reading

Our Favorite Gear

Breanna RandallLeave a comment

Have no fear: we haven’t started accepting sponsorships from outdoor gear companies for our blog. After hearing about the catastrophic events in Nepal, I started thinking about a few items we own and brought here from the US, things that I’d be extra glad to have around in a time of serious shortages. And, given the time of year, and America’s upcoming gifting spree (Father’s Day and graduations), this might give you some helpful ideas for some products that have been tested and tried.… Continue Reading